Billionaire Reveals Investment Firms Never Warn Clients Before Market Crashes
"From 1929 onwards, the Goldman Sachs of the world have never said to you, 'Get out of the market, it's overpriced.' Never. You will not receive the advice from investment advisors to get your tail out of the market ever. It is not good business for them to do that."
About this episode
In this episode, host Steven Bartlett interviewed Jeremy Grantham, the 87-year-old co-founder of GMO who managed up to $165 billion and has given away over 90% of his wealth to environmental causes. The conversation opened with Grantham delivering stark warnings about US equity markets, calling current valuations the largest bubble in American history and predicting a 70% collapse in the near term. He advised listeners to sell US stocks entirely and diversify into non-US equities, bonds, and precious metals, revealing that major investment firms systematically refuse to warn clients about overpriced markets because it destroys their business model. Grantham recounted how his own firm lost half its clients for being early on the 2000 tech bubble warning. The discussion then pivoted to societal issues, with Grantham presenting alarming data on male fertility collapse, citing peer-reviewed research showing sperm counts declining 2.5% annually and projected to hit zero by 2045 due to endocrine-disrupting chemicals in plastics, pesticides, and consumer products. He detailed how the US permits 85 agricultural pesticides banned in Europe and has restricted only 11 cosmetic chemicals versus 1,300 in the EU. Grantham argued this toxic environment, combined with extreme wealth inequality, is destroying America's social contract, pointing to maternal mortality rates 10 times higher than Norway as evidence. He advised pregnant women to eliminate cosmetics and eat organic produce, claiming Harvard studies showed fertility doubled with dietary changes alone. The episode concluded with Grantham suggesting Americans consider relocating to countries with stronger social safety nets like Denmark or Germany, and expressing his desire to write a book on toxicity and family policy that could spark change similar to Rachel Carson's Silent Spring.
Key takeaways
- Grantham predicts US stocks will decline 70% from current levels, calling it the biggest investment bubble in American history driven by AI euphoria.
- He revealed that Wall Street firms never warn clients before crashes because it destroys their business, citing his firm losing half its clients in 1998-99 for early warnings.
- Grantham advised selling all US tech stocks and buying non-US equities, bonds, precious metals, arguing foreign markets have already begun outperforming America.
- Male sperm counts are declining 2.5% annually and projected to hit zero by 2045 due to chemicals in plastics, pesticides, and cosmetics that are banned in Europe.
- The US permits 85 agricultural pesticides banned in the EU and restricts only 11 cosmetic chemicals versus 1,300 in Europe, driving fertility collapse and lower life expectancy.
- America's maternal mortality rate of 20-21 per 100,000 is 10 times Norway's zero rate, revealing how extreme inequality destroys the social contract.
- Grantham advised pregnant women to eliminate cosmetics and eat organic produce, citing Harvard studies showing fertility doubled with dietary changes alone.