Ryan Stancil,
Editor
May 22, 2026
Suspense is building as we head into the summer.
Memorial Day weekend is here, and with that comes one of the country’s busiest travel periods as schools get close to letting out for the season and families plan their vacations.
Except, Trump’s war and the resultant inflationary pressures might mean that those travels will be closer to home, if they happen at all.
With the average price of gas at $4.50 a gallon and creeping higher, staying local might be the best that many people can manage. And that local trip might involve bringing food with them instead of eating at restaurants along the way.
This is just a small part of what it seems like we have to look forward to over the next few months.
You’ve seen the grocery store and gas prices. And even if people aren’t talking about these things affecting their situations directly, it’s showing up in other parts of the economy. Foot traffic in restaurants is declining and retail is seeing a change in spending habits.
And then you have what the media has dubbed “Blue Dot Fever”, where musicians are cancelling tours and shows because of low ticket sales. Right before the height of the concert season.
Even with all of these signs, the market can’t seem to decide how it feels about the state of the economy’s health. We’ve been seeing a lot of up-and-down movement in the charts lately.
All of it has been dependent on the news of Iran. Pullbacks when it seemed like no good news came out of the region and then positive movement any time Trump had something to say that even hinted at the idea that a peace deal might be reached.
It’s been enough to keep investors on edge, wrestling with an unpredictable market.
The market saw an upward trend at one point this week, built on the idea that another agreement was close to becoming reality. That was more than enough to have the market ignore what was happening just beneath the surface.
The most apparent red flag is in treasury yields and the fact that they are climbing higher. As of Thursday morning, the 10-year rose to 4.62%. This is a quick turnaround from the previous day, where yet another empty promise of a deal in Iran being reached soon turned out to be bluster and little else.
New statements from Iran’s Supreme Leader threw cold water on the idea that the Strait of Hormuz would be reopened and there would be relief in oil prices. Pair this with the fact that Fed policymakers are increasingly mulling over rate hikes if inflation persists, and the reality is beginning to set in.
What we may be seeing is the market beginning to sober up and accept the fact that things are going to be rocky in the coming months. The market had been clinging to the hope that interest rate cuts would be coming, especially with Jerome Powell no longer steering the ship. But new chair Kevin Warsh may not have that option as the war persists.
The same war that has Trump demanding a $500 billion boost in defense spending for fiscal 2027 just as government debt spikes and investor confidence in the Fed to get inflation under control erodes. That speaks to a broader erosion of trust in institutions and the consequences that come with that.
Increasingly, it’s on investors to actively manage their own assets and protect them from the predatory forces that are directly responsible for the environment we’re in.
That means buying into the asset classes poised to thrive in this environment. In many cases, that will happen as a direct result of what’s happening in the broader market. In this environment, those asset classes are largely made up of commodities.
We’re seeing it with precious metals, where demand is climbing as supply is dwindling. Countries are enacting protectionist policies to make sure they have what they need, and that’s nothing but good business for the companies that are able to secure supply and bring it to market.
Activity at these companies is ramping up, and they’re gaining the kind of attention that will get them bought out by bigger names with deep pockets. Getting in before that promises that you get your share of the profits. You can learn all about what names should be in your portfolio to take advantage by clicking here.
Alternatively, gold investments are another area set to thrive. Gold has historically been a go-to investment in times of volatility and there’s no reason to think this time will be any different. There are a lot of ways to do it, but one little-known method has the kind of profit potential that most investors only dream about. You can learn the details by clicking here.
The divide between haves and have-nots is growing wider. It’s up to you to make sure you’re on the right side of it.
Keep your eyes open,
Ryan Stancil
Editor, Bizarro World