New Orleans Investment Conference 2017: Notes from the Floor

Held every year for over four decades, the New Orleans Investment Conference is an opportunity for investors to further their knowledge of the trends driving US and global markets.
This year’s event ran from October 25 to 28, and featured dozens of speakers and exhibiting companies. Gold featured prominently in discussions, but many other topics came up as well, including other metals and commodities, cryptocurrencies and more.
If you weren’t able to make it to the show, don’t worry. We’ve put together a recap of the four-day event, and will be publishing interviews with some of the key speakers in the coming days. Scroll down to get a taste of what happened.

Praise for gold

Unsurprisingly, many high-profile speakers shared their thoughts on why they like gold and believe investors should include it in their portfolios. Doug Casey of Casey Research and bestselling “Rich Dad Poor Dad” author Robert Kiyosaki are two people who said they buy gold consistently.
Stay tuned for a video interview with Casey.

"I buy #gold consistently," says Doug Casey on #NOIC2017 Future of Money panel. "Gold should be used as money."

— Resource Investing (@INN_Resource) October 28, 2017

"Where does my extra money go? #Gold," says @theRealKiyosaki. "And I never spend it. Gold is not an investment – it's real money" #NOIC2017

— Resource Investing (@INN_Resource) October 27, 2017

Gold price drivers

Gold price drivers also came up frequently, with many discussions touching or focusing on interest rates.
In addition to the commentary below, Brien Lundin made the argument that a gold price rise is inevitable no matter what happens. He suggested that there are two possible paths forward for the US economy — either there will be growth and the Fed will hike rates as expected, or there will be weakness and the Fed will be prevented from hiking rates as scheduled. Either scenario will be positive for gold.
Stay tuned for a video interview with Lundin.

What will drive #gold moving forward? The main factors are interest rates, US markets and uncertainty, says @miningmavengwen #NOIC2017

— Resource Investing (@INN_Resource) October 25, 2017

Pay attention to real interest rates, says Peter Boockvar – they have helped the #gold price rally #NOIC2017

— Resource Investing (@INN_Resource) October 27, 2017

Adrian Day says he doesn't see the US Federal Reserve raising interest rates significantly any time soon #NOIC2017

— Resource Investing (@INN_Resource) October 26, 2017

Precious metals commentary

The precious metals complex as a whole received attention on Wednesday’s precious metals panel. Chaired by Thom Calandra of the Calandra Report, it featured Gerardo Del Real of the Outsider Club, silver guru David Morgan, Bill Murphy of GATA and Dana Samuelson of American Gold Exchange.
Topics were wide ranging, with panelists touching on prices, supply and demand and even the ways cryptocurrencies have affected the space. Del Real’s comment that bitcoin investors “haven’t had their loyalty tested yet” received a round of applause from the audience.
Stay tuned for video interviews with Calandra, Morgan and Murphy. 

In an event of monetary panic, it's #silver that will be used in day-to-day transactions, says @silverguru22 #NOIC2017

— Resource Investing (@INN_Resource) October 25, 2017

#Palladium is thinly supplied compared to #platinum, says Dana Samuelson – small changes in the physical mkt can have big effects #NOIC2017

— Resource Investing (@INN_Resource) October 25, 2017

"One big reason metals prices are held down is because the industry won't defend itself," says Chris Powell of GATA #NOIC2017

— Resource Investing (@INN_Resource) October 26, 2017

The macro view

While gold and other metals were a key focus at the conference, some of the most well-attended talks and panels were more broad, with topics ranging from the US economy to the future of money. Saturday’s geopolitical panel, chaired by Gary Alexander and featuring Tucker Carlson, Jonah Goldberg and Stephen Hayes was particularly popular, and covered many of the factors affecting the US.
Other panels and presentations also touched on the overall US market and whether it’s headed for a crash. The broad consensus from many speakers was that is, and will get to that point soon — although it’s impossible to say when. Casey, a self-described “notorious bear,” gave one of the more dire forecasts, commenting that he thinks 2008 was only the start of a difficult period that will become much worse.

Geopolitical panel at #NOIC2017 featuring @TuckerCarlson, @JonahNRO and @stephenfhayes. Great discussion! pic.x.com/Gv7H4IufQT

— Resource Investing (@INN_Resource) October 28, 2017

Economist and author Judy Shelton also took on a major issue in her talk. Shelton, who recently served on US President Donald Trump’s transition team, suggested that restoring the integrity of the US dollar is crucial to economic growth, and commented, “we should be able to trust our own currency.” She has long advocated a return to the gold standard, and while she admitted that she does not see that happening in the near term, she does see the possibility of monetary reform under Trump.
“I do think we will see more language coming out of the Treasury emphasizing the importance of a stable international monetary system as being a central contributor to strong and sustainable growth,” she said.
Stay tuned for a video interview with Shelton.

Under Trump there is an opportunity for major monetary reform, says economist Judy Shelton #NOIC2017

— Resource Investing (@INN_Resource) October 27, 2017

We have to restore the integrity of the US dollar, says Judy Shelton – a stable US dollar is vital to economic growth #NOIC2017

— Resource Investing (@INN_Resource) October 27, 2017

Advice for investors

Some speakers spent time taking attendees back to the basics of investing. Del Real and Nick Hodge of the Outsider Club ran through a number of qualities to look at when deciding whether to invest in a company, and also covered red flags. Brent Cook of Exploration Insights and Resource Maven Gwen Preston also shared their thoughts on the topic in their own presentations.
Stay tuned for video interviews with Hodge and Cook.

Share structure should be #1 consideration for investors, says Nick Hodge of @OutsiderClub – Almaden Minerals is a good example #NOIC2017

— Resource Investing (@INN_Resource) October 26, 2017

.@Explor_Insights running through red flags in #mining – watch for twinned holes, incomplete drill data, lack of historic results #NOIC2017

— Resource Investing (@INN_Resource) October 25, 2017

To profit in the coming bull market make sure you're networked, paying attention and booking profits, says @miningmavengwen #NOIC2017

— Resource Investing (@INN_Resource) October 25, 2017

Stay tuned for video interviews with many of the above speakers and more. We will be posting them throughout this week and next, along with additional coverage of the conference.
Don’t forget to follow us @INN_Resource for real-time updates!
Securities Disclosure: I, Charlotte McLeod, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.