Oct 5 (edited) • General discussion
When great minds come together and talk, we listen.
Two of the world’s most respected financial minds Ray Dalio (founder of Bridgewater Associates, the largest hedge fund on Earth) and Ng Kok Song (Singapore’s founding CIO of GIC) sat down at the FutureChina Global Forum 2025 to discuss where the world economy is heading
Here are the 5 biggest takeaways from that conversation and why they matter to you and me.
1️⃣ History repeats itself
In the 1970s, the U.S. left the gold standard, detaching the dollar from real value. At the same time, Singapore quietly diversified away from the British pound and built reserves backed by gold a move Ng Kok Song says was crucial to Singapore’s long-term success.
💡 Lesson: Diversify into hard assets that store value. In uncertain times, gold shines brightest and that’s why it’s at all-time highs today. We’re once again entering a period of monetary uncertainty where paper money weakens and tangible stores of value grow stronger.
2️⃣ The rise and fall of empires
Ray Dalio’s success comes from his deep study of economic history. As Churchill said: “The further back you look, the further ahead you can see.” Ray Dalio examined the last five great empires from the Dutch to the British, the American, and now the rise of China and found they all follow the same pattern of ascent and decline.
He outlined eight key strengths that determine a nation’s power:
| Education 📚
| Innovation 💡
| Competitiveness 🌍
| Economic output 📈
| World trade share 🚢
| Military power 💣
| Financial markets 💰
| Currency strength 💵
Today, the U.S. is declining across most pillars, while China is gaining.And declining powers rarely fade quietly — hence the trade wars and rising geopolitical aggression we’ve seen in recent years.
💡 Lesson: Every empire believes “this time is different.”But history always rhymes and a global reset is coming.
3️⃣ The U.S. debt problem is unsustainable
Being the world’s reserve currency once gave the U.S. immense privilege. Now it’s become its biggest vulnerability. This year alone, the U.S. will spend $7 trillion while earning only $5 trillion in revenue adding to an already staggering $37 trillion national debt.
How? By printing money.When governments print, they don’t create wealth - they dilute existing value.
Imagine there’s $1,000 in circulation. The U.S. borrows it, spends it, then prints another $1,000 to repay. Now there’s $2,000 chasing the same goods - your $1,000 buys less. During the pandemic, the U.S. printed so much that over 40% of all dollars in existence were created in that short window.That’s why groceries, housing, and everyday items suddenly cost so much more.
💡 Lesson: Inflation isn’t random, it’s the price we pay for money printing.
4️⃣ The U.S. dollar is losing its dominance
When asked if the U.S. dollar can maintain reserve-currency status, Ray Dalio gave a simple answer:
“A currency has two purposes, a medium of exchange and a store of value.”
The dollar might remain important for global trade, but as a store of value, it’s failing.Every new dollar printed erodes trust in the old ones.
Ray Dalio believes this isn’t unique to America every fiat currency eventually suffers the same fate.That’s why he recommends holding real assets like gold and even mentioned Bitcoin as a modern alternative.
💡 Lesson: Fiat currencies lose value by design.Real assets preserve it.
5️⃣ The debasement of money is nothing new
Throughout history, empires collapse for the same reason- currency debasement.Whenever one nation controls the global reserve currency, it prints excessively, devalues its money, and eventually loses trust.
That’s why gold has stayed constant for centuries and why Bitcoin is emerging as its digital successor.
Bitcoin is:
- 🧱 Scarce only 21 million will ever exist.
- 🌍 Borderless no government can control it.
- 🔐 Decentralized immune to political manipulation.
💡 Lesson: The biggest financial risk isn’t market volatility it’s holding assets that are guaranteed to lose value over time.
🪙 The Big Takeaway
The message from both Ray Dalio and Ng Kok Song is clear:
Protect your wealth before the system forces you to.
We’re living through one of the most uncertain financial decades in modern history.Governments are drowning in debt.Currencies are being devalue. Global power is shifting.
So whether you choose gold, real estate, or Bitcoin the key is to diversify away from the fiat system.
Just ask the people of Argentina or Venezuela lifelong savings wiped out because of reckless money printing it. Now feel distant, but history shows no one is immune.
Also! At the time of writing, Bitcoin just hit an all-time high of $125,000.I’ll keep sharing updates like this until the day we see $1.2 million per coin.
🧭 Stay curious, stay prepared.
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When great minds come together and talk, we listen.
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