In short: ~15% cash, held for optionality in "a highly political market" where the narrative can whipsaw gold (his Reichsmark example) — and as carry: "I look at my cash position as earning a yield on my gold… if I'm gonna get paid three and a half percent in T bills… probably positive one and a half% carry across my cash and bullion."
Treasury bills are short-term government IOUs that mature within a year, so they barely move in price — the safest place to park cash. Gromen keeps about 15% there, for two reasons.
First, optionality: he calls this "a highly political market" in which narratives swing prices violently — his example is gold in 1920s Germany, which rose enormously overall but wiped out leveraged buyers several times along the way. Cash lets him buy those dips. Second, carry: gold pays no interest, but T-bills pay about 3.5%, so blended across his cash and bullion he earns roughly a 1.5% yield on the combined position.
1:36:53And I also look at my cash position as earning a yield on my gold, right? My gold earns zero. If anything, it's slight negative carry. but if I'm gonna get paid three and a half percent in T bills, great. Then I'm really getting played, if I layer if I am advertise that over my gold holdings too, I have a positive one or 2% carry, probably positive one and a half% carry across my cash and bullion.
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