Video News/Rule Symposium 2026

(Kitco News) Gold just posted its worst quarter in over a decade, but the more revealing story is what happened at the order counter, according to Rich Checkan, President and COO of Asset Strategies International. Speaking with Kitco News at the Rick Rule Symposium 2026, Checkan said retail buyers did the opposite of what makes sense when the metal pulled back, arguing that "gold goes on sale and everybody stands on the sidelines or they divest." Checkan said the real signal is not the price on the screen but the counter itself, pointing to contracting premiums and junk silver selling below spot as the tell of "a hated market" rather than an overheating one. He noted that Q1 ranked among the best quarters of many dealers' careers before activity dried up in Q2, and warned that trust remains the industry's core problem, citing survey data showing most investors believe they should own gold while only a small fraction actually do. Checkan urged buyers to ask one question before any purchase, whether the dealer will buy the metal back, and reiterated that physical gold remains "the most liquid asset on Earth."