Central Banks Are Buying Gold at Record Levels. Trump Is Working to Unlock America's Largest Gold Reserve. Jim Rickards Says the Timing Is No Coincidence.
Former CIA Advisor Jim Rickards Has Released a New Free Presentation Examining the Convergence of Record Sovereign Gold Demand and the Trump Administration's Push to Develop America's Critical Mineral Resources
Baltimore, MD, April 16, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Two developments are unfolding simultaneously in the gold and resource markets, and former CIA advisor and economist Jim Rickards has released a new video presentation examining what their convergence may signal about the current moment in American economic and resource policy.
The first is a matter of documented record: global central banks have purchased more than 1,000 tonnes of gold annually for three consecutive years through 2024, according to the World Gold Council — more than double the historical average and far exceeding the previous peak of purchasing activity. The second is a policy development that has received considerably less attention: the Trump administration's executive push to unlock domestic gold and copper production, specifically in Alaska.
The Sovereign Demand Story
According to the World Gold Council's Full Year 2024 report, central banks purchased 1,045 tonnes of gold in 2024 — the third consecutive year above 1,000 tonnes, compared to an annual average of 473 tonnes between 2010 and 2021. A 2025 World Gold Council survey found that 95% of central banks expected official reserves to increase over the next 12 months. None planned to reduce holdings.
Rickards' research examines the geopolitical and monetary factors driving this sustained institutional accumulation — including reserve diversification trends, dollar dependency concerns among emerging market central banks, and the growing use of gold as a neutral reserve asset in an increasingly multipolar financial system.
The American Resource Policy Response
On the domestic side, President Trump signed Executive Order 14153 — "Unleashing Alaska's Extraordinary Resource Potential" — on January 20, 2025, directing federal agencies to expedite natural resource permitting in Alaska. A companion Executive Order 14241 designated copper as a critical mineral, with provisions intended to accelerate development timelines for significant copper deposits.
These actions directly affect the regulatory context for a significant Alaskan deposit — documented in official resource filings as one of the world's largest undeveloped copper and gold deposits, containing 57 billion pounds of copper and 71 million ounces of gold in measured and indicated resources.
The Connection Rickards Is Drawing
His presentation frames the question Rickards believes deserves more analytical attention: what does it mean when sovereign institutions are accumulating gold at an unprecedented pace at the same moment the United States government is taking executive action to unlock one of the world's largest undeveloped gold deposits? His analysis examines the policy logic, the resource economics, and the historical context that he believes makes this convergence significant.
What the Presentation Covers
- Three consecutive years of 1,000-tonne-plus central bank gold purchases and the geopolitical factors driving them
- Executive Orders 14153 and 14241 and their stated implications for Alaskan resource development
- The documented resource scale of the deposit as recorded in official filings
- What the simultaneous occurrence of record sovereign demand and domestic supply unlocking may suggest about policy priorities
About the Presentation
The full video presentation is available for on-demand viewing at no cost. To access the complete session, click here.
About Jim Rickards and Paradigm Press
Jim Rickards has spent five decades at the intersection of politics, macroeconomics, and financial markets, advising the Pentagon, the CIA, and the Federal Reserve on systemic risk and economic security. His research and analysis are published by Paradigm Press.
Derek Warren Public Relations Manager Paradigm Press Group Email: dwarren@paradigmpressgroup.com
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