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U.S. President Donald Trump is sending a stark warning about the evolving relationship between two major trading partners: China and Canada.
“China is successfully and completely taking over the once Great Country of Canada. So sad to see it happen,” Trump wrote in a recent post on Truth Social (1), adding the quip, “I only hope they leave Ice Hockey alone!”
The comments came after a recent trip by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to China — Canada’s second-largest trading partner after the U.S.
During the visit, Carney and Chinese President Xi Jinping reached a “preliminary agreement in principle” aimed at easing trade barriers (2).
Under the agreement, China would sharply reduce tariffs on Canadian canola seeds to a combined rate of roughly 15%, down from about 85%, while Canada would allow up to 49,000 Chinese electric vehicles into the country each year at the “most-favored-nation” tariff rate of 6.1%.
Trump had warned that closer ties between Ottawa and Beijing could trigger sweeping trade retaliation from Washington.
“If Governor Carney thinks he is going to make Canada a ‘Drop Off Port’ for China to send goods and products into the United States, he is sorely mistaken,” Trump wrote on Saturday (3).
“If Canada makes a deal with China, it will immediately be hit with a 100% Tariff against all Canadian goods and products coming into the U.S.A.”
A day later, Carney moved to clarify Canada’s position, stressing that Ottawa is not pursuing a free trade agreement with Beijing.
“We have no intention of doing that with China or any other non-market economy,” Carney told reporters on Sunday (4). “What we’ve done with China is to rectify some issues that developed in the last couple of years.”
Canada’s minister responsible for Canada–U.S. trade, Dominic LeBlanc, has also clarified the situation (5), stating, “There is no pursuit of a free trade deal with China. What was achieved was resolution on several important tariff issues.”
Still, Trump struck a notably bleak tone in his assessment of Canada’s direction (6), arguing that the country is “systematically destroying itself” and warning that its deal with China “will go down as one of the worst deals, of any kind, in history.”
This back-and-forth underscores how quickly geopolitical shifts can spill into trade policy — with potential ripple effects for inflation, supply chains and financial markets.
For investors, it could be a wake-up call: When global power shifts, it pays to have something solid in your corner.
With global tensions rising and major economies reassessing their trade ties, investors are turning to assets that can hold up in turbulent times. One that continues to stand out, according to legendary hedge fund manager Ray Dalio, is gold.
“People don’t have, typically, an adequate amount of gold in their portfolio,” Dalio told CNBC. “When bad times come, gold is a very effective diversifier.”
Long seen as the ultimate safe haven, gold isn’t tied to any single country, currency or economy. It can’t be printed out of thin air like fiat money and in times of economic turmoil or geopolitical uncertainty, investors tend to pile in — driving up its value.
In just the past six months, gold prices have surged by nearly 50%. What’s more, gold breached a high water mark of over $5,000 per ounce in late January (7).
One way to invest in gold that also provides significant tax advantages is to open a gold IRA with the help of Priority Gold.
Gold IRAs allow investors to hold physical gold or gold-related assets within a retirement account, thereby combining the tax advantages of an IRA with the protective benefits of investing in gold, making it an option for those looking to help shield their retirement funds against economic uncertainties.
When you make a qualifying purchase with Priority Gold, you can receive up to $10,000 in precious metals for free.
Read More: Approaching retirement with no savings? Don’t panic, you’re not alone. Here are 6 easy ways you can catch up (and fast)
If gold is the common go-to hedge for moments of chaos, real estate is the long game — and no one knows that better than Trump himself.
Before politics, Trump made his fortune in real estate — and the asset class remains a powerful tool for building and preserving wealth, especially during inflationary times. That’s because property values and rental income tend to rise along with the cost of living.
Unlike some other investments, real estate doesn’t need a roaring stock market to deliver returns. Even during downturns, high-quality properties can generate rental income — offering a dependable stream of passive cash flow.
As Trump told Steve Forbes back in 2011 (9), “I just notice that when you have that right piece of property, whatever it might be, including location, it tends to work well in good times and in bad times.”
Today, you don’t need to buy a property outright to benefit from real estate investing. Crowdfunding platforms like Arrived offer an easier way to get exposure to this income-generating asset class.
Backed by world-class investors like Jeff Bezos, Arrived allows you to invest in shares of rental homes with as little as $100, all without the hassle of mowing lawns, fixing leaky faucets or handling difficult tenants.
The process is simple: Browse a curated selection of homes that have been vetted for their appreciation and income potential. Once you find a property you like, select the number of shares you’d like to purchase and then sit back as you start receiving any positive rental income distributions from your investment.
Another option is Lightstone DIRECT, which offers accredited investors access to institutional-quality multifamily and industrial real estate — with a minimum investment of $100,000.
Founded in 1986 by David Lichtenstein, Lightstone Group is one of the largest privately held real estate investment firms in the U.S., with more than $12 billion in assets under management.
Over nearly-four decades, their team has delivered strong, risk-adjusted performance across multiple market cycles — including a 27.6% historical net IRR and a 2.54x historical net equity multiple on realized investments since 2004.
With Lightstone DIRECT, you gain access to that proprietary deal flow.
Here’s the kicker: Lightstone invests at least 20% of its own capital in every deal — roughly four times the industry average. With skin in the game, the firm ensures its interests are directly aligned with those of its investors.
Investing experts like Dalio often stress the importance of diversification — and for good reason. Many traditional assets tend to move in tandem, especially during periods of uncertainty or market stress.
The case for diversification feels especially relevant today. Nearly 40% of the S&P 500’s weight is concentrated in its ten largest stocks and the index’s CAPE ratio hasn’t been this high since the dot-com boom.
This is why many investors look beyond the usual mix of stocks and bonds.
Alternative assets — from real estate and precious metals to private equity and collectibles — can help reduce risk and broaden a portfolio’s sources of return.
But there’s one store of value that routinely flies under the radar: It’s scarce by design, coveted worldwide and frequently locked away by institutions. It has also outpaced the S&P 500 with low correlation since 1995
The asset in question? Post-war and contemporary art.
It’s easy to see why art pieces often fetch new highs at auctions: The supply of the best works of art is limited and many of the most desirable pieces have already been snatched up by museums and collectors. That scarcity can also make art an attractive option for investors looking to diversify and preserve wealth during periods of high inflation.
Until recently, purchasing art has been a domain reserved for the ultra-wealthy — like in 2022 when a collection of art owned by the late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen sold for $1.5 billion at Christie’s New York, making it the most valuable collection in auction history (8).
Now, Masterworks — a platform for investing in shares of blue-chip artwork by renowned artists, including Pablo Picasso, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Banksy — can help you get started with this asset class. It’s easy to use and, with 25 successful exits to date, Masterworks has distributed more than $65 million in total proceeds (including the principal).
Simply browse their impressive portfolio of paintings and choose how many shares you’d like to buy. Masterworks can handle all the details, making high-end art investments both accessible and effortless.
New offerings have sold out in minutes, but you can skip their waitlist to start investing today.
Note that past performance is not indicative of future returns. Investing involves risk. See Reg A disclosures at masterworks.com/cd.
At the end of the day, everyone’s financial situation is different — from income levels and investment goals to debt obligations and risk tolerance. And when the global economic outlook is uncertain, those differences matter even more. If you’re unsure where to start, now could be the right time to get in touch with a financial advisor.
With Vanguard, you can connect with a personal advisor who can help assess how you’re doing so far and make sure you’ve got the right portfolio to meet your goals on time.
Vanguard’s hybrid advisory system combines advice from professional advisers and automated portfolio management to make sure your investments are working to achieve your financial goals.
All you have to do is fill out a brief questionnaire about your financial goals and Vanguard’s advisers will help you set a tailored plan and even help you stick to it.
Once you’re set, you can sit back as Vanguard’s advisors manage your portfolio. Because they’re fiduciaries, they don’t earn commissions, so you can trust that the advice you’re getting is unbiased.
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@realDonaldTrump (1), (3), (6); Prime Minister of Canada (2); @globalnews (4); @DLeBlancNB (5); APMEX (7); @Forbes (8); Christie’s (9)
This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
