This hedge fund legend warns US stock market will crash a stunning 80% – here are 3 ways to protect yourself

Aug 7, 2025
this-hedge-fund-legend-warns-us-stock-market-will-crash-a-stunning-80%-–-here-are-3-ways-to-protect-yourself

8 min read

A trader works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)

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The stock market has been volatile during the ongoing tariff disputes between the US and the rest of the world. But according to one prominent market bear, the worst is yet to come.

Mark Spitznagel, founder and chief investment officer of Universa Investments, warned that a historic collapse may be looming, in an interview with MarketWatch.

“I expect an 80% crash when this is over. I just don’t think this is it. This is a trap,” he said on April 7.

“This isn’t Armageddon. That time will come as the bubble bursts,” he said.

Spitznagel is no stranger to market mayhem. He gained notoriety during the 2020 COVID crash, when Universa’s flagship “Black Swan Protection Protocol” fund posted an eye-popping 4,144% return in the first quarter of that year.

Whether or not you buy into Spitznagel’s outlook, it might be a good time to consider how to diversify beyond traditional stocks. Here are three simple ways to start.

Ray Dalio, founder of the world’s largest hedge fund, Bridgewater Associates, recently underscored the importance of diversification — and the enduring value of one classic asset.

“People don’t have, typically, an adequate amount of gold in their portfolio,” he said in a February interview with CNBC. “When bad times come, gold is a very effective diversifier.” He suggests having 10-15% of a portfolio invested in gold.

Gold is considered a go-to safe haven. It can’t be printed out of thin air like fiat money, and because it’s not tied to any single currency or economy, investors often flock to it during periods of economic turmoil or geopolitical uncertainty, driving up its value.

Over the past 12 months, gold prices have surged by more than 35%.

One way to invest in gold that also provides significant tax advantages is to open a gold IRA with the help of Priority Gold.


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