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The U.S. and Canada have long enjoyed an unusually close economic relationship, with integrated supply chains, aligned industries and decades of largely friction-free trade. But that era looks to be over, according to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
“This decades-long process of an ever-closer economic relationship between the Canadian and U.S. economies is now over,” Carney said in late 2025 (1).
Speaking in Davos at the World Economic Forum in January 2026, Carney doubled down on his message in a now-famous speech shared all around the world (2).
“Let me be direct. We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition,” he said.
Carney called this rupture “the end of a pleasant fiction and the beginning of a harsh reality,” calling on other nations to end American hegemonic power.
Here’s a look at why the Canadian prime minister is saying these things — and how you can survive the economic impact on your wallet.
If you’ve been following him for a while, Carney’s words are probably nothing new to you. In fact, he’s been sounding the alarm since President Donald Trump began his “51st state” talk and tariff instability.
Back in March 2025, he warned that “the old relationship we had with the United States, based on deepening integration of our economies and tight security and military cooperation, is over,” and that Canada must “fundamentally reimagine” its economy for a “drastically different world (3).”
Carney also cautioned that many of Canada’s former strengths — built on its tight ties with the U.S. — have now become vulnerabilities. In particular, Trump’s tariff policy is jeopardizing Canadian jobs that depend on exports to the U.S.
“The jobs of workers in our industries most affected by U.S. tariffs — autos, steel, lumber — are under threat,” Carney said in October (1), adding that uncertainty is causing Canadian businesses to hold back investments.
Simply put, the good old days are gone — and won’t return.
“Our relationship with the United States will never be the same as it was, even though, in the new protectionist world, we have the best trade deal of any country,” he explained.
And Canada isn’t alone in absorbing the shock. The U.S. is the world’s largest consumer market for goods and services, and many countries rely heavily on American demand. Broad-based tariffs could therefore have severe economic consequences far beyond North America.
Indeed, Carney has cautioned before that Trump’s sweeping tariffs “will rupture the global economy (4).”
However, this isn’t the first time the world has seen a geopolitical shock. The global economy has weathered upheaval before — recessions, trade wars and financial crises.
And while no one can predict the exact landscape ahead, investors can still build out a path — especially by focusing on assets that can hold up when uncertainty runs high.
Ray Dalio, founder of the world’s largest hedge fund, Bridgewater Associates, has repeatedly stressed the importance of holding one particular safe-haven asset: gold.
“People don’t have, typically, an adequate amount of gold in their portfolio,” Dalio told CNBC earlier in February 2025 (5). “When bad times come, gold is a very effective diversifier.”
In June 2025, he reiterated the point, noting that “in a time of great stress, what you’ll find is that the gold will do well [when the other] assets don’t (6).”
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.
Considering gold prices hit new highs in January 2026 (7), it seems like the precious metal is living up to expectations.
If you’re looking for a way to get in on the gold rush, 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 and making it an option for those looking to help shield their retirement funds against economic uncertainties.
If gold is the 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 came from a real estate dynasty — 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, “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 (8).”
Just like gold, the value of real estate doesn’t tarnish, at least in Trump’s eyes. And the right mix of both can keep you out of trouble in even the most hectic or uncertain times.
Not everyone has the resources of a Trump family member to get started in real estate: Although the payoff can be substantial, so is the investment — until now.
Today, you don’t actually 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.
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.
While the short-term and vacation rental market may seem rocky to some more cautious investors, long-term multifamily and industrial rentals have the appeal of potentially more stable returns.
If diversifying into multifamily and industrial rentals appeals to you, you could consider investing with Lightstone DIRECT, a new investing platform from the Lightstone Group, one of the largest private real estate companies in the country with over 25,000 multifamily units in its portfolio.
Since they eliminate intermediaries — brokers and crowdfunding middlemen — accredited investors with a minimum investment of $100,000 can gain direct access to institutional-quality multifamily opportunities. This streamlined model can help reduce fees while enhancing transparency and control.
And with Lightstone DIRECT, you invest in single-asset multifamily deals alongside Lightstone — a true partner — as Lightstone puts at least 20% of its own capital into every offering. All of Lightstone’s investment opportunities undergo a rigorous, multi-stage review before being approved by Lightstone’s Principals, including Founder David Lichtenstein.
How it works is simple: Just sign up with your email, and you can schedule a call with a capital formation expert to assess your investment opportunities. From here, all you have to do is verify your details to begin investing.
Founded in 1986, Lightstone has a proven track record of delivering strong risk-adjusted returns across market cycles with a 27.6% historical net IRR and 2.54x historical net equity multiple on realized investments since 2004. All told, Lightstone has $12 billion in assets under management — including in industrial and commercial real estate.
As such, even if multifamily rentals don’t appeal to you, Lightstone could still serve you well as an investment vehicle for other real estate verticals.
