Nightmare Scenario: Topping Phase Could Trigger 50% Crash | Chris Vermeulen

Watch on YouTube ↗  |  August 25, 2025 at 18:57  |  37:17  |  The David Lin Report
Speakers
Chris Vermeulen — Chief Market Strategist, TheTechnicalTraders
David Lin — Founder & Host, The David Lin Report / ex-Anchor, Kitco News

Summary

Chris Vermeulen of The Technical Traders discusses a Stage 3 market topping phase that he warns could eventually lead to a 50%+ crash, though he remains long U.S. indices while the trend is still up. He also covers rotation from Bitcoin into Ethereum and altcoins, a bearish oil bounce, and bullish setups in gold and silver. The interview closes with retirement-planning thoughts on real estate, permanent life insurance, and disciplined risk management.

  • Chris sees U.S. equities in a late-stage topping phase but remains long indices because daily, weekly, and monthly trends are still bullish.
  • He flags equal-weight S&P, small caps, and micro caps as potential double/triple tops with historical 20%+ correction risk.
  • Bitcoin has lost momentum and he has exited; capital is rotating toward Ethereum and altcoins as Bitcoin dominance falls.
  • Oil's rebound is viewed as a bounce within a downtrend and a possible short setup rather than a new uptrend.
  • Gold and silver are favored for a one-to-two-month rally, with gold targeting about $4,100 and silver potentially spiking toward $50.
  • He warns that a stock-market bear market and mass liquidation could eventually pull gold and silver down after a blowoff top.
  • Chris dismisses Fed-speak as noise and emphasizes following price, using stop/risk management, and compounding small trades.
  • For younger investors, he recommends leveraged residential rental real estate and early permanent life insurance funding for retirement.
Ideas
Chris Vermeulen Chief Market Strategist, TheTechnicalTraders 1:41
Bitcoin momentum faded; exit and avoid.
Bitcoin has lost its media-driven momentum and is being rejected at resistance, no longer near all-time highs. Chris says they already exited Bitcoin near a first target, locked in profits, and sees money rotating to Ethereum instead, warning that Bitcoin may not perform as investors expect.
Chris Vermeulen Chief Market Strategist, TheTechnicalTraders 1:57
Crypto love rotating to Ethereum.
Chris sees crypto leadership rotating from Bitcoin to Ethereum, saying big crypto players have shifted focus to Ethereum and that is attracting capital away from Bitcoin.
Chris Vermeulen Chief Market Strategist, TheTechnicalTraders 2:42
Altseason as Bitcoin dominance falls.
Chris points to Bitcoin dominance peaking at 66% in late June and falling to 58%, which he reads as capital moving into other cryptos and the start of altseason.
Chris Vermeulen Chief Market Strategist, TheTechnicalTraders 3:39
Stay long broad U.S. stocks.
Chris remains long the indices and says the daily, weekly, and monthly stock-market charts are still in strong uptrends. He sees money moving out of Bitcoin and the Magnificent 7 into the broad market, with midcaps, small caps, micro caps, and dividend stocks participating, which is a healthy broadening. He warns not to fight the trend even though he expects a top eventually.
Chris Vermeulen Chief Market Strategist, TheTechnicalTraders 11:29
Broad ETFs risk 20% correction.
Chris highlights RSP, IWM, and IWC as the broad market; unlike the cap-weighted indices, they have not broken to new all-time highs and may be forming a major double/triple top. Historically, when the overall stock market reaches this level, it has been followed by a 20%+ crash or correction, so these broad-market ETFs are at a tipping point.
Chris Vermeulen Chief Market Strategist, TheTechnicalTraders 26:56
Oil bounce is a downtrend short.
Chris views oil's sharp rebound as noise within a short-term downtrend. He says the move looks like a hook/short squeeze that traps shorts and lures longs before price rolls over, and oil remains stuck below major resistance and in a downtrend. He thinks any bounce is a trading play lower, not a new uptrend.
Chris Vermeulen Chief Market Strategist, TheTechnicalTraders 28:38
Gold bull flag targets $4,100.
Chris likes gold. He says gold has a strong long-term bull chart and is consolidating in a bull flag that targets about $4,100, possibly higher. The long sideways range is shaking out weak hands and making technical analysts bearish, which he sees as a bullish setup. He expects gold and silver to rally for one to two months with potential 20%+ upside, though he expects a stock-market bear market could eventually drag gold down after a blowoff top.
Chris Vermeulen Chief Market Strategist, TheTechnicalTraders 30:34
Silver can spike toward $50.
Chris likes silver and sees it as a small, crowded market with built-up energy that can make explosive parabolic moves. He expects silver to rally alongside gold over the next one to two months, first to about $41 and potentially to the $50 all-time-high area, though he warns that such a blowoff spike could mark a temporary top.
Chris Vermeulen Chief Market Strategist, TheTechnicalTraders 35:20
Young investors should buy rental real estate.
For younger investors, Chris recommends buying residential rental real estate such as a duplex, triplex, or quad. He argues it allows significant leverage through a mortgage, lets the owner live in one unit, provides rental income from the other doors, and offers long-term asset appreciation.
Up Next

This The David Lin Report video, published August 25, 2025, features Chris Vermeulen discussing BTC, ETH, ALTCOINS, SPY, QQQ, IWM, IWC, RSP, WTI, GLD, SILVER, Residential rental real estate. 9 trade ideas extracted by AI with direction and confidence scoring.

Speakers: Chris Vermeulen  · Tickers: BTC, ETH, ALTCOINS, SPY, QQQ, IWM, IWC, RSP, WTI, GLD, SILVER, Residential rental real estate