Is a Stock Market Crash Around the Corner?
Insiders Are Fleeing at the Quickest Pace Since 2021
For more than three years, Wall Street has insisted that stocks are the only place to be. Artificial intelligence hype, meme stocks, and nonstop media promotion have driven valuations to historic extremes. But behind closed doors, the people who know these companies best are doing something very different.
They are selling. Corporate insider selling has climbed to its highest sell-to-buy ratio in five years, according to data cited by Maverick Equity Research. In a post on X.com, the firm warned that “U.S.
Corporate Insiders like & love the current high valuations as they are quite selling: highest Selling/Buying ratio in 5 years… 2021 crazy valuations time, they were quite smart and sold nicely before the 2022 bear market.”
In 2021, executives sold heavily before the market collapsed in 2022. Today, the same pattern is reappearing. While everyday investors continue pouring money into overvalued indexes, insiders are quietly converting paper wealth into something more secure.
Since late 2022, the stock market has been driven almost entirely by speculation. The S&P 500 rose 23.3% in 2024, another 16% in 2025, and added 1.4% in January 2026, pushing the index above 7,000 for the first time. These gains were not built on broad economic strength. They were built on a narrow group of technology stocks and aggressive risk-taking.
When leadership becomes this concentrated, markets become fragile.
Global institutions have begun acknowledging what insiders already know. The International Monetary Fund warned that “sky-high stock valuations are increasing the risk of disorderly corrections.” Fidelity International pointed to elevated valuations and rising volatility in its January 2026 outlook. Northern Trust Asset Management also noted that U.S. equity leadership remains unusually narrow..
While confidence in paper assets erodes, gold continues to strengthen its position as the world’s preferred store of value.
J.P. Morgan expects gold to reach $6,300 per ounce by the end of 2026, driven by sustained central bank and investor demand. The bank now forecasts central-bank purchases of 800 tons in 2026, citing an “ongoing, unexhausted trend of reserve diversification.” It added that “even with the recent near-term volatility, we remain firmly bullishly convicted in gold… amid a still well-entrenched regime of real asset outperformance vs. paper assets.”
Deutsche Bank has also reiterated its 2026 forecast of $6,000 per ounce, pointing to continued investor demand despite recent price adjustments.
The message is becoming impossible to ignore.
Corporate executives are selling. Global institutions are warning. Central banks are accumulating physical metal. Major banks are projecting gold above $6,000.
When insiders abandon paper and institutions move toward real assets, the direction of capital is clear. In periods of financial instability, confidence always leaves first. It leaves leveraged stocks, inflated valuations, and promises on paper. It moves toward assets that cannot be printed, diluted, or manipulated.
In 2026, that asset is gold.
Reagan Gold Group: Navigating Market Risk With Physical Gold
Reagan Gold Group helps individuals and families protect their retirement savings through physical gold and silver ownership. With a focus on education, transparency, and long-term wealth preservation, Reagan Gold Group specializes in helping clients diversify away from paper assets and into tangible precious metals.
