Mike Maharrey

Central banks took up where they left off in 2023, adding more gold to their stockpiles to kick off the new year. Globally, central banks increased their gold reserves by a net 39 tons in January, according to the latest data compiled by the World Gold Council. There were no notable sellers in January.

The United States enjoys the privilege of issuing the world’s reserve currency. But it increasingly uses that privilege as a hammer to shape foreign policy. Could Americans end up feeling the blows from that hammer? Economist and the author of Currency Wars Jim Rickards thinks that’s already happening.

Silver demand is expected to hit 1.2 billion ounces this year. That would rank as the second-highest annual silver demand on record. Record industrial demand for silver is expected to drive overall silver offtake this year, according to an article in the latest edition of the Silver Institute’s Silver News.

During a recent interview aired on 60 Minutes, the Fed chairman said it was time to have an “adult conversation” about the national debt and conceded that the U.S. government is on “an unsustainable fiscal path.” Powell said, “We’re effectively borrowing from future generations,” and that it is time for us to put a priority on “fiscal sustainability.

According to the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) data, prices rose by 3.1 percent over the last year. Based on my own experience at my local shopping center, that seems low. And it may well be. There are reasons to doubt the accuracy of CPI data. According to a recent report released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) weak response rates…

The commercial real estate market continues to deteriorate in this high-interest rate environment, putting stress on the banking system. The dollar amount of bad commercial real estate loans has ballooned beyond the loss reserves held by big banks to cover them as more and more borrowers struggle to keep up with payments.

Chinese gold demand kicked off 2024 with a bang. Wholesale gold demand set a record in January. Meanwhile, assets under management by Chinese gold ETFs reached an all-time high. China ranks as the world’s top gold consumer, and Chinese demand has a significant impact on the global gold market.

The bank bailout program established by the Federal Reserve in the wake of last spring’s banking crisis is scheduled to shut down on March 11. Then what? There are a lot more questions than answers. For instance, will the Fed blink? And if it doesn’t, how will the end of the bailout ripple through the financial system?

The federal government’s budget deficit was “only” $21.93 billion in January. That was a significant improvement over the $129 billion shortfall recorded in December. The smaller deficit was primarily due to increased government receipts thanks to a big drop in tax refunds. But the Biden administration is still spending like a drunken sailor.

Russia has reportedly used gold to evade currency restrictions put in place as part of economic sanctions levied in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine. Under the sanction regime, Russian banks are prohibited from importing dollars or euros into the country, enforced by locking Russia out of the SWIFT network

With gold prices skyrocketing in their local currency, Egyptians are turning to silver to protect their savings from skyrocketing inflation. According to a Reuters report, surging prices and a weakening currency have driven the price of gold to record high levels. In order to protect their wealth, many are turning to silver as a more affordable alternative.