I have good and bad news. The good is that the price of gold rose 2% in November. The bad – is that the price of gold rose 2% in November. It depends on the perspective we adopt. Given all the hawkish signals sent by the Fed and all the talk about tapering of quantitative easing a small increase is an admirable achievement…
Full Article →Take This Job and Shove It!
The Great Resignation Continues… Record numbers of Americans are quitting their jobs, which is putting a major strain on our economy and infrastructure. As one economist puts it, we’ve really met a once-in-a-generation ‘take this job and shove it’ moment.
Full Article →Social Security ‘Sticker Shock’ Coming…
Mainstream media has been making a big deal about Social Security’s cost-of-living-adjustment (COLA) for next year. “Biggest jump since 1983,” according to at least one source. While it’s a fact that the 5.9% COLA is substantial when compared to prior years, once inflation is factored in, beneficiaries will experience “sticker shock.”
Full Article →Gold Holding Up as Cryptos Hammered
As Bitcoin made new all-time highs in recent weeks, an increasing number of investors referred to it as the “new gold.” Cryptos are a far cry from hard money, however, and recent price action may be indicative of why.
Full Article →Crypto Scams Explode Across America
Investing in cryptocurrency definitely means taking on risks. There’s an inherent volatility in this new asset class. Every time Elon Musk tweets, the crypto marks might surge or plummet 20%. Further, there’s a definite flavor of the Wild West in cryptocurrency exchanges, an aura of reckless enthusiasm cloaked in mystique.
Full Article →Weak November Payrolls Won’t Help Gold
November employment report was mixed. Unfortunately for gold, however, it won’t stop the Fed’s hawkish agenda. The nonfarm payrolls number is much lower than both October’s figure and the market expectations – so, it’s a huge blow to those optimistic about the US economy.
Full Article →Changes to Price Discovery If the Futures Market Fails
The U.S. dollar and precious metals futures have one thing in common. The value of the greenback and a contract for future delivery of metal are completely dependent on confidence. When, or if, that disappears, neither will be worth the paper they aren’t printed on.
Full Article →Home Storage Gold IRA Sees Couple Fined $300,000 in Back-Taxes
Investing in gold and silver offers the feeling of security so many Americans seek, especially in uncertain times. Allocation to precious metals in an IRA is a clear-cut choice for many. But a gold IRA investment may quickly become a decidedly suboptimal investment for those willing to cut corners.
Full Article →Fed Chairman Retires Laughable “Transitory Inflation” Line
In recent days, the Fed announced it would not only begin – but possibly step up – its tapering of monthly bond purchases, and global markets have not liked what they heard with stock indices falling last week and again this week, despite some brief recovery rallies.
Full Article →Top Analysts Make Huge “Christmas Predictions” for Gold
Daniel Fisher, CEO of UK bullion retailer Physical Gold, discussed the recent surge in gold demand and why gifting gold isn’t just an Asian phenomenon. He said that this is the second holiday season with off-the-charts demand. Last November’s sales were up 2,000% compared to 2019, and Fisher thinks history is repeating itself…
Full Article →Will the Anointed Experts Get It Wrong Again?
Investors fear government health officials will order new lockdowns to try to contain it.Never mind that previous lockdowns don’t appear to have worked. Some of the most draconian were imposed by Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer. Her state now records the nation’s highest seven-day rate of infections.
Full Article →This Retirement Savings Loophole Is Closing Fast…
Congress Passes Backdoor Tax Hike by Removing a Popular Savings Loophole: Sometimes Congress doesn’t need to pass tax legislation directly. Sometimes it tries to tax retirement savers indirectly. That’s a polite way of saying, picking our pockets…
Full Article →Bloomberg Analysis: Gold To Outperform Stocks Next Year
While several analysts have upgraded their gold forecasts, Goldman’s are among the more bullish ones. The bank’s head of energy research Damien Courvalin said that gold is set to move far past its current price, bolstering previous calls for clients to consider the metal’s upside.
Full Article →What’s In Your Loan?
El Salvador has a scheme to borrow dollars to use bitcoin as a means to make more dollars. Those dollars will (they hope) be forked over by savers who will buy from them at a million bucks. Presumably, these new speculators will buy at a million bucks because they hope to sell at two million.
Full Article →Hyperinflation in Venezuela: Gold Now Unofficial Currency
The official currency of Venezuela is the bolivar. But the preferred medium of exchange of Venezuelan merchants? That’s a different story. It’s now common for people to purchase real estate or expensive assets, such as vehicles or high volumes of merchandise using gold
Full Article →Fed’s Policies Cost Main Street $4 Trillion (So Far)
Tweedledee? Tweedledum? Either Way, You’re Paying the Bill. Since 2008 there have been numerous examples where the Federal Reserve has protected the wealthy elite while failing both Main Street citizens and the U.S. economy as a whole.
Full Article →Biden Spending to Build Back Stagflation
President Joe Biden signed a $1.2 trillion “infrastructure” bill into law on Monday amid growing concerns that his administration’s policies are fueling higher inflation. Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, a Democrat, is warning of an economically and politically ruinous inflation problem brewing.
Full Article →Evergrande Crisis Contagion Plays Into Gold Price
Experts estimate that a 20% fall in real estate activity could translate to a 5%-10% reduction of China’s GDP, which, lest we forget, is the world’s second-largest. Should America’s economy begin to feel the effects of China’s contraction, gold will take its historic crown as the safe haven of choice for those seeking shelter from an economic crisis.
Full Article →Breaking Down the Dollar Monetary System
If you ask most people, “what is money?” they will answer that money is the generally accepted medium of exchange. If you ask Google Images, it will show you many pictures of green pieces of paper. Virtually everyone agrees that money means the dollar. What does it mean to have a dollar?
Full Article →Everything Is Fine
Market optimists remain convinced that “everything is fine.” After all, the stock markets keep climbing, the Fed remains optimistic inflation will subside in the near term andsupply chain issues will somehow, magically, work themselves out. So everything will be ok. It’s fine.
Full Article →Good Investments Near Impossible to Find
Pension Funds Are Struggling to Find Stable Investments (Just Like Everyone Else). The Wall Street Journal recently reported that state and local pension funds have just received a historic windfall of cash, thanks in part to taxpayer dollars… But where to invest?
Full Article →The Rising Fundamentals of Gold and Silver
Prices move up and down, in the restless churn of our irredeemable monetary system. There are several schools of thought whose theories attempt to describe, if not predict, the next price move…
Full Article →Central Bank Inaction Sends Gold Soaring
Despite little in the way of support that interest rate hikes would go as planned, gold has been suppressed for over a month with the hikes seemingly being priced in. With the Federal Reserve, the Bank of England and the European Central Bank all inclined to watch and see, the markets were quick to react to dovishness.
Full Article →Gold Breakout Confirmed (Kinda)
Gold finished solidly above the $1,800/oz level on Friday, marking the yellow metal’s best weekly close since late August. More importantly, gold may be breaking out of a larger consolidation pattern in force since prices peaked August last year.
Full Article →Gold Gearing Up On Fed Inflation Abdication
When will precious metals markets finally make their move? It’s a question that has frustrated many investors in 2021. However, there are signs both technical and fundamental that point to a major directional move coming in the relatively near future.
Full Article →Investment Gold: Perspective from India
India’s position as the world’s top gold-buying nations is well-established, although sometimes China briefly replaces India in the #1 spot. In both countries, physical gold investment even in the form of jewelry is one of the most popular means of wealth storage.
Full Article →Why a Yield on Gold Matters
Picture, if you can, a world in which gold circulates as the medium of exchange. People pay for everything, from groceries to rent, in gold. Employers pay wages in gold. Productive enterprises borrow gold to finance everything from food production to constructing apartment buildings.
Full Article →Worried Foreign Central Banks Boost Gold Reserves
After sitting on the sidelines last year, central bank appetite for gold has resumed, due to inflationary pressures globally along with disruptions in the energy market. Russia recently reached a milestone record for its gold reserves, ranking fifth in the world for holdings – with well over 20% of its reserves in gold!
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