Ideas and analysis on money, markets and the world around us.
US M3 grew by another $46 billion in October, reaching an estimated $14.8 trillion. At the same time the gold price weakened, taking a small break after the substantial run-up in September. As a result the Fear Index…
Read the articleThere was a degree of predictability about the knockdown in gold and silver at the US futures market (Comex) last Wednesday. The reason is that the Commercials (together the producers, processers, fabricators, bullion…
Read the articleOne of the joys of interviewing some of the best brains in the world of finance and economics is that they alert you to important factors that perhaps you haven’t fully considered. This was my experience with Chris…
Read the articleThe Federal Reserve Board originally led us to believe that it was necessary to expand money supply through quantitative easing to offset the contraction of bank credit. Bank credit is no longer contracting, and indeed…
Read the articleThere is growing awareness that gold is accumulating in Asia. Indians have for a long time been the largest buyers of gold and have a tradition of giving gold as gifts at auspicious times. This gold is mostly classified…
Read the articleThere is growing hope in some quarters that economic recovery is at last under way in the USA. Is this just an election-inspired pick-up in sentiment, now rapidly vanishing, or do we take it more seriously; and if it…
Read the articleThroughout history many fortunes have been made and lost in real estate. Luck has of course played a part in these outcomes, but the main reason for changing fortunes is the decisions that were made, whether good or…
Read the articleQuite a bit of media attention has been devoted recently to a working paper by two International Monetary Fund economists that re-examines the “Chicago Plan”. First put forward by University of Chicago economists in…
Read the articleThe Federal Reserve’s new stimulus measures have had a noticeable impact on market confidence in the dollar and the solvency of our current monetary system. The Fear Index picked up in September and is once more over…
Read the articleMuch has been made in the press of the manipulation of LIBOR, without much explanation of the consequences for prices of all things that depend on supply and demand for bank credit. Outrage focuses on the activities of…
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