Ideas and analysis on money, markets and the world around us.
This was the week that markets finally took notice of the coronavirus. Bonds soared and equities crashed in a flight to perceived safety. Base metals began to slide as the reality of global factory closures took hold.…
Read the articleFalling equity markets this week are likely to signal the onset of a bear market, responding to a combination of the coronavirus spreading beyond China and persistent indications of a developing recession. This has…
Read the articleGold and silver performed strongly this week as it became clear to a wider investment audience that a new bout of coordinated global money-printing is ahead. Gold rose $50 from last Friday’s close to trade at $1633 in…
Read the articleEven before the coronavirus sprang upon an unprepared China the credit cycle was tipping the world into recession. The coronavirus makes an existing situation immeasurably worse, shutting down China and disrupting…
Read the articleGold and silver moved sideways over the week with little change. In morning trade in Europe gold traded at $1576, up $5 from last Friday’s close, and silver at $17.70, unchanged on the week. In gold futures, turnover…
Read the articleThis article posits that the spread of the coronavirus coincides with the downturn in the global credit cycle, with potentially catastrophic results. At the time of writing, analysts are still trying to get to grips…
Read the articleIn very quiet trade, gold and silver remained in consolidation mode this week. From last Friday’s close, by morning trade European time gold had drifted $12 lower to $1568, and silver by 25 cents to $17.78. News was…
Read the articleBritain left the EU on the last day of January and is an independent nation once more. The new Johnson government is confident that Britain will do well outside the EU. Free trade will be embraced, and a no-deal…
Read the articleIt was another quiet week for the gold price, but silver lost out. In morning trading in Europe gold was $1579, up $7 since last Friday, while silver had lost 23 cents at $17.87. Silver’s underperformance relative to…
Read the articleWe don’t know what will trigger the crisis, but a likely candidate is foreign selling of US dollars combining with a collapse in the US government’s finances. Perhaps the coronavirus will turn out to be a black swan…
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