Ideas and analysis on money, markets and the world around us.
From last Friday’s close gold recovered slightly after last week’s sell-off, gaining $7 at $1283 by early European trade this morning. Silver was up three cents at $15.04 over the same time period. Trading was generally…
Read the articleThis article explains why the US Government is ensnared in a debt trap from which there is no escape. Its finances are spiralling out of control. In the context of a rapidly slowing global economy, the budget deficit…
Read the articleGold drifted lower in pre-Easter trade, while silver held steady. Gold lost $16 by noon today EST (Thursday) from last Friday’s close to trade at $1274, and silver gained two cents at $14.99 over the same timescale. On…
Read the articleThe expansionary phase of the global economy is almost certainly ending. A combination of excessive debt and trade protectionism is likely to become economically and politically destabilising. If, as seems increasingly…
Read the articleAccording to the World Gold Council, central banks added 51 tonnes to their reserves in February, adding to their 41 tonnes net purchases in January. It’s not just Russia and China, with one-fifth of central banks…
Read the articleLife in the world of gold bullion is full of mysteries. Each mystery is like a straw in the wind, which individually means little, but tempting us to speculate there’s a greater meaning behind it all. Yes, there is a…
Read the articleFollowing last week’s expiry of gold’s April contract on Comex, the price has been subdued, at one point yesterday dipping to test the $1280 level before recovering about $12. In early European trade this morning…
Read the articleGDP is hyped-up to be an all-important measure of economic activity. It does not measure economic activity, instead recording meaningless money-totals spent in unsound currency over a given period. A bad statistic such…
Read the articlePrecious metals lost ground this week in a disorderly run-off of the April gold contract on Comex. From last Friday’s close, gold was down $34 at $1288 in early-morning European trade this morning (Friday), and silver…
Read the articleWhy is it that no one defends free markets, and socialism, despite all the evidence of its failures, comes back again and again? Unsurprisingly, the answer lies in politics, which have always led to a boom-bust cycle of…
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