With an intensifying trade war with China, volatility in stock markets, and a yield curve that inverted months ago, all the signs are there that the economy is on rocky footing and heading towards a recession in the near future. But despite all those negative signs, many market analysts continue to point to the job market as a sign...
Every week seems to bring new news that dampens hopes for a resolution to the trade war with China. With President Trump blacklisting more Chinese technology firms due to alleged human rights abuses, China is bound to hit back soon. The country has already reacted to a single tweet by the Houston Rockets’ general manager by cutting back its...
One of the major factors contributing to sky-high stock valuations in recent years has been the performance of tech stocks. Much of the gains in stock markets has come about due to the performance of Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Google, and Netflix. Nearly two decades after the burst of the dotcom bubble, investors have forgotten all about the lessons learned...
One of the most frustrating things for investors to see today is that, despite the fact that the US economy is rapidly heading towards recession, stock markets remain at unusually high valuations. While those investors who have already invested in gold to protect their assets are happy about gold’s performance, especially as stocks have plateaued in recent months, they’re...
With the World Trade Organization ruling that the European Union unfairly subsidized Airbus, a new front will soon be opening in the worldwide trade war. The United States will now be able to retaliate against the EU by placing tariffs on EU goods. But that isn’t a victory for US consumers, who now will face higher prices on many...
Gold has seen a slight retrenchment in price this week as China begins its “Golden Week” surrounding the October 1st national holiday. This period of travel and holidays sees a slowdown in the Chinese economy, which as the world’s second-largest results in an impact on many world markets. Among those is the gold market, which for the last several...
For over 20 years central banks around the world have collaborated in planning sales of gold through the Central Bank Gold Agreement (CBGA). Central banks at the time of the agreement’s adoption were net sellers of gold, but the sale of gold by any individual central bank would have depressed the price of gold, thus leading to lower prices...
So much focus has been placed on China’s economic growth and its role as a major trade partner, but relatively little focus has been placed on how that has come about. China’s economic growth is in large part due to money creation, meaning that its enormous economic growth is ultimately unsustainable. Some of that monetary creation has been the...
The Fed’s rate cut last week was supposed to operate like clockwork. Everyone expected the 25 basis point cut, it was merely the next step in what will likely be a continuing series of cuts, and there was no anticipation of anything unusual. Yet what ended up occurring has rattled markets and left many observers wondering how weak the...
The dream of a comfortable retirement is one that motivates many an American worker. But like many other things in life, the definition of comfortable retirement is one that varies from person to person. For some, retirement means sitting on the couch watching TV and drinking beer. For others, it means living an active life full of sports and...