February 2019
Chinese Government Joins the Global Gold Buying Spree
Venezuela is trying to sell its gold while Russia and Europe are buying. Overall, central banks added over 651 tonnes of gold to their coffers in 2018, more than any other year since 1971, the year the gold window closed. Flying under the radar, however, is China, which has started adding gold to its reserves in greater quantities this...
The Taxes That Soak the Rich Will Eventually Trickle Down
With the Democratic takeover of Congress calls have come for new taxes on income and wealth. From calls to raise the highest tax bracket to 70% on the ultra-rich to proposals for an annual wealth tax on the wealthy, ideas abound for ways to soak the rich and get more money for various government programs and projects. On the one...
Italy the Latest Country to Target Its Gold Reserves
With much of the world focused on the political crisis in Venezuela and the Maduro regime’s attempts to get its gold back, the worsening political climate in Europe has been relegated largely to the back burner. But with Italy in the midst of both internal and external political turmoil, it could play a role in an expanding crisis within...
Furor Over Venezuela’s Gold Sales Demonstrates That Gold Is Still Money
While much of the attention over the attempt to force Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro out of office has focused on Venezuela’s vast oil reserves, less attention has been paid to Maduro’s attempts to sell off Venezuela’s gold. Just over two years into a hyperinflationary crisis created by Maduro’s unlimited printing of money, Maduro is desperate for any cash he...
World Gold Council: ETF Gold Holdings at Highest Level Since 2013
Serious gold investors know that investing in gold through a gold IRA is far superior to investing in gold through an exchange-traded fund (ETF). But despite the many drawbacks of gold ETFs, following their actions and performance can be a good way to identify trends in gold markets. Gold ETFs have become a popular investment method for people who want...
Lack of Progress on China Trade Deal Continues to Spook Markets
With less than a month to go before US tariffs on Chinese imports are set to increase, the two sides appear to be far, far away from coming to any sort of deal. White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow stated this this week that the US and China had a “pretty sizable distance to go” before the two sides...
Ignore the Siren Song of the Stock Market Bulls: Markets Will Crash
Stock market crashes are easy to see in hindsight, but they’re very difficult to see while they’re occurring. Too many people assume that a stock market crash will manifest itself as a Black Monday or Black Tuesday type of event, with a 10% or 20% loss in a single day. In reality, stock market crashes take far longer to...
State-Level Gold Reserve Proposal in Arizona Could Boost Demand for Gold
With the prospect of sound fiscal policies at the federal level becoming increasingly unlikely, state-level proposals in the United States are where fiscally-minded conservatives are beginning to focus more and more of their efforts. Increasingly those efforts are taking the form of pushing state government to secure their assets by investing in gold and silver. Following the establishment of the...