Peter's Blog

The Bureau of Labor Statistics dropped a quiet bombshell on September 9, unveiling a preliminary benchmark revision that erased 911,000 jobs from March 2025 payroll tallies. The 0.6% markdown is roughly triple the average adjustment of the past decade and instantly casts doubt on months of breezy “resilient labor market” headlines. Almost the entire shortfall […]

From 2003 to 2014, Deutsche Bank manipulated the daily price of gold. In the past, they set gold prices in conjunction with four other banks through phone calls, and they positioned themselves before releasing the prices to the public. Of course, this archaic means of price-setting was done away with, but this situation showed gold […]

Federal Reserve Governor Christopher J. Waller used a Thursday night speech at the Economic Club of Miami to press, yet again, for easier money. Declaring that “the time has come to ease monetary policy and move it to a more neutral stance,” the long-time dove said he would have cut rates in July and plans […]

In a positive turn of events for the Turkish people, yearly inflation reached the lowest it has been in 4 years: 33.5%. This might seem like a laughable accomplishment, but given the turmoil of the Turkish Lira over the past decades, it is a huge positive step. In complete opposition to this, the Norwegian Central […]

After posturing to use tariffs to eliminate income tax, the Trump administration has now shifted to a narrative that they’ll pay off deficits. Both promises are hollow.  Deficits as massive and persistent as ours demand massive Treasury issuance. That means markets have to absorb ever-larger supply, pushing yields higher if demand fails to keep up. […]

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell used his Jackson Hole podium on August 22 to declare the end of the central bank’s three-year experiment with “flexible average-inflation targeting.” In its place, the Fed is reverting to a straight-forward but “flexible” 2 percent target, a move that comes as economic momentum cools and goods prices perk up. […]

Three weeks after the Federal Open Market Committee opted to leave its target range unchanged at 4.25%–4.50%, fresh details from the July meeting shed light on why policymakers are growing uneasy even as they stay on hold. Minutes released Wednesday reveal officials wrestling with sticky price pressures, new tariffs, and a cooling labor market—all while […]

It would be natural to assume that gold would be treated like an investment by the government. However, US tax regulations put gold in an entirely different category than almost any other serious investment. While many thoughtful people choose to view gold as an investment, the IRS chooses to view it as a collectible. This […]

If one were to view Chatsworth Estate and Dyrham Park from a distance, the two historic estates might seem similar. However, from guest experience to governing structure, the ways these places differ provides some crucial insights into the economics of change and institutional structure. Dyrham Park was purchased by the British National Trust in 1956, […]

Bad jobs numbers? Just say they’re good. High inflation? Just claim it’s low. While the old adage “numbers don’t lie” may have a ring of truth, in reality, people lie a lot, and governments lie constantly—and they’re releasing the data that all the big decisions are supposed to be based on.  For example, if people […]