Peter's Blog

Platinum Enters its Second Year of “Substantial” Deficit

Platinum is entering its second year of substantial deficit, according to the Platinum Quarterly report from the World Platinum Investment Council (WPIC).

Soaring Inflation is Making Home & Car Insurance Unaffordable

American car owners are facing a wall of bad debt to finance vehicles they can’t afford — especially pandemic buyers who took on huge loans to buy overpriced used vehicles that are now depreciating in value. With inflation running hot and poised to get even hotter if the Fed is forced to cut rates, it turns out that Americans can’t afford to insure those cars […]

Innovation’s Silent Killer: Progressive Taxation

Innovation has a silent killer… a scourge that America has aided and abetted for over a century. Innovative activity is the backbone of the economy. Because of Google, Honda, and Netflix, life is easier for billions of people around the globe. A Stanford study found that up to 85% of economic growth is due to innovation. But what if all […]

To Prevent a Banking Crisis, the FED Must Cut

In 2009, 140 banks failed, and a recent report from financial consulting firm Klaros Group says that hundreds of banks are at risk of going under this year. It’s being billed mostly as a danger for individuals and communities than for the broader economy, but for stressed lenders across America, a string of small bank failures could quite […]

Inflation Brewing: Is Coffee the Next Cocoa?

Cocoa prices have dumped since rocketing to a dramatic peak last month as an El Nino cycle winds down and traders rush out of the illiquid market. For now, depreciating fiat currencies are still keeping the cocoa price still far above its 2023 levels. Coffee has had a similar rise and subsequent correction — but now, inflation and other factors are conspiring to […]

California’s Single-Family Zoning Exemplifies the Market-Intervention Problem 

California’s government bet that they knew better than the free market. And now millions are paying the price. The story begins in 1919, when the city of Berkley, California instituted legislation setting aside districts that would only allow the construction of single-family housing. The idea spread, and soon much of California’s urban areas had adopted the zoning policy. Today, approximately 40% of the total land in Los Angeles is […]

“Safe Haven” Yen Trending Towards Zero Against Gold

The yen was once known as a safe-haven currency for investors to protect themselves when broader markets are shaky or other currencies are dropping, but those days are numbered. A stable government and consistent (and low) interest rates have been some of the driving factors, but it’s the unwinding of that ultra-low interest rate policy that will be the yen’s “safe […]

Made in America: The Dark Forces Promoting American Manufacturing

Whenever an election year rolls around, domestic manufacturing becomes a more central theme of discussion. Candidates from both sides, who seem to disagree on almost everything else, never waver in their commitment to auto manufacturers in Detroit and the steel industry. Republicans and Democrats never forget to remind the American public that they will try […]

If 10-Year Yields Surpass 5%, Say Hello to QE (and Massive Inflation)

The wizards at the Fed and US Treasury have been forced to acknowledge that their “transitory,” inflation is, in fact, quite “sticky.” And with the inflation elephant now acknowledged by the circus of high finance, Treasury yields keep inching up, recently reaching 4.7% — the highest since November. The Fed is stuck: It needs to raise interest rates to tame inflation and […]

California’s New Minimum Wage: A Cure that Exacerbates the Sickness

The solution to a problem shouldn’t make the problem worse. But apparently, California’s policy makers missed that memo. On April 1st, the state instituted a $20 minimum wage for fast food workers, the highest in the US. With California’s absurdly high cost of living, the policy appeared to make life more manageable for low-income residents. Unfortunately, as the adage goes, “If it sounds too […]