Peter's Blog

The Indian Youth Bulge and Demand for Gold

When a country starts to develop economically, a few things tend to happen: the death rate falls, workers become more productive, consumers consume more, and birth rates normally fall. During this period, countries experiencing such changes have a relatively small number of retirees and a small share of the population composed of children.

Debt-Saddled Consumers Embracing Even More “Doom Spending”

In a disturbing (but unsurprising) trend, more than 1 out of 4 US consumers are throwing in the towel with defeatist “Doom Spending” sprees — despite already being saddled with crippling levels of debt. This behavior is akin to someone who, feeling overwhelmed, indulges excessively in a habit they know isn’t beneficial. In a similar vein, […]

Central Banks Will Keep Gobbling Gold in 2024

The first half of 2023 was a record-breaking moment for central bank gold buying, led by none other than China and Russia. Organizations like the World Gold Council reported a staggering increase compared to 2022:

Texas GOP Moves to Support Gold

This March, Republican primary voters in Texas won’t just be choosing which candidates to represent their party in November – they will also be voting on a series of ballot propositions that while not legally binding offer a way for voters to guide their leaders. Here’s why what is happening in Texas matters and what […]

Degrowth Advocates Misunderstand the Business Cycle

December saw a resurgence of “degrowth” advocates in the media, with two articles published by Nature garnering special attention on X (formerly Twitter). The fallacies underlying the degrowth movement are not new in economics, but it’s worth revisiting them and their important connections to monetary policy in the age of central banking.

It’s 2024! I Resolve…

Happy New Year from me and everybody at SchiffGold! Here’s hoping it is an absolutely fantastic year. So, have you made any New Year’s resolutions?

The Real Minimum Wage Is Always Zero

The real minimum wage is always zero. Restaurant workers in California are about to find that out the hard way.

The Christmas Gift That Keeps on Taking

Two days before Christmas in 1913, Woodrow Wilson gave the United States a Christmas gift that keeps taking. On that day, he signed the Federal Reserve Act into law, creating the US central bank. Since that inauspicious day, the US dollar has lost 96% of its value.

Bank Bailout Program Balance Surges Again in December

What’s going on with US banks? Over the last month, loans outstanding in the Federal Reserve bank bailout program increased by $17.24 billion. It was the second month we’ve seen borrowing from the Bank Term Funding Program (BTFP) surge. And the pace of borrowing is increasing.

(Mis) Remembering a Christmas Classic!

Would you rather have silver and gold? Or would you rather have peppermint? You might be under the impression Yukon Cornelius of Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer fame was after riches of silver and gold. He wasn’t. I mean, I hate to mess with your Christmas memories, but facts are facts.