Peter's Blog

ECB Cuts Interest Rates Amid Persistent Economic Risks

On June 5th, the European Central Bank (ECB) Governing Council announced another round of interest rate reductions, lowering key rates by 25 basis points. Starting June 11th, the deposit facility rate will fall to 2.00%, the main refinancing operations rate to 2.15%, and the marginal lending facility rate to 2.40%. This move underscores the ECB’s […]

Trump Needs the Money Printer

Trump has a long history of begging the Fed to print money, and in his second term, that hasn’t changed a bit. In fact, he needs the free money spigots to turn on to delay a collapse that, otherwise, he’d be blamed for.

Inflation Remains Stubbornly High in Mexico, Food Prices Surge

Mexico’s latest inflation numbers released by INEGI (Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía) on June 9th reveal continued fragility in the economy despite official reassurances. For the month of May, inflation rose 0.28% month-over-month, bringing the annual inflation rate to 4.42%. While the central bank and policymakers emphasize easing inflationary pressures, persistently high prices for […]

Fed’s Harker Warns Tariff Risks, Debt Threaten Economic Stability in Farewell Speech

Delivering his final public remarks as President and CEO of the Philadelphia Federal Reserve on yesterday, Patrick T. Harker urged caution regarding inflation, tariff policies, and rising national debt, highlighting enduring challenges to U.S. economic stability. The speech occurred at the Philadelphia Fed, marking the culmination of Harker’s tenure before his scheduled retirement at month-end. […]

Japanese vs. US: Which Are More Cooked?

No one wants Japan’s sovereign debt.  The global sovereign bond collapse appears to be rapidly worsening. The Bank of Japan (BoJ) owns more than half of its own government bonds, desperate to prop up the economy by buying domestic debt that nobody else wants. But no central bank can prop up an economy forever.

What Do Gold Leasing Rates Say About Markets?

In 2025, gold leasing rates surged, partially from increased gold demand and tightening supply. That’s because confidence in gold is up, and confidence in the global economy is crashing.

Here’s Why Tariffs Won’t Bring Back Manufacturing

Tariffs are being pitched as a magic bullet to revive American manufacturing, pushing out foreign competitors to bring red, white, and blue factories humming back to life. It sounds great: tax imports to bring companies back to the States, and generate a flood of revenue in the process as jobs flood back to the heartland. […]

The Dollar Falters as Gold Remains Stable     

In the past three months, the U.S. Dollar Index (DXY) has fallen from 108 to below 99. This means the dollar has dropped in value relative to major foreign currencies by over 8% in just the past quarter. This is disastrous for those holding large amounts of uninvested cash. In just a short period, the […]

The Trump Tariffs: Why Free-Trade Is the Only Way Forward

The United States has taken a very strong protectionist stance on global trade. With the recent tariffs imposed by the Trump administration, which include 10% baseline duties on most imports, a staggering 145% on Chinese goods, and targeted tariffs on European and automotive imports, the debate over the nation’s trade policy has become highly contentious. […]

Hands off! A Case for Price Discrimination

Everyone knows that discrimination is wrong. Of course, everyone in that circumstance would be assuming that discrimination was referring to judging people by their underlying traits, but it becomes very easy for the meaning of the word to take on a negative connotation that can be used to inform policy in unhelpful ways. Price discrimination […]