Peter's Blog

Fed Chair Jerome Powell Is Playing with Fire

Jerome Powell is like a kid playing with matches and he’s dangerously close to starting a fire he isn’t going to be able to control. The Federal Reserve nudged interest rates up again last week. It was the seventh hike since the Fed launched the current tightening cycle in December 2015. The Fed Funds Rate […]

“Sizzling” Retail Sales Numbers Inflated by Eroding Dollar

If you saw the headlines about the latest retail sales figures, you probably noticed adjectives like “hot,” “booming” and “sizzling.” Total retail sales including food services were up 5.9% year-on-year in May. That’s an impressive number until you factor in inflation. In fact, a decline in the dollar’s purchasing power accounted for nearly half the […]

Peter Schiff: The Fed Is Pushing Us Toward a No-Growth, High-Inflation Economy

As expected, the Federal Reserve nudged rates up another .25 basis points on Wednesday. Perhaps more significantly, the Fed took a more hawkish tone than expected, signaling it would likely increase rates two more times this year for a total of four hikes. The central bank had been projecting three 2018 rate increases. A buildup […]

Focus on Fundamentals: Revival in the Chinese Jewelry Market

The Chinese gold jewelry market reversed three years of declines in 2017, marking its first gain since a 2013 boom. According to a report released by the World Gold Council, the modest increase in gold jewelry demand last year could mark a return to sustained growth thanks to continued efforts to reinvigorate the industry through innovation, […]

Your Incredibly Shrinking Dollar

Over the last 12 months, the purchasing power of your dollar has dropped at the fastest rate since 2011. According to the latest data released by the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) jumped by 2.8% year-over-year in May. That follows on the heels of a 2.5% leap year-over-year in April. In […]

Mongolia Wants More Gold

Mongolia wants more gold. Last week, the Bank of Mongolia launched a campaign dubbed the “National Gold to the Fund of Treasuries.” The goal of the five-month campaign is to encourage miners and individuals to sell gold to the central bank, along with commercial banks, in order to increase their gold reserves.

Texas Bullion Depository Open for Business; Sets the Stage to Challenge Federal Government’s Monopoly on Money

The Texas Bullion Depository officially opened for business this week. The creation of the facility represents a power-shift away from the federal government and sets the foundation to undermine the Federal Reserve’s monopoly on money. Countries that stockpile gold create a foundation of stability for their monetary systems. This is precisely why China, Russia, Turkey and […]

Gold Continues to Flow into ETFs

After hitting the highest level in more than a year last month, gold continued to flow into ETFs in May. But regional trends have reversed with European and Asian funds adding gold, as the yellow metal flows out of North American funds. Global gold-backed ETF holdings added 15 tons of the yellow metal in May, boosting […]

Social Security and Medicare Going Broke Even Faster than Projected

Are you depending on Social Security and Medicare for your retirement? You might want to rethink that plan. These government retirement programs are going broke even faster than expected.

US Public Debt and Interest Payments Hit New Record

The US debt continues to skyrocket and it’s costing Uncle Sam more and more money just to make the interest payments. The US public debt hit a record high of $21.145 trillion on the last day of May. Meanwhile, the cost of servicing all that debt also spiked, increasing by $26 billion through the first […]