Peter's Blog

India’s Appetite for Silver

Indians love gold. Despite rising prices, a tax increase, and government attempts to tighten regulation of the jewelry industry, gold imports into the country nearly tripled year-on-year in August. India ranks as the second largest gold consuming country in the world, trailing only China. But gold isn’t the only precious metal Indians covet. They also buy […]

Why Is the Retail Sector Struggling? People Are Broke – Especially Millennials

When we reported on the Toys R Us bankruptcy, we argued that it wasn’t just about shifting shopping patterns away from brick and mortar to online companies. A recent article on TechCo complaining that millennials are broke backs up our assertion.

Mortgage Lenders Loosening Credit Standards as Home Prices Spiral Upward

Remember back when mortgage lenders loosened credit standards making it easier to get a loan and blew up a giant housing bubble? That’s happening again. According to a report released by Fannie Mae, lenders facing lower profit margins are trying to expand the borrower pool. Facing constrained mortgage demand and a negative profit margin outlook, […]

Can Republicans in Congress Get Anything Done?

Obamacare repeal 3.0 went down in flames Tuesday. According to Bloomberg, opposition from three Republican Senators derailed the latest attempt to dismantle the Affordable Care Act. Leaders decided the Senate won’t vote before Saturday’s deadline to use a fast-track procedure to keep Democrats from blocking a GOP-only bill. On Monday, Republican Senator Susan Collins of […]

World Gold Council Chairman Says We May Have Hit Peak Gold

During an interview at the Denver Gold Forum, the chairman of the World Gold Council said he thinks the world may have reached peak gold. Peak gold means the amount of gold mined out of the earth will begin to shrink every year, rather than increase, as it has done pretty consistently since the 1970s. […]

What Does the Ballooning National Debt Mean to You?

When Pres. Trump signed a bill raising the debt ceiling limit for the next three months, it instantly added approximately $318 billion to the national debt, raising it to $20.16 trillion. And Trump wants to do away with the debt ceiling altogether. It’s hard to even conceptualize $20 trillion. What does that mean to the average person? Just […]

Is Janet Yellen Playing a Game of Monetary Chicken?

The Federal Reserve took a hawkish stance at its latest Open Market Committee meeting, announcing plans to begin unwinding its balance sheet next month. Fed chair Janet Yellen also indicated she plans to raise interest rates one more time this year. Here’s the question: Is this a viable path forward, or is the central bank […]

US Threat to Cut China Off from the International Dollar May Be Empty

Earlier this month, the US threatened to lock China out of the dollar system if it doesn’t follow UN sanctions on North Korea. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin threatened this economic nuclear option during a conference broadcast on CNBC. If China doesn’t follow these sanctions, we will put additional sanctions on them and prevent them from accessing the […]

Toys R Us Bankruptcy: It’s Not All About Amazon

Toys R Us filed for bankruptcy earlier this week, a wicked head-shot to a retail sector that’s been reeling for months. The TRU filing ranks as the second-largest US retail bankruptcy ever, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence. Toys R Us had $6.6 billion in assets at the time of filing. Only Kmart was bigger. It […]

Cryptocurrency Website Says Now Is a Good Time for Gold

Even some of the biggest supporters of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies recognize the stability of gold. Last week was a bad week for Bitcoin. It’s price dropped significantly in the wake of a Chinese government crackdown on cryptocurrency exchanges in the country. Bitcoin’s price has recovered a bit this week, but a recent article published by […]