Peter's Blog

Hartford and America: Suffering the Consequences of Political Malfeasance

What happens when government officials spend with virtually no restraint and they don’t have a printing press that can crank out more money? Hartford, Connecticut. Last week, both S&P Global Ratings and Moody’s Investors Service downgraded Hartford’s credit rating deeper into junk status. According to a Reuters report, the downgrade puts Hartford near the bottom […]

Gold: More than Just a Hedge

Conventional wisdom holds that gold is a good store of value, and provides a hedge of protection against inflation and economic upheaval. But a close look at the data reveals gold offers a long-term growth trajectory comparable to other financial asset classes.

Gold Sales at Australia’s Perth Mint Doubled Last Month

Gold sales at Australia’s Perth Mint doubled in September. Meanwhile, sales of silver surged 78%. Sales of gold coins and minted bars jumped to 46,415 ounces in September, up from 23,130 ounces a month ago. Silver sales during the month came in at 697,849 ounces, compared with 392,091 ounces in August.

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 […]