Peter's Blog

New British £1 Coin Designed with Cutting Edge Security Features

The British Royal Mint has just released a new 12-sided £1 coin designed to combat counterfeiters and to replace an estimated 45 million fake coins currently in circulation. The new features of the anti-forgery coin include a “12-sided bimetallic design, a hologram, and fine lettering,” according to Bloomberg. The coin also includes some secret features […]

Retail Investor Euphoria Sign of Looming Market Bubble

Investors may be seeing the first signs of the stock market bubble beginning to pop. Bloomberg is reporting a 5-month increase in retail investors in the S&P for any “like stretch since 2014”. At the same time, hedge funds, corporations and executives are starting to back out of equities.

Why Obamacare is Now Worse Than It Was

Even though Trump and the Republicans haven’t delivered on their promise to repeal and replace Obamacare, it’s clear Trumpcare would have been a slight improvement over the former. However, a truly successful bill would have been repeal and then … nothing. The main goal of any proposed legislation should have been to remove the government […]

Day 63: TrumpCare May Never Pass; More Russia Connections Uncovered

This week, Trump’s taking to social media to transform his Twitter followers into a grassroots movement to get the TrumpCare bill passed. FBI Director James Comey sets his sights on the Trump campaign as well, dropping the bombshell on Monday that the Bureau would be investigating possible Russian collusion.

One Million Dollars in Gold Treasure Hidden by Eccentric Millionaire

America’s westward expansion owes much to the search for gold. Strikes in 1848 at Sutter’s Mill in Coloma, California set off some 300,000 explorers looking to transform their lives. Although few actually found their fortune directly in gold, other entrepreneurs “struck it rich” by establishing banks, saloons, grocery stories, and more to provide goods and […]

1 in 4 US Workers Have Less Than $1,000 in Retirement Savings

The annual Retirement Confidence Survey (RCS) was released recently and shows 1 in 4 workers surveyed have less than $1,000 saved for their retirement. The RCS, published by the Employee Benefit Research Institute, measures statistics taken from 1,000 individuals aged 25 and over about their retirement confidence, planning strategies, and savings amounts. The survey’s results […]

Gold and Silver Sales Tax Being Challenged in Maine

State Senator from Maine Eric Brakey recently introduced Senate Bill 664, which attempts to provide sales tax exemption for precious metals purchases of “gold and silver coins and bullion.” Passing Brakey’s bill would align Maine with many other states that think taxing precious metals is bad business and discourages consumers from protecting their wealth. The […]

Day 56: Trump Quiet on Rate Hike, Loud on Budget Cuts

This week, Trump laid out his big budget adjustments and issued a loud silence about the Fed’s decision to hike rates for the second time since Election Day. In the same week, he’s also changed opinions on unemployment numbers, which he once lambasted and is now using to prove his effectiveness as a leader on […]

Fed Rate Increase Flimsy Way to Build Consumer Confidence

Prior to the FOMC raising the Federal Funds Rate this week, the Atlanta Fed revised its estimate of Q1 GDP from 3.4% to 0.9%, an enormous downward revision that suggests Chairwoman Janet Yellen and FOMC authorities aren’t as data dependent as they claim. The serious lack of economic growth indicated by the downward revision should […]

CPI Shows Higher Consumer Prices Despite Skewed Data

The FOMC raised interest rates on Wednesday, with the decision coming on the heels of the Consumer Price Index data released Wednesday morning by the Bureau of Labor. The report shows an uptick in the price of consumer goods for February, a net gain of 0.1%. Although down from January’s 0.6% increase, a year-over-year look […]