Peter's Blog

Fiscal 2023 Budget Deficit Already Approaching a Half-Trillion Dollars

Just four months into fiscal 2023 and the US federal budget deficit is already approaching half a trillion dollars. This is a big problem for the Federal Reserve that few people seem to be talking about.

Bill Introduced in Wisconsin House Would Repeal Sales Tax on Gold and Silver Bullion

A bill introduced in the Wisconsin Senate would create a state sales tax exemption on the sale of gold and silver bullion. By effectively repealing the sales tax, the bill would relieve some of the tax burden on investors, and take a step toward treating precious metal bullion as money instead of a commodity.

Consumer Debt Increase Slows in December But Americans Still Relying on Credit Cards

Consumer debt grew at a slower pace in December, but Americans continued to rely heavily on credit cards to keep up with high price inflation.

Shrinking Money Supply Undercuts “Soft Landing” Narrative

The better-than-expected non-farm payroll report for January along with the smaller interest rate hike delivered by the Federal Reserve at its February meeting increased optimism that the central bank can bring price inflation back to 2% without tanking the economy. But the shrinking money supply undercuts this soft landing narrative.

Central Bank Gold Reserves Chart Biggest Increase Since 1950 in 2022

Central banks closed out 2022 with reported net purchases of 28 tons of gold in December. Including large unreported purchases, this brought total central bank gold buying in 2022 to 1,136 tons. It was the highest level of net purchases on record dating back to 1950, and the 13th straight year of net central bank […]

Gold Mine Production Up Modestly in 2022 But Remains Below Pre-Pandemic Peak

Gold mine production was up modestly in 2022 as mining operations normalized post-pandemic. But mine output still hasn’t returned to the peak we saw in 2018, boosting speculation that we have possibly reached “peak gold.”

Why Have So Many People Dropped Out of the Labor Market?

Why is there a labor shortage in the US? In a nutshell, a lot of people have simply dropped out of the labor market. They’re not working. But why?

Gold Demand Hit 11-Year High in 2022

Gold demand grew by 18% to 4,741 tons in 2022, the highest demand in 11 years, according to data compiled by the World Gold Council. Massive central bank purchases coupled with strong retail investor buying and slowing outflows from ETFs drove overall demand higher.

Petrodollar on Shaky Ground; Saudi Arabia Willing to Discuss Selling Oil in Other Currencies

In a recent interview, Saudi Arabia Finance Minister Mohammed Al-Jadaan said the country is open to discussing trade in currencies other than the US dollar. This could mark the beginning of the end of petrodollar exclusivity. That would be a huge blow to dollar dominance.

Why Are Central Banks Buying Gold?

As we’ve reported central banks globally have been piling in gold. The question is why?