Peter's Blog

Several States Consider Repealing Sales Tax on Gold and Silver Bullion

Several states are considering bills to repeal the sales tax on precious metal bullion during the 2022 legislative session. Passage into law would relieve some of the tax burdens on investors, and would also take a step toward treating gold and silver as money instead of as commodities.

Fed Still Pouring Gas on the Inflation Fire; What Happens When It Tries to Stop?

The Federal Reserve wrapped up its first Federal Open Market Committee meeting of the year yesterday without any real surprises. Despite everybody screaming about an inflation problem, the Fed will keep its loose, inflationary monetary policy in play for at least two more months.

World’s Largest Gold ETF Sees Record Inflows

The world’s largest gold ETF saw record inflows on Friday, a bullish sign for the yellow metal. SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) ranks as the world’s largest gold fund. It saw a net inflow of $1.63 billion on Friday. It was the largest net inflow in dollar terms since the fund was listed in 2004.

War on Cash: The Digital Dollar

Last week, the Federal Reserve released a “discussion paper” examing the pros and cons of a potential US central bank digital dollar. According to the Federal Reserve press release, the central bank hopes to get public feedback on the idea. “We look forward to engaging with the public, elected representatives, and a broad range of […]

The Federal Reserve Is a Money-Making Enterprise

The Federal Reserve is a money-making enterprise. This probably shouldn’t come as any surprise, given that the central bank can create money out of thin air and buy yielding assets. Still, the Fed rakes in a staggering amount of money. The central bank recently released its unaudited preliminary financial statement for 2021.

Consumer Sentiment at 10-Year Low

Joe Biden is telling us the economy is back on track. And the Federal Reserve insists it can slow down the inflation freight train. But the average American isn’t quite so sanguine. Consumer sentiment plunged to the second-lowest level in a decade in January, according to the University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers.

Could Gold Shine in 2022 Despite the Fed’s Proposed Inflation Fight?

Despite an inflationary freight train, gold struggled to gain ground in 2021 as the markets fixated on the Federal Reserve and the possibility of tighter monetary policy to fight inflation. Will gold continue to fight headwinds in 2022 as the Fed launches its “inflation fight,” raises rates and possibly begins to shrink its balance sheet? […]

Despite Record Receipts Uncle Sam Still Ran a Budget Deficit in December

Despite a monthly record in receipts to the US Treasury, the federal government still managed to run a deficit in December. That’s because the federal government also broke a monthly spending record.

Heads You Lose; Tails You Lose

The Fed has a difficult choice to make. Will it crash the economy? Or will it crash the dollar? Whichever way this coin flip turns out — you lose.

2021 Silver Demand Expected to Break Record and Other Silver News

Silver demand is expected to chart a new record high in 2021 with every key area showing an increase based on preliminary data. This is one of several silver-related stories covered in the latest edition of Silver News published by the Silver Institute.