Peter's Blog

Gold Flowing Into ETFs Again

In 2020, gold-backed ETFs recorded record net inflows of gold. Funds added nearly 231 more tons in 2020 than they did during the previous record year (2009/646 tons). But with declines in the price of gold and investors pivoting to riskier investments as economies improve, we’ve seen net outflows of gold from ETFs over the […]

The Demise of the Dollar?

Last week, Russia announced plans to completely eliminate dollars and dollar-denominated assets from its sovereign wealth fund. Is this another sign of erosion of dollar dominance? The news from Russia dovetails with a warning by billionaire fund manager Stanley Druckenmiller that the dollar could cease to be the world’s reserve currency within the next 15 […]

It’s a Double Whammy

Gold and silver whipsawed to end last week. Gold fell over $30 on Thursday when weekly jobless claims and the ADP private payroll numbers came in better than expected. But the yellow metal gained back much of the loss on Friday after a less than overwhelming Labor Department May jobs report. In this article, we […]

Central Banks Add Another 69 Tons of Gold to Reserves in April

Central banks globally added another net 69.4 tons of gold to their reserves in April, according to preliminary numbers compiled by the World Gold Council. Gold-buying by central banks slowed last year from the record pace we saw in 2018 and 2019. That trend has continued into 2021, but buying is ahead of last year’s […]

The War on Cash: US Exploring a “Digital Dollar”

Last year, China launched a digital yuan pilot program. The Chinese government-backed digital currency got a boost when the country’s biggest online retailer announced the first virtual platform to accept the Chinese digital currency. China isn’t the only government exploring the possibility of digital money. Sweden has developed a digital currency of its own. The […]

The Biden Budget: Borrow and Spend to Infinity and Beyond

President Joe Biden released his 2022 budget this week. The $6 trillion spending plan offers a glimpse into Biden’s long-term fiscal strategy – borrow and spend to infinity and beyond. The Biden budget would take the US to its highest sustained spending levels since World War II. And here you thought the pandemic emergency was […]

Americans Are Worried About Inflation

If you’ve been to the grocery store, or the gas station, or the building supply store, you know we have an inflation problem. Last month’s hotter than expected CPI confirmed what we already intuitively know. But the folks over at the Federal Reserve continue to tell us there’s nothing to worry about. They insist inflation […]

Tennessee Will Explore the Possibility of a State Gold Depository

Last month, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed a bill into law that creates a commission to study the feasibility of creating a gold bullion depository in the Volunteer State. A state bullion depository would not only create a safe place to store precious metals; it would increase the state’s financial independence. It could also facilitate […]

Traders Starting to Realize High Inflation is Bullish for Gold

For months, the markets have responded to inflationary pressures by piling into dollars and selling gold. They’ve taken this counterintuitive approach because they believe the Fed will tighten monetary policy to fight inflation sooner rather than later. But we’re starting to see a shift in sentiment. Traders seem to be realizing that inflation might be […]

The Fed Monetized More Than Half the Massive Federal Pandemic Debt

The US government continues to run massive budget deficits. That means it has to sell bonds to finance the debt. So, who’s buying all these Treasuries? The Federal Reserve is buying a lot of them as it continues to monetize the ever-growing federal debt. Between March 2020 and March 2021, the central bank monetized more […]