Peter's Blog

Over-Leveraged Zombie Companies Threaten Economic Recovery

There seems to be mounting optimism that the US economy will rebound relatively quickly as states begin opening up and there is progress toward a coronavirus vaccine. But the optimism ignores deep problems in the US economy that existed before the pandemic  – chief among them staggering levels of debt and the proliferation of zombie […]

Silver Joins Gold at the Party

Silver has finally joined gold at the party. In the last week, the price of the white metal has moved up from $15.51 to $17.35. (as I type this on Tuesday morning May 19) That’s an 11.9% increase. With the jump in the price of silver, the silver-gold ratio has dropped from over 113-1 earlier […]

QE Infinity: Money Supply Grew at Record Rate in April

The money supply growth rate surged to an all-time high in April as the Federal Reserve created cash at an unprecedented rate through quantitative easing and other money-creating monetary policies. According to Ryan McMaken at the Mises Institute, the only time the Fed has come close to this level of money creation was in the […]

Staggering April Budget Deficit Just the Tip of the Iceberg

The April federal budget deficit came in at a staggering $738 billion as government coronavirus stimulus began flowing through the pipelines and revenue dipped due to the government lockdowns.

ETF Gold Holdings Set Yet Another Record

Gold continued to flow into gold-backed ETFs, setting another all-time record in April. Globally, funds added another 170 tons of gold last month amounting to $3.9 billion, according to the latest data from the World Golf Council. It was the sixth straight month of net inflows.

Household Debt Was $1.6 Trillion Higher Than ’08 Peak Before COVID-19

Total household debt was over $1.6 trillion higher than the previous peak in 2008 even before the full force of the coronavirus pandemic government shutdowns hit the economy. Household debt increased by $155 billion (1.1%) in Q1 to a total of $14.3 trillion, according to the latest data released by the New York Fed. The […]

National Debt Climbs Above $25 Trillion

Twenty-eight days. That’s how long it took to add another $1 trillion to the national debt.

Central Banks Added 46 Tons of Gold to Reserves in March

Central banks globally added another net 46.1 tons of gold to their reserves in March with the usual suspects making big purchases, according to the latest data released by the World Gold Council. The pace of central bank purchases seems to be increasing, although a few banks are doing the bulk of the buying. Globally, […]

What Happens When the Bond Bubble Pops?

Celsius Network, founder and CEO Alex Mashinsky calls the bond market, “the biggest bubble that hasn’t burst yet.” And when the massive bond bubble pops, that’s when the real earthquake begins. The US Treasury Department is pumping out bonds like there’s no tomorrow. It announced this week that it plans to borrow $2.99 trillion in […]

Silver Investment Demand Up and Other Silver News

Global silver demand nudged higher in 2019 thanks to a 12% increase in investment demand as retail and institutional investors focused their attention on the long-term investment appeal of the white metal according to a report highlighted in the latest edition of the Silver Institute’s Silver News.