Peter's Blog

The Fed Is Already Talking About Increasing Its Balance Sheet Again

All of a sudden, the Federal Reserve is considering increasing its balance sheet again. Remember back in September? QE was on “autopilot.” Then we got the “Powell Pause” and suddenly, the talk was that balance sheet reduction could be winding down. Powell confirmed that was the case just a couple of weeks ago when he […]

Silver News: Market Trends in 2019 Show Positive Signs

Despite lackluster price performance last year, trends are looking positive for silver investors in 2019. The Silver Institute highlighted increasingly supportive sentiment in the silver market along with a number of technological innovations utilizing the white metal in the latest edition of Silver News.

Romania Considering Plan to Bring Its Gold Reserves Home

Romania may bring most of its gold home. Romania’s ruling party chief has submitted a bill that would require the country’s central bank to keep 95% of its gold within the borders of the country. Currently, about 60% of Romania’s 103.7 tons of gold is stored at the Bank of England.

Powell Put Confirmed: Balance Sheet Reduction Will End This Year

After weeks of hinting, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell confirmed that the central bank will end its balance sheet reduction program this year. This just five months after insisting quantitative tightening was on “autopilot.” “We’ve worked out, I think, the framework of a plan that we hope to be able to announce soon that will […]

Student Loan Bubble Just Keeps Getting Bigger

Based on the latest data, the student debt crisis in America isn’t about to end any time soon. US household debt climbed to a record $13.54 trillion in the fourth quarter of 2018. Student loan debt makes up a sizeable chunk of that total. In fact, student loan debt now ranks as the second-largest consumer […]

Russia Considering Gold Tax Repeal That Could Significantly Boost Demand

Russia is considering eliminating its value-added tax (VAT) on gold purchases. According to a Russian paper, this could increase gold demand in the country by 50 to 100 tons per year. Russia currently charges a 20% tax on all gold bar purchases, and investors do not get the tax back when they sell their gold. 

Wholesale Inventories Post Biggest Gain in 5 Years: Another Sign of Slowing Economy

Even as the Federal Reserve and the financial news network pundits continue to dangle the prospect of a booming economy in front of us, we’re seeing more and more bad news that undermines this narrative and reveals the rotting foundation of the US economy. The wholesale inventory report that came out yesterday is the latest […]

US Mint Suspends Silver Eagle Sales Due to High Demand

Investors are gobbling up American Silver Eagle coins. Sales were so brisk last week that the US Mint temporarily suspended orders when its inventory ran out. February sales this year have already doubled 2018 levels. As of Feb. 26. the mint had sold 2,157,500 Silver Eagles this month. That compares with 942,500 coins in February […]

Was Ben Bernanke Lying or Just Wildly Mistaken?

Was Ben Bernanke lying or just wildly mistaken when he claimed the Federal Reserve wasn’t monetizing the debt in the early days of the financial crisis? The Fed released the minutes from its January Federal Open Market Committee meeting yesterday. There really weren’t any surprises. The minutes emphasized the central bank will exercise “patience” in […]

Analysts Expect Strong Gold Demand in China to Continue in 2019

Analysts expect continued strong investment demand for gold in China this year. According to Xinhua News, gold as an investment will likely “glitter” in 2019 and gold jewelry sales are expected to get a boost in the Chinese lunar Year of the Pig. It also appears the People’s Bank of China is on a buying spree. China […]