Precious metals news

The financial press struggles to interpret weekly money supply figures, often providing conflicting views on interest rates. This confusion arises from multiple causal factors impacting interest rates in different directions. Initially, expanding the money supply lowers interest rates, while restricting credit raises them. However, as chronic inflation sets in, the public becomes aware of its effects on creditors and debtors. Inflation expectations begin to influence interest rates, leading to uncertainty about the impact of Fed actions. The strength of these causal chains is uncertain, making economic forecasts inherently unreliable.

Two conservatives debate whether Americans are better off now. Oren Cass argues that the cost of thriving has surged, leading to a 36% decline in living standards since 1985. Scott Winship disagrees, claiming it is easier to thrive today with lower taxes and improved inflation measures. Financial stress, living paycheck to paycheck, and the disappearance of affordable housing add to the negative outlook. The generational burden of debt and the inability to start families exacerbate the situation.

Goldman Sachs has estimated a peak-to-trough decline in housing prices, while Realtor.Com has revised its 2023 forecast with a downward revision. The median existing home sales price is expected to fall by 0.6% in 2023. However, the author expresses skepticism, considering the current state of high home prices and mortgage rates. Additionally, existing home sales recorded a minor gain in May but declined by 20.4% compared to the previous year. The affordability of starter homes has also become a significant challenge. The author disagrees with the forecasts, expecting a more significant decline in housing prices.

Sweden's parliament has passed a new energy target, allowing the government to proceed with building new nuclear power plants. This decision deviates from the country's previous goal of 100% renewable energy. The change in target aims to meet rising electricity demand and achieve net-zero emissions by 2045. Meanwhile, the growing demands to combat climate change come with estimated costs of trillions of dollars per year.

Global leaders and organizations gathered in Europe for climate change summits, focusing on demands for a new global financial system that supports climate solidarity. French President Emmanuel Macron hosted a summit in Paris with the participation of 50 heads of state, aiming to equip vulnerable countries to combat poverty and climate change. The estimated cost for these efforts is substantial, but discussions on financing mechanisms are ongoing. Progress in funding has been limited so far.

Steve Hanke, an Applied Economics Professor at Johns Hopkins University, expresses concerns about the Federal Reserve's ability to manage inflation and employment. According to Hanke, the Fed lacks a clear understanding of its actions and is "flying blind." He emphasizes the importance of monitoring the money supply and predicts that an "ugly" recession will impact the U.S. economy in 2024. Additionally, Hanke touches on the topic of gold and his involvement with currency boards.

The US Treasury yield curve remains inverted, indicating ongoing economic concerns, while M2 Money YoY continues to decline. Silver prices have increased by over 1% today, and Bitcoin Cash has surged by 12.39%. Meanwhile, the cost of a fully loaded 2023 Chevy Silverado 1500 ZR2 is around $100,000, with auto loan rates skyrocketing. Some attribute these challenges to the policies of President Biden and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.

Fabio Panetta, an executive board member of the European Central Bank (ECB), believes cryptocurrencies are suitable only for gambling due to their volatility and perceived limitations. He argues that crypto has not brought societal benefits and warns of market disruptions without proper regulations. Panetta also criticizes the security, scalability, and decentralization of crypto transactions. He supports the ECB's research on a potential digital euro and proposes banning crypto assets with excessive environmental impact. However, he is seen by some as opposing competition to central bank printing presses, similar to Senator Elizabeth Warren and SEC's Gary Genslar.

US money supply growth, under Jerome Powell and the Fed, continued to decline in April, reaching negative territory. This trend follows a period of high levels over the past two years. The Fed's extensive money printing to combat the Covid crisis and economic challenges has resulted in a near all-time low in US M2 Money Velocity. Moreover, real average weekly earnings have been in negative territory for 25 consecutive months due to the Fed's monetary expansion and contraction.

The recent banking crisis, starting with SVB's failure, has spread beyond the tech world. Credit Suisse faced major challenges and was eventually acquired by UBS for a nominal price, leaving shareholders with significant losses. The crisis also impacted CoCo bonds, wiping out investors and causing mark-to-market losses in the AT1 credit market. The contagion from the failure of Silvergate Bank in the crypto world has now reached mainstream banking, with uncertain outcomes and ripple effects throughout the international banking system.

This article argues that Keynes' dismissal of Say's law in 1936 has led to the current economic and monetary crisis. By rejecting market reality, Keynes invented macroeconomics and emphasized the role of the state. The flaws in macroeconomics, the state theory of money, misleading statistics, and misplaced fears of a general glut are discussed. Say's law, which links production to demand, challenges the belief that recessions can reduce price inflation. The mainstream's adherence to macroeconomic theories hampers reasoned debate, leaving a final crisis as the only solution to challenge these dogmas.

A mistakenly released document by the FDIC provides detailed information about Silicon Valley Bank's biggest customers who were bailed out by the Biden administration. The decision to backstop all deposits, including those above the federal insurance limit, benefited larger companies such as Sequoia Capital and Kanzhun Ltd. The FDIC requested that Bloomberg destroy the depositor list, but Bloomberg refused. The move to insure all deposits has sparked controversy, with critics arguing it created a moral hazard. The FDIC estimated the cost to taxpayers at $15.8 billion. The regional banking crisis is ongoing, and cash continues to flow out of banks into money funds.

A survey reveals what Americans would do to become debt-free: give up social media, spend a night on a remote island, or even go without internet access. However, the average person believes they can only stay debt-free for less than three months before accumulating new debt. Confidence in remaining debt-free is low, with rising living costs, unexpected expenses, and rising interest rates cited as reasons. Credit card debt, mortgages, automobile loans, and medical debt are the biggest hurdles. The average person has $54,767 of debt, with necessities outweighing "nice-to-haves."

Central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) pose risks to personal liberties and enable surveillance. China's social credit system, which denies travel based on low scores, is a real example. Similar systems could arise in the US. Censorship during the pandemic highlights government control. Combining social credit and a police state allows for severe punishment of dissenters. CBDCs facilitate this surveillance, but acquiring gold offers a non-digital alternative. Citizens must unite and resist this future.

The national debt recently blew past $32 trillion.
As we approach America's birthday on July 4, it might be a good time to consider what the founding fathers would have thought about this massive indebtedness.

China's silver demand continues to soar while its own production falls short, leading to a significant supply gap of around 3,000 tons that needs to be filled through imports. China's limited silver resource reserves raise concerns, with only 11 years of mining left before depletion by 2032. Mexico, the world's leading silver producer, also faces a dire situation, with reserves expected to vanish within five years. Other major silver-producing countries will experience resource depletion as well, leading to a global silver crisis by 2036. The impending silver shortage will impact industrial demand and create a panic among silver consumers worldwide. China, in particular, faces urgent challenges in securing silver resources to support its ambitious high-tech development plans. The global silver supply is projected to decline while demand continues to rise, exacerbating the resource crisis.

Despite hawkish remarks from Jerome Powell, gold retains its positive outlook. The Federal Reserve chairman's focus on inflation and potential rate hikes led to a temporary decline in gold and silver contracts. However, the Fed's true intention is to maintain a gradual depreciation of the dollar, rather than solving the inflation issue. Powell's concerns about de-dollarization demonstrate the importance of the dollar's reserve currency status. Gold remains a reliable measure of a currency's value, and its historical price increases indicate the declining purchasing power of fiat currencies. As central banks explore digital currencies, investors should be cautious as these currencies may face similar depreciation. Gold's long-term potential remains strong, with the possibility of reaching five-digit prices in the future.

Negative sentiment looms over the markets as the Fed asserts its power, potentially impacting AI stocks, tech giants, and Tesla. The Fed's pause on interest rate hikes has spooked investors, with expectations of further rate increases to tackle inflation. Central banks' surprises and the market's resilience are raising concerns. Goldman Sachs warns of downside risks, emphasizing the need for caution. Going against the Fed's actions is risky.

Government bonds rally while stock futures struggle as concerns grow over central banks pushing inflation-fighting measures too far. US Treasury yields drop, and Germany's benchmark yield tumbles as the business outlook deteriorates. Investors fear that aggressive rate hikes could harm fragile economies. Geopolitical tensions in Russia add to market uncertainty. Oil prices rise amid potential disruptions in global oil markets.

We tend to focus a lot on the Federal Reserve's interest rate policy, while the central bank's balance sheet stays in the background. But the balance sheet arguably has more impact on the economy over the long run.
Since the Fed began hiking interest rates in March 2022, it has also shrunk the balance sheet. But balance sheet reduction hasn't been aggressive. In fact, the decline in the balance sheet since the pandemic is like a drop of water in the ocean compared to the massive expansion we've seen since 2008.