Precious metals news

Here are the latest developments, updated throughout the day:

I could suggest something utterly implausible, but not utterly impractical: A worldwide monetary conference to move toward fixed exchange rates & to reinstitute a fixed standard of value which would be gold.

Its statement, out at 2 p.m. ET, is expected to show that the Federal Open Market Committee decided to raise the federal funds rate by 25 basis points to a range of 1.50% to 1.75%.

Real Earnings Suffer Longest Slump Since 2009. For the first time since November 2009, real average hourly earnings tumbled for the 4th month in a row.

(“Inflation” Cools Ahead of FOMC Meeting). The Fed's Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting is today.  According to the SF Fed's calibration of the Taylor Rule, the Fed Funds Target rate should be 6.13% (it is only 1.25%, a spread of 488 basis points TOO LOW). There was nothing in this morning's inflation report that is likely to cause the FOMC…

A recently released​ IRS report shows what every resident in the state of Illinois already knows; the state is losing population at a record pace.

(the Iceberg Comes in 2018). The Fed concludes its final FOMC meeting of the year today. The entire financial world expects the Fed to raise rates a final time. This will mark the fifth rate hike since December 2015, and the fourth of the last 12 months. Throughout this time period, the Fed has routinely stated that it is confused

SD Midweek: But that's not to say the cartel won't try to smash because today all eyes are on the Fed...

CEO of FiREapps, on bitcoin futures and why he sees the U.S. issuing a digital dollar in 2018.

After PBOC Reports $41 BIllion In December Outflows

Greenback’s drop this year is set to be worst in over a decade

"We have the tools, we have the people, and, equally as important, we have the technology..."

Stewart Thomson says "the powerful commercial traders have covered huge amounts of short positions and are eagerly racing to buy longs..."

"We don’t just say this stuff as propaganda...We say it because it’s the truth, and it's not commonly understood..."

Bitcoin mania is in full force.
When I get to my desk in the morning, the first thing I do is check the latest gold news. But lately, when I google the word "gold," I mostly get Bitcoin news. In his most recent podcast, Peter Schiff even suggested CNBC should rename its network the "Crypto News Bitcoin Network."
Many analysts have suggested Bitcoin is replacing gold. In fact, an article on CoinTelegraph reported that some investors are actually dumping their yellow metal in favor of Bitcoin. During a recent interview on CNBC. RJO Futures' Phillip Streible declared that “Bitcoin has stolen a large market share of gold.” There is at least some anecdotal evidence backing this up.

Every year, the Federal Reserve robs you of a little bit of your wealth.
And it does so by design.
Writing for the Sovereign Man, Jeff Thomas called it a "magic trick." But it's not magic in a mystical way. It's magic in the show business sense of the word.  It's an illusion, facilitated by distraction that fools the audience. As a result, we all miss what's actually happening.

Sovereign debt has been a crucial factor in a series of major historical events. From the early 19th century, in Latin American countries such as Colombia, Mexico, and Argentina, struggling for independence, ​as well as Greece when seeking funds for its war of independence

Robert Shiller, professor of economics at Yale University, discusses growth versus value and volatility in equities.

Berkeley economics professor: The US dollar will be soon forced to share prominence with the yuan & the euro as its days as the world’s most important currency are numbered.

– The results of a survey released today by Transparency International show that compared to early 2016 more Americans now believe corruption is on the rise in the US, and that the White House is the most corrupt of nine key institutions.