Category: Economics & Investing

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. In this column, JWR also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. This column emphasizes JWR’s “tangibles heavy” investing strategy and contrarian perspective. Today, we look at some threatened tariffs on gold, and a quick reversal. (See the Precious Metals section.) Precious Metals: Trump says gold will not be tariffed. o  o  o I noticed that spot silver bounced back to $38.82 USD per Troy ounce in after-hours trading on Wednesday. (Thursday morning trading, in Asia.) Let’s see if …

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. In this column, JWR also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. This column emphasizes JWR’s “tangibles heavy” investing strategy and contrarian perspective. Today, we look at the volatile global silver market. (See the Precious Metals section.) Precious Metals: In modern times, silver has been known for more volatile price swings than gold. This week was no exception. From Friday, August 1st to Thursday, August 7, spot silver climbed from $36.63 to $38.53 per Troy ounce. In my estimation, as …

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. In this column, JWR also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. This column emphasizes JWR’s “tangibles heavy” investing strategy and contrarian perspective. Today, we look at modern-day alchemy. (See the Precious Metals section.) Precious Metals: Gold And Silver Coin Premiums – How Low Can They Go? o  o  o At Gold-Eagle.com: Gold’s Days of Extreme Volatility. o  o  o Turning mercury into gold? Nuclear reactors may revive ancient dream of alchemy. JWR’s Comment: What the author of this …

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. In this column, JWR also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. This column emphasizes JWR’s “tangibles heavy” investing strategy and contrarian perspective. Today, we look at the GENIUS Act and what will be Fed-controlled and monetized stablecoins. (See the Forex & Cryptos: section.) Precious Metals: On Tuesday evening (July 22, 2025), spot Gold was at $3,442 per Troy ounce, and spot silver was at $39.58.  I am now fairly firmly predicting $4,000/oz. gold and $50/oz. silver by the …

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. In this column, JWR also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. This column emphasizes JWR’s “tangibles heavy” investing strategy and contrarian perspective. Today, we look at the LMBA’s nascent silver short squeeze. (See the Precious Metals section.) Precious Metals The Comex shorts did their best to hold down the price of silver again this week. But the Asian traders kept bidding it back up into the $38.20 to $38.50 USD range. The word is out that the LBMA …

Silver is getting very close to a mania phase based on signals from the Dow/gold ratio previously presented. Furthermore, since it is normal for silver to lag gold’s performance, and given that gold has performed so well over the last couple of years, it is expected that we would likely see an even better performance by silver over the coming years. Here is a long-term silver chart compared to a long-term Dow/gold ratio chart:       (Click to expand) On the silver chart (the top chart), I’ve highlighted the significant Dow/gold ratio peaks with a blue line. In every …

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. In this column, JWR also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. This column emphasizes JWR’s “tangibles heavy” investing strategy and contrarian perspective. Today, we look at “Trump Slump 2.0” in the U.S. gun market.  (See the Tangibles Investing section.) Precious Metals: The Comex market Short Sellers made another attempt at torpedoing the price of silver this week. By Wednesday evening, they had pushed the spot price of silver down to $36.61 per Troy ounce. But with ongoing strong …

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. In this column, JWR also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. This column emphasizes JWR’s “tangibles heavy” investing strategy and contrarian perspective. Today, six months into Donald Trump’s second term in office, a special look at Trumponomics 2.0. Precious Metals: Rep. Massie Introduces Bill to Audit U.S. Gold Reserves. o  o  o Gold Price Forecast June 2025: What’s Driving Gold Prices Right Now?  JWR’s Comments:  In the past week, gold rose 3% and silver was up about 10%, in …

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. In this column, JWR also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. This column emphasizes JWR’s “tangibles heavy” investing strategy and contrarian perspective. Today, we look at currencies and precious metals in times of war. (See the Precious Metals section and the Forex & Cryptos section.) Precious Metals: Gold spiked versus paper currencies early this week. On Monday, there was an intraday high of $3,417.60 per Troy ounce. But on Tuesday, after an announced (but fragile) ceasefire, spot gold …

I have a story to tell that I believe your readers will enjoy. And it serves as a perfect object lesson for any person that doesn’t understand the difference between money and currency and/or an excellent example of how the dollar (and all currencies) lose value. I’m including two pictures that I have taken and you are welcome to share on your blog along with the following short tale about a gift that has been passed down to me. My mother, recently gave me a gift that was originally given to her for her 25th wedding anniversary. Well, let me …

Just like for silver, every major gold rally since 1971 has been during a time of US dollar decline (i.e., U.S. Dollar Index decline—that is, the US dollar as measured against a basket of major currencies.) From 1971, the DXY declined from about 120 to around 86 at the gold peak in 1980. From 2001 the DXY declined from about 117 to around 74 at the 2012 gold peak. During the current gold rally of the 2020s, it will likely be no different. It will likely go from the 2022 high of about 114 to a new all-time low, as …

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. In this column, JWR also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. This column emphasizes JWR’s “tangibles heavy” investing strategy and contrarian perspective. Today, we look at weakening demand and softening prices for new guns. (See the Commodities section.) Precious Metals: At Currency Thoughts: Singapore Gold Takes Direct Aim at Comex, LBMA. o  o  o Jesse Columbo, at Gold-Eagle.com: A Report on the Bullish Case for Platinum. o  o  o Video: Andrew Maguire – “You’re About to Miss Silver’s …

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. In this column, JWR also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. This column emphasizes JWR’s “tangibles heavy” investing strategy and contrarian perspective. Today, we look at silver’s breakout. (See the Precious Metals section.) Precious Metals: Silver surges past $35/oz level to hit a more than 13-year high. JWR Adds:  When I checked on Tuesday evening, spot silver was at $36.87 per Troy ounce! There was a dip on Wednesday, but by Thursday evening (Friday morning, in Asia), silver was …

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. In this column, JWR also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. This column emphasizes JWR’s “tangibles heavy” investing strategy and contrarian perspective. Today, we look at the global debt crisis in general and the U.S. National Debt, in particular. Precious Metals: With both world war tensions and a global debt crisis brewing, the precious metals bull market is picking up speed. I took note that spot gold stood at $3,393.60 USD per Troy ounce on Thursday morning. It …

The US dollar banking system is in the midst of a bank run by the measures that I will illustrate here. Since the 1879 gold standard was established in America, the US dollar could be directly redeemed for gold within the banking system. This continued even after the Federal Reserve was created and until it was ended for citizens in 1933. In such a system, the measure of actual gold held by the banking system ( the true monetary base) versus the gold certificates (paper dollars but measured as the monetary base) with which gold could be redeemed is a …