economy

Gold remains one of the more "normal" trades this year - following seasonal patterns rather well. It has always been a case that gold tends to strengthen ahead of the Chinese Lunar New Year, and this year seems no different . . . .

Gold futures settled modestly higher Wednesday, helped by a slightly weaker dollar index even as stocks reclaimed a portion of the sharp declines that marked the start to the week . . . .

Stocks have now opened the year up 6%.  Global interest rates are on the move, with the U.S. 2-year Treasury trading above 2% for the first time since 2008.  Oil is trading in the mid $60s.  And base metals are trading toward the highest levels of the young, two-year bull market in commodities . . . .

The US dollar weakened across the board after the release of the US employment report and pushed gold to the upside. The metal rose $6 in a few seconds, from $1316/oz to $1323 to test daily highs . . . .

Gold hit its highest in 2-1/2 months on Friday and remained on track for its biggest annual rise since 2010 as a wilting dollar, political tensions and receding concerns over the impact of U.S. interest rate hikes fed into its rally . . . .

The Russian economy appears to be in a far better state than that of the USA. The country’s economic management seems to be comfortably better than most Western economies . . . .

If you were to analyze the impact of any tax changes on any asset, you have two sets of dynamics to consider: those of the tax reform and those of the asset. What makes the comparison to gold unique is that gold is, if I may call it such, the purest of all assets because it doesn’t change. It is the world around it that changes . . . .

Bridgewater Associates founder Ray Dalio, the 68-year-old founder of the world’s largest hedge fund (160 billion under management), said bitcoin is "in a bubble" during an interview on CNBC Tuesday morning, arguing that the so-called currency is too difficult to spend, and too volatile to be a useful store of value . . . .

The price of gold rose to a one-year peak on Thursday after the dollar tumbled on the back of weak U.S. jobs data and an unchanged growth and inflation outlook from the European Central Bank . . . .

Another government shutdown could be coming down the pike if Congress doesn’t give in to President Trump’s demands for border wall funding. But no matter how the situation plays out, it could be a unique win-win situation for precious metal owners . . . .