Gold demand in the second quarter fell 12% according to yesterday’s report from the World Gold Council, as a combination of structural and external factors weighed heavily on investor appetite. The decline marks a six year low for global demand of the precious metal, and...
Over the past 5 years the period between late June to early September has seen some of the fiercest rallies in gold and silver prices, with double digit percentage moves fairly typical. In 2013 the price of silver in particular rose nearly 30% as the...
As commodity markets continue to sell off worldwide due to deteriorating global growth, many mainstream financial media outlets have been quick off the mark to highlight the ongoing “rout” in precious metals - with most of the mocking and jestful comments saved for the gold...
Following nearly 6 years of radio silence, Chinese officials finally ended years of rampant speculation within the gold community by announcing the country’s official gold reserves increased by nearly 60% to 1,658 metric tons. With their recent announcement, China has become the fifth largest holder...
As the dust settles on the latest bailout deal for Greece, it is becoming increasingly obvious of the pain which lies ahead for Europe in the months and years ahead. While initial market reaction has been positive to the news that Greece has agreed to...
Market instability and volatility is beginning to escalate all over the world. The ongoing uncertainty in Europe and market sell off in China are attracting the headlines at present, but both events are likely the first visible signs of a more systemic economic rut which...
The Bank of International Settlements, widely regarded as the bank of central banks, has issued a stark warning that monetary authorities around the world are growing increasingly impotent and likely to be ineffective in the face of the next economic crisis. With its board members...
Following years of negotiations and political brinkmanship, it appears increasingly likely that Greece is on the verge of defaulting on its debt obligations, a move that could see the country potentially withdraw from the EU altogether. News from Europe this weekend has been fluid, with...
Unsustainable debt levels, both public and private, are becoming one of the dominant characteristics of life in the 21st Century. Levels of indebtedness have become so severe that nearly every nation is technically insolvent – unable to repay their existing debts, and reliant on issuing...
An interesting trend has been developing over the past few years which sends one of the clearest signals yet as to just how fragile the current financial and currency system has become. The gold community often pay close attention to the increased rate of gold...
Monetary policy and quantitative easing are becoming an increasingly destabilizing force in financial markets. While the Federal Reserve’s introduction of QE post Lehman prevented a deeper recession than would have otherwise materialized, its effects 7 years on are still being felt by individuals and businesses...
As negative interest rate policies proliferate throughout the world economy, and policy makers continue pushing an agenda of “deposit taxes” and other measures in an attempt to load up the population with as much debt as possible, it was probably always just a matter of...
The large global banks have been one of the largest beneficiaries of the worldwide monetary easing policies which were ushered into place in the wake of the subprime mortgage crisis. A crisis these very same banks played a huge role in orchestrating. Seven years on...
Maintaining privacy when buying or selling gold is often a key consideration for precious metal investors. Many investors are unaware that bullion and coin dealers are obligated by law in the United States to submit various transaction reports if certain conditions are triggered by their...
Bitcoin has received an enormous amount of press and media coverage since it first appeared on the mainstream financial radar several years ago. The gold community for the large part - have been unimpressed. Most of these concerns revolve around the value of bitcoin in...
The surge in the US dollar index since October 2014 is often cited as a sign of underlying strength returning to the US economy, but there seem to be other less clear cut reasons simmering just under the surface to explain the dollar’s relative strength...
The rate of economic and social change which occurred throughout the 1960s and subsequent decades has been rapid. Nearly all aspects of our daily lives have have been impacted by a seemingly unstoppable march of technological progress and innovation. In economic terms, the world couldn’t...
Something ominous happened in Switzerland this week. The country sold 10 year bonds at a negative interest rate - and investors, knowing they would be instantly losing money every year for the next decade, happily obliged. This deal was well received, with investors pouring 378m...
Apple are attempting to push the frontiers of “wearable tech” forward with the upcoming release of their latest product, the Apple Watch. Millions of the tech giant’s fans are anxiously waiting to get their hands on the new device, and for some hard core Apple...
Allocating gold to your personal investment portfolio is becoming increasingly prudent given the precarious position that nearly all fiat currencies are exhibiting. In recent months European investors have also witnessed first hand the value of holding gold as insurance against the saver crushing policies of...
