B

The Fed looks to be planning for slowly growing inflation–as the only way out of a fiscal disaster

The Fed looks to be planning for slowly growing inflation–as the only way out of a fiscal disaster

Watch what they do and not what the say is always good advice for investors trying to figure out what’s going on in the financial markets.

Sure, the Federal Reserve has said that it has a target of no more than 2% inflation. And Jerome Powell & Co. has professed their disappointment that inflation remains so stubbornly elevated above that target,

Since the start of the year, the Fed has expanded its balance sheet by $170 billion. That translates to a staggering $510 billion annualized run-rate. The Fed is currently expanding its balance sheet at almost 8% a year during a period when the U.S. economy is supposedly not in a recession.At the same time, U.S. money supply M2 grew by $1.65 trillion in 2025, which is roughly 6.3% over the year.

Why gold is a long-term winning and safe bet

Why gold is a long-term winning and safe bet

February The argument for owning gold for the long term comes down to simple supply and demand. Unlike the world’s supply of fiat currencies where supply will soar as the wold’s indebted countries–just about everyone–print more money to pay their bills, the global supply of gold is increasing by just 1% a year or less. Unlike demand for the U.S. dollar, world’s fiat money flagship currency–where every day more investors want to hedge their risks by diversifying out of the dollar, demand for gold from global central banks is climbing and Wall Street strategist have modestly but noticeably increased their recommended allocation to gold for individual portfolios.

Special Report: “3 Strategies and 10 Picks for Juicy Returns in a Yield Drought”–first 6 picks

Special Report: “3 Strategies and 10 Picks for Juicy Returns in a Yield Drought”–first 6 picks

If you’re an investor looking for income, you’re facing what I’d call a Yield Drought. And this is no temporary dry spell. Things on the income investing front look they’ll get worse before they get better. Unless a financial crisis intervenes in 2025 to make everything else much worse and the yield story much better. Because, you see, there are two parts to the current Yield Drought.

Why gold is a long-term winning and safe bet

Think about gold and gold miners as two different asset classes right now

I think you want to own gold–through something like the SPDR Gold Shares ETF (GLD) right now to profit from decreasing interest rates at most of the world’s central banks, from global macro uncertainty, from the possibility of domestic violence in the United States around the election, and from what sure looks like a train wreck in U.S. fiscal policy.
In the short term. Say six to nine months–maybe even a year–from now. The SPDR Gold Shares ETF is up 24.84% for 2024 as of the September 16 close. In that same time period I think shares of gold mining companies are likely to lag the gains in gold. Shares of Barrack Gold (GOLD), the world’s second largest gold producer, are up just 15.09% in 2024.

Gold continues to climb on Powell Fed jitters and speculation of early interest rare cuts

The argument for adding more gold even now

Gold hit a new all-time high today of $2554 an ounce on the Comex for December delivery. Gold’s 20% or so gain in 2024 to date (as of August 26) is a result of strong central-bank buying plus Asian purchases plus anticipation that the Federal Reserve was about to cut interest rates. Now that Fed chair Jerome Powell has just about promised a cut at the Fed’s September 18 meeting it looks like gold will climb further in 2024 on the fundamentals. Bullish Wall Street targets say $2700 to $3,000 by the end of 2024. That’s a decent reason to hold gold. But the very scary geopolitical landscape over the next six months makes me anxious to add more gold even at the record nominal high for the metal.

Gold continues to climb on Powell Fed jitters and speculation of early interest rare cuts

Gold retreats from its record high–What to do Part 1

Gold futures for June delivery closed down 2.92% on the Comex today. The metal closed at $2343.40 an ounce. The drop came on a lessening of fears that the exchange of attacks between Israel and Iran would quickly lead to a wider Middle East war. And on growing sentiment that the Federal Reserve isn’t likely to cut interest rates soon. The drop in the gold contract for June delivery was the largest since February 3, 2023 when it fell 2.8%.

Gold continues to climb on Powell Fed jitters and speculation of early interest rare cuts

Gold hits record high–Don’t chase gold; buy gold stocks

Gold (for February 2024 delivery) was trading at $2087 an ounce on New York Comex today, December 1. That easily beats the old record high of $2051.50 an ounce back in August 2020. The shiny metal is up 12% from $1830 an ounce in early October. The SPDR Gold Shares ETF (GLD), which holds gold, is up 2.53% in the last month as of November 30. History, and the price action on the Gold Shares ETF, tells us that at this point in a strong gold rally, it doesn’t pay to chase gold itself, but it does pay to buy shares of gold miners.

Why gold is a long-term winning and safe bet

The biggest good news from Barrick Gold’s earnings aren’t the earnings

Yesterday, Thursday, November 2, Barrick Gold (GOLD) reported earnings of 24 cents a share for the company’s this quarter. That was ahead of the 21 cents a share consensus estimate among Wall Street analysts. In the third quarter of quarter of 2022, the company reported earnings of 13 cents a share. The surprise was the fourth for Barrack in the last four quarters. But to me other news overshadowed the earnings themselves.