Precious Metal & Rare Coin Market News

On Tuesday, the Dow Jones Industrial average skidded over 600 points intraday. That followed a Black Friday session which saw stocks get hammered as well. What's going on? One factor that analysts warned about recently are the historically high levels of margin borrowing. Indeed, the recent stock plunges reveals the fragility of the uptrend in stocks and underscores how quickly the market can reverse. If you are unfamiliar with margin buying, it is a strategy ... >> Read More        

How would you feel if your bank denied you access to your money? Or, said you needed to wait 10 days before making a transaction like a wire transfer? While it may sound like a bad dream, it's happened to many Americans – including Blanchard clients. If this has in fact already happened to you – don't despair – you aren't alone. There are a surprising number of little known banking rules and regulations that ... >> Read More        

Economists like to define business cycles through four stages: expansion, peak, contraction and trough. What does this mean exactly? During an expansion phase of the economy – gross domestic product (GDP) is growing and expanding. Businesses are expanding, hiring new people, investing in their businesses and, typically, the stock market is climbing. By that definition – it's easy to say we are in the expansion phase right now. But have we peaked already? Rising prices ... >> Read More        

In recent weeks, the crisis within Evergrande has reminded investors of counterparty risk. Counterparty risk is the possibility that one of the parties involved in a transaction might default on their obligations. People often use the term counterparty risk and default risk interchangeably. Default risk is the possibility that one person or company will fail to make the required payments on their debt. Evergrande is a towering example of counterparty risk. In August of this ... >> Read More        

After nearly a decade of nearly non-existent inflation – the phenomenon of rising consumer prices is back. This spring, U.S. consumer prices saw their biggest jump since August 2008. And, inflation is sticking around. U.S. consumer price growth continued to climb in September, the Labor Department reported Wednesday. Over the last 12 months, U.S. consumer prices gained 5.4%. While Federal Reserve officials continue to downplay the recent jump in prices from everything from gas to ... >> Read More        

Stagflation describes an economic setting in which inflation increases while economic output slows or stops. This condition was first seen in the US in the 1970s when the country experienced five quarters of negative GDP growth. Stagflation is beginning to surface in conversations today because economic growth appears to be weakening and inflation appears to be on the rise. Recently, the I.M.F. issued a warning that “pandemic outbreaks in critical links of global supply chains ... >> Read More        

Few realize the value of gold in the public health sector. Too often gold is considered a store of wealth, a part of the jewelry industry, or a component in electronics. The purpose of gold in medical solutions goes unnoticed. Slowly, the COVID crisis is revealing just how important gold is for keeping countries healthy. The link between gold and global health is found within the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 3). This initiative was ... >> Read More        

Gold traded higher Wednesday afternoon after the Federal Reserve kept its easy money policies intact. At the conclusion of its two-day policy meeting, the Fed kept its official interest rate at the rock bottom range from zero to 0.25% and did not signal a "tapering" of its monthly $120 billion  bond purchases that the Fed began last year to stimulate the economy. Gold traded up $9.30 at $1,783.40 an ounce after the Fed meeting today ... >> Read More        

You've probably heard that U.S. inflation levels remain elevated. In August, the Consumer Price Index climbed 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. While inflation in 2021 can be blamed on a variety of factors like supply chain bottlenecks and pent-up consumer demand to expansive Federal Reserve monetary policy, new research from Deutsche Bank highlights another simple reason. The U.S. dollar is a fiat currency – which means it isn't backed by a commodity like gold. Throughout ... >> Read More        

The Delta variant has taught us – for the second time – just how fast the future can change. What was supposed to be a continued recovery reversed in mere months. Today, the outlook for the globe is dimming. Originally the threat presented by COVID was clear: social distancing and illness meant that economic activity fell dramatically. Nearly two years later the picture has changed. The threats are more numerous and more complex. Consider the ... >> Read More