Market News

In the Oregon Territory during the California Gold Rush years – one important thing was missing – there was no official currency. Instead, settlers, trappers, farmers, sailors and merchants relied upon barter to conduct their business in the Pacific Northwest. Those with a zest for risk-taking chose to trade their lumber, food, tools, furs and other goods to Californians in exchange for gold dust. It is estimated that over $400,000 worth of gold dust moved ... >> Read More        

Too often gold’s value is relegated to a simplistic analysis of supply and demand. This approach to understanding the strategic value of a gold investment ignores several other important aspects of the precious metal. For this reason, the World Gold Council recently released a comprehensive report exploring the four factors that together represent the unique strategy of investing in gold. Here, we offer a summary of those four concepts and an explanation of why they ... >> Read More        

In the world of professional sports, after years of stellar performance commentators might say a talented athletic star has peaked. From there, it's a slow gradual decline. Sure, the professional athlete might show a few flashes of the previous greatness – but overall the trend points down. The previous raw talent, incredible moves and confident success of the aging athlete is diminishing – right before your eyes. Perhaps the athlete will retire from sports gracefully ... >> Read More        

Say Goodbye to Retirement Account Deductions There are potentially sweeping tax law reforms coming. These adjustments will primarily impact high-income Americans. There is a short window of time where you can prepare for the coming changes. Notably, you can use increased allocations in gold bullion and rare coins to protect and preserve your family's wealth. A significant change will be the elimination of the retirement account deduction. If you currently enjoy deducting up to $26,000 ... >> Read More        

In recent months speculative investments have commanded the headlines. Bitcoin, GameStop, EV manufacturers, and SPACs have all garnered interest from investors. Many of these investments present the opportunity for high returns, but with considerable risk and volatility. As the fervor surrounding these investments has grown, investors seem to have forgotten older, more traditional investments like commodities. Today, they are starting to remember. Some are beginning to forecast a commodities super cycle which is a long-term ... >> Read More        

In many ways, the first dollar coin issued by the U.S. – the Flowing Hair Dollar - was a failure. The uninspired design was criticized by many and, as a result, the coin was only minted in 1794 and 1795. When the U.S. Mint prepared to replace the design with something new they were determined to get it right. What followed was the creation of the Draped Bust coin. The designers had certain parameters when ... >> Read More        

[Editor's note: It's hard to know what to believe in today's environment. From cable news networks, to talk radio show to internet news sites – where do you get the facts? That's why we did the research. And that's why we are delivering tax facts in this special report – about what President Biden's proposed tax changes could mean for you. Using sources like the Internal Revenue Service and the Tax Foundation, the nation's leading ... >> Read More        

In recent months retail investors have learned that the cost of winning is higher than it has ever been. The battle between hedge funds and retail investors has taken a toll on both sides costing billions and leaving many exhausted. By the end of the week each group was left distraught. The fervor around GameStop offers many lessons. The most important of these lessons is this: things are not what they seem. Savvy investors who ... >> Read More        

The investing world spotlight shifted to silver this week. The same group of Internet day traders that drove GameStop dramatically higher in January turned their focus to silver. While the online message boards touted silver ETFs at first, the news triggered a rush into the physical silver market. The U.S. Mint’s silver coin sales jumped 24% to 4.775 million ounces last month – that was the highest for a January since 2017. Several U.S. major ... >> Read More        

What do Hollywood movie studios and the foreign policy declaration by President James Monroe, known as the Monroe Doctrine, have in common? No doubt it's an odd pairing. The answer is – a 1923 commemorative silver half dollar. In the early 1920s, scandals were tarnishing the reputation of the motion picture industry.  Within a span of a few months, actor Wallace Reid died from a drug overdose, director William Desmond Taylor was murdered under mysterious ... >> Read More