Precious Metal & Rare Coin Market News

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        

While many Americans struggle with the challenges of rising inflation – at the grocery store, at the gas pump, rising rent and more, stock market investors are a complacent bunch right now. The U.S. stock market is indeed enjoying double-digit gains in 2021, propelled higher by government spending that flooded the economy during the Covid crisis and the Fed's rock-bottom interest rates. Can this continue? There is an old market adage: the stock market takes ... >> Read More        

With less than eight weeks before the end of the year, many are beginning to ask what the US economy might look like in 2022. The recovery from COVID continues to push forward but the movement is stubbornly slow. Throughout the mid-1990s and mid-2000s the annual U.S. GDP growth surpassed 3 percent. Many analysts believe this performance will be unattainable in the coming years. There are three reasons for this low growth outlook. First, long-term ... >> Read More        

What currency should be used in world trade? Over 150 years ago, China and the United States wrangled over that very question – just as they do today. For those of you that don't follow global economics closely, today, importers and exporters that buy and sell goods across country lines like crude oil, diamonds, cars and vehicle parts and even computers – primarily use the U.S. dollar to complete the transactions. Example: when China wants ... >> Read More        

Nearly two years after COVID-19 hit our shores, sending our nation into an economic tailspin, the Federal Reserve announced today it is dialing back on its emergency bond-buying program. Wall Street expected today's announcement that the Fed would taper its monthly bond purchases. Gold registered little reaction to the news, recently trading at around $1,765 an ounce. "In light of the substantial further progress the economy has made toward the Committee's goals since last December, ... >> 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        

In 1688, the city of New Rochelle, New York was founded by French Protestants. Colonist Jacob Leisler executed the formal agreement when he purchased 6,000 acres from Sir John Pell who originally owned the land. In return for the acreage that represents the city today Pell required "one fatt calfe" on the following year and every year after. More than two hundred years later the Westchester County Coin Club began to rally interest in having ... >> 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