Shoppers start your engines. This year’s Black Friday sales event is forecast to be bigger than ever, with shoppers expected to spend a record $3.05 billion.

Consumers Are Already In a Spending Mood

The final weeks of the presidential election season didn’t stop consumers from spending this year, with a surprise 0.8% increase in the October Retail Sales number. Sales soared as Americans bought everything from cars to clothes to construction materials and health care products. Retail sales have picked up strongly in recent months as amid strong consumer confidence, a firm labor market and a pick-up in wage growth.

The holiday spending season is important to retailers as economists estimate that as much as 25% of all personal spending occurs during the holiday shopping season. Beyond Black Friday, the entire season is expected to pull down big sales numbers. Total holiday sales inNovember and December, are forecast to climb 3.6 percentto$655.8 billion, according to National Retail Federation data.

Jewelry and Gold Price Trends

Gold prices tend to move up prior to the holidays, in part due to an increase in gold jewelry buying for gifts. But, this year a pullback has offered gold buyers a better price entry point.

The strong price gains in gold in 2016 (at one point over 20%) have put a crimp on cost-conscious gold jewelry buyers. Gold jewelry sales fell in the third quarter but still totaled 493 tons, according to the World Gold Council. That’s a lot of necklaces and bracelets.

Big Markets around the Globe Buy Gold Jewelry This Time of Year

Looking ahead, the World Gold Council projects a recovery in the jewelry sector in the fourth quarter. Strong seasonal buying trends are seen this time of year, supported by the festival and wedding season in India, the main holiday season in Western markets, and Chinese New Year.

The first half of 2016 saw the strongest level of US jewelry demand for seven years as the market continued its gradual recovery in the wake of the 20079 financial crisis, according to the World Gold Council.

Wondering What To Get Your Wife, Daughter or Mom?

Here are some key findings from a World Gold Council survey of surveyed 2,000 US females aged between 1865:

Fine jewelry is more likely to be received as a gift, often bought by a spouse or partner, more likely to be a planned purchase, and is more likely to be a high value transaction.

Gold resonates particularly well with those consumers looking to buy a piece of jewelry that they feel is associated with tradition or reminds them of a special moment in their life. A key strength of gold for these consumers is that it keeps an inherent emotional and financial value over time and can be passed to the next generation, the World Gold Council found.

Gift Ideas for Your Husband, Father or Son

Do you have a history buff in your family? Gold coins are a collectible, but also an investment. What a better gift for the man in your life than a rare coin. Choose one to match an important date in their or your lives. Consider commemorative coins, which are widely popular and reflect the rich cultures of numerous civilizations.

Ancient Greeks and Romans used commemorative coins for a variety of record-keeping purposes, everything from honoring important events to relaying the daily news.

Commemorative coins cultural influence continues today as they play a fundamental and distinctive role in the U.S. rare coins industry. In addition to aesthetic and monetary value, each coin is deeply embedded in our nations history. These reasons make commemorative coins a highly promising investment option.

Black Friday is just getting going. Pick your gifts wisely. Consider gifts that can help to bring your family closer through beauty, historical significance and can offer the opportunity to build and protect your wealth at the same time.

Unlike bullion coins that are bought in bulk, rare coins must be carefully chosen on a one-by-one basis, and this requires a highly trained eye to spot opportunities. Dont go it alone. Blanchard and company can help you find what you need with the highest levels of speed, confidence and personalized service. Call for a consultation or just to learn more today 1-800-764-9135.

Investors have had several trading days to reorient themselves to the reality of a Trump presidency. Here’s where they now stand in the markets:

• Stocks are up sharply, at least as far as the benchmark indexes are concerned. Most of the optimism among equity investors is fueled by the prospect of increased fiscal stimulus and federal government spending as Trump has proposed.

• Bond yields have also spiked as traders anticipate higher inflation (also due to the potential fiscal stimulus pumping more money into the economy.)

• Expectations for a Federal Reserve rate hike in December remain largely in place, favoring a quarter-point increase.

• Gold prices are lower than they were before Election Day. Many of the market concerns about a Trump presidency appear to have evaporated and investors have renewed their appetite for risk.

Gold seems to be the biggest casualty in post-election trading. Prices are down over 5% from their election night peaks, although they remain up around 18% from the start of this year.

At times like these, it’s good to remember that the gold market can be quite volatile in the short term. Traders may look to score easy profits on the day-to-day price fluctuations in the precious metals markets. But investors should largely ignore these daily prices swings and use gold as part of a longer-term wealth preservation strategy.

The bigger economic picture remains supportive of gold prices for the purposes of preserving wealth over the long-term. Here are some reasons why:

Inflation will dent total returns–Stocks may continue to post strong post-election gains, but once inflation is factored into performance real returns may be much lower. This is an important consideration as inflation expectations grow. As a strong store of value, gold helps investors preserve the value of their wealth when inflation rises.

Geopolitical tensions remain unsettledNo matter which candidate emerged as the victor on Election Day, they both would have to face the persistent conflicts in the Middle East. With so many parties involved in the region, the risks of wider flare-ups breaking out remain high. These higher risks will help gold retain some of its attractiveness among anxious global investors.

Sustainable growth will continue to challengeThe U.S. may enjoy a boost in domestic economic activity if a government spending package does materialize, (which is still an open question.) But the problem of achieving long-term sustainable growth will continue to dog not only the U.S. but also many other advance economies as well. If growth still lags over the long term, investors may abandon riskier assets such as stocks.

Once investors fully absorb the newness of Trumps election victory, business-as-usual will likely return to the markets. However, uncertainty about the effectiveness of Trumps proposals and whether they’ll make it through Congress will probably keep the markets guessing, at least until they can ascertain how he will actually govern.

Over the long term, there remain qualified reasons for owning gold in your portfolio. A precious metals allocation still makes sense in order to maintain alignment with the goals of your wealth management plan.

Donald Trump stunned the nation with his unexpected victory to become the 45th president of the United States. The news sent shock waves through international markets, which had largely priced in a Clinton victory and stocks initially collapsed to sharply lower levels.

In a massive reversal of sentiment on Wednesday, U.S. stocks closed sharply higher in a relief rally.

Markets hate surprises and the election of President Trump was a big one. Investors took solace in the fact that it was a decisive result and that there would be a smooth transition of power ahead. The stock market strengthened even more following Hillary Clinton’s concession speech on Wednesday, knowing there would not be a contested election.

In the days ahead, investors, Wall Street, and business owners will be attempting to decipher what a Trump presidency will really mean for the economy and the markets. There is a significant amount of uncertainty regarding what lies ahead for the economy under a Trump Presidency. Businesses and households may well delay or reduce spending, which could be an immediate drag on economic growth.

Gold will continue thrive in the current economic and political environment. Under President Trump, gold could rally up to $1,500 an ounce from its current $1,300 level.

This week’s vote means the Republicans will control the White House as well as the Senate and the House, which creates the opportunity to break the gridlock and implement policy changes. Mr. Trumps economic policy proposals include three major areas: large tax cuts, protectionist trade measures and immigration restrictions. Here is a snapshot on how a few of his proposals could affect gold.

Spending: Mr. Trump may attempt to push through his proposals which include increased spending on infrastructure, the military and veterans. These measures could stimulate the economy. What would this mean for gold? These policies would be inflationary and add to the deficit, both which support the current rising trend in gold and precious metals prices.

Taxes: Mr. Trump has proposed a tax cut package that will cut income taxes at the top-end tax rates for individuals, and also slashing the corporate tax rate significantly. Unfunded tax cuts would add to the deficit and strengthen gold.

Trade: Mr. Trump has threatened to pull out of or renegotiate NAFTA and several other trade alliances and deals. He has warned that he will label China a currency manipulator. Trump’s stated policies of protectionism would be negative for economic growth and divisive for the global economy. Increased global tensions and slower economic growth could result, which would support gold.

The U.S. dollar: Mr. Trump’s policies are expected to negatively impact the U.S. dollar, which trades inversely to gold. If the dollar declines, gold tends to rise. His comments on renegotiating U.S. debt held by foreigners may limit the attractiveness of bonds to foreign investors, and pressure the dollar lower.

There are many forces at play and a number of scenarios that could unfold. We expect that market volatility will likely increase as uncertainty on how these could play out weigh on sentiment in the weeks ahead. The stock market remains vulnerable on the downside.

As Mr. Trump prepares for his State of the Union address this January, the nation is bracing for change. The unexpected outcome of this election ushers in the potential for significant changes and a period of high economic uncertainty. Gold and precious metals will continue to thrive in this environment. Gold offer investors a safe-haven investment and a high-quality liquid investment that has acted as a store of value and a wealth building tool throughout history.

Talk to the experts: Blanchardhas helped more than 450,000 investors with expert consultation in the acquisition of bullion.