The Indian central bank has announced another round of demonetization with a plan to withdraw 2,000-rupee notes from circulation. The announcement led to a big jump in gold bullion sales.
The 2,000-rupee note will remain legal tender, but they will have to be deposited or exchanged for smaller denominations by Sept. 30.
Americans consider gold the second-best long-term investment option, according to a recent Gallup poll. Gold beat out stocks, bonds and savings accounts.
The perception that gold is the best investment over the long term rose from 15% in 2022 to 26% in the 2023 poll, overtaking stocks at the number two spot.
The debt ceiling “crisis” is coming to a head. We’re pretty confident Republicans and Democrats will strike a deal and raise the debt ceiling. That’s supposed to solve the problem. But Friday Gold Wrap podcast host Mike Maharrey says the solution is the problem. In this episode, he also offers some bullish perspective on silver.
Gold is wrapping up May which has slightly exceeded the last minor month in March.
We are in the midst of yet another debt ceiling fight.
This is mostly political theater. That being the case, both Democrats and Republicans are using the drama in an effort to score political points and push policy in their preferred direction.
And since politicians are involved, they’re telling a lot of lies.
The debt ceiling fight is getting down to the wire. In a letter to Congress on Monday, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said that without a debt ceiling increase, it was highly likely the government wouldn’t be able to meet all of its obligations by “early June, and potentially as early as June 1.”
Despite the drama, I still expect Congress to get a deal done. And that’s when the real problems begin.
Seasonally Adjusted Money Supply in April fell $167B. As the chart below shows, this is now the 9th consecutive monthly drop. This is also the second-largest drop of all time, behind only last month.
Citigroup projects silver could rise to $30 an ounce in the next six months to a year.
With silver currently in the $23.00 range, this represents a possible 30% return.
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell and former chair Ben Bernanke recently fielded questions together at the annual Thomas Laubach Research Conference put on by the central bank. They engaged in a lot of finger-pointing but didn’t offer a hint of self-reflection as they discussed inflation and the state of the economy.
The technical analysis last month highlighted the mixed environment at the time:
The indicators are once again giving some mixed signals. The price action is definitely needing further consolidation. However, other indicators suggest a market that is just getting started. … Either way, downside does seem limited at this point, especially considering all the bad news has been priced in.
The pullback from recent highs is still a healthy correction after the price action got a bit ahead of itself. So, how much more downside can we expect? Let’s look at some of the data.