The government is regulating you to death. Sometimes literally. But there are some things you can do about it. In this episode of It’s Your Dime, host Mike Maharrey talks about it with libertarian activist and author Mary Ruwart.
After the stock market started to tank last fall, the Federal Reserve rushed in and saved the day – at least temporarily. Peter Schiff predicted this would happen. In fact, last December he said the Fed was about to initiate its last rate increase. But Peter also said the “Powell Pause” wouldn’t be enough. Just a couple of weeks ago, Peter reiterated that the Fed is about to cut interest rates again.
This isn’t mere speculation. Peter is basing these predictions on fundamental economic calculations. Central banks can stimulate the economy with easy money, but the boom can’t last forever. In an article published on the Mises Wire, economist Thorsten Polleit explains why the Federal Reserve-induced boom will eventually get exactly what’s coming to it.
From time to time, I write about gold-covered food. Why? Because it’s a thing – a weird thing. It involves gold – which is what we do here. It comes up a lot in my daily Google searches for gold news. And did I mention I find it kind of weird?
Really, I don’t understand the thrill of eating gold. I like to invest in gold. I like to wear gold. I like to look at pretty golden things. But eat gold? Nah. Really, it’s a hard pass for me. (There’s a joke there that I’m not going to explain – just think about it a second…hard pass.)
The Federal Reserve held its June Open Market Committee Meeting this week and it looks like Powell and company are fresh out of patience. In fact, that word didn’t come up once. And while the Fed held pat on interest rates, for now, virtually everybody is betting on a rate cut in the near future. This has caused gold to surge to prices not seen in nearly six years. Meanwhile, American consumers are still running up debt and the Chinese are shedding it. In this episode of the Friday Gold Wrap, host Mike Maharrey talks about it.
It looks they’ve run out of patience at the Eccles Building.
The Federal Reserve Open Market Committee wrapped up its June meeting yesterday leaving interest rates unchanged. But the talk coming from the central bankers was decidedly dovish. Patience was not in the Fed’s vocabulary. Instead, Powell and company talked about “uncertainty” and said they would “act as appropriate to sustain the expansion.”
As Peter Schiff said in his podcast, the table is now set for a rate cut in July.
Do millennials get gold?
If you embrace the stereotypes, you may think not. After all, millennials have both feet firmly planted in the digital world. Gold is pretty “old-fashioned.” You might assume they would be far more interested in cryptocurrencies. Or perhaps you just figure millennials aren’t investing at all.
But as it turns out, the millennial generation seems to be just as interested in gold as their parents.
All eyes will focus on the Federal Reserve as it wraps up its June meeting. But it’s important to remember the Fed isn’t the only game in town. Moves by the European Central Bank also have a significant impact on the global economy (and the gold market) and it has taken a decidedly dovish turn.
Most analysts expect the Fed to hold interest rates steady in June, but potentially set the stage for a July rate cut. (Although Jim Grant said he thinks the Fed will actually cut this month.)
China dumped more US Treasurys in April, selling off another $7.5 billion in US debt, according to the latest US Treasury Department data. This follows on the heels of the biggest US Treasury selloff by the Chinese in nearly 2 1/2 years in March.
Over the last two months alone, the Chinese have dumped some $17.5 billion in US debt.
Back in December, Peter Schiff said the Federal Reserve’s was about to do the last rate hike of the cycle. He went further and said the “Powell Pause” wouldn’t be enough and the next step would be rate cuts and another round of quantitative easing. Fast forward to today and nearly everybody expects that the Fed will cut rates at least once this year.
Jim Grant appeared on CNBC Markets Now on June 17 and shocked the panel when he said he thinks the Fed will actually cut rates during this week’s meeting. Most analysts expect the central bank to hold pat during this meeting and then possibly cut in July.
Whether or not he’s right about the timing, Grant offers a good explanation as to why the Fed will cut and the likely results. He says the central bank is pursuing a dual mandate of arsonist and fireman.
In an opinion piece published yesterday, a Chinese government newspaper called for the international community to find alternatives to the global dollar system and warned “capricious actions” by the United States government could “ruin the future of the dollar itself.”
This is yet another sign that the world is getting tired of the US weaponizing the dollar.
