The crypto crash earlier this week sparked a run to gold.
Regulatory concerns set off the panic. Bitcoin fell below $10,000 for a time, and other cryptocurrencies saw precipitous drops. Crypto markets appeared to have stabilized Thursday morning, with Bitcoin back up over $11,000.
The sudden plunge served as a reminder of the extreme volatility in the cryptocurrency markets. Bitcoin has seen swings of $10,000 over the last three months. As Bitcoin’s price fell through the floor this week, some investors sought out the stability and historical safe haven of gold.
Bitcoin dropped below $10,000 for a short time Wednesday (Jan. 17) as a selloff sparked by increased talk of government regulation spooked the market.
South Africa may run out of gold within four decades, according to the Environmental Economic Accounts Compendium published by African Statistics Day.
Analysts say that at current production levels, South Africa has only 39 years of accessible gold reserves remaining. This is significant considering South Africa ranks as the number five gold producing country in the world, and could be another sign the world is approaching, or has reached “peak gold.”
Last Friday, all three major stock markets hit new record highs ignoring the storm clouds on the horizon. In his latest podcast, Peter Schiff said this reminds him of 1987.
The stock market is rising despite the fact that there are very, very negative factors that are building, that are hiding in plain sight, that everybody is ignoring.”
When it comes to the economy, most people aren’t worried about anything when there is everything to worry about.
The World Gold Council has released a report highlighting four market trends that will impact gold in the coming year. Although the WGC tends to embrace a pretty mainstream economic point of view, there is some good food for thought in the report, and some reason to be bullish on gold in 2018.
The WGC notes that gold performed remarkably well in 2017. Investors continued to add gold to their portfolios. It pointed to inflows of $8.2 billion worth of gold into gold-backed exchange- traded funds as one example of strong gold demand. In fact, gold outperformed many asset classes in 2018, despite a rising interest rate environment and surging stock markets.
We write a lot about India because people in the country love gold. Even the poor buy gold in India. Indians value gold as a store of wealth, especially in poor rural regions. Two-thirds of India’s gold demand comes from these areas, where the vast majority of people live outside the official tax system. Gold is one of the engines that make the Indian economy run.
India gets a lot of attention because it ranks as the world’s second-largest gold consumer, but it isn’t the only country with an affinity for the yellow metal. Gold has played a vital role in the history and economy of Vietnam, and still serves as an economic lifeline for the Vietnamese people today.
If you believe the conventional wisdom, gold should be languishing right now.
It isn’t. People are buying gold.
So, what gives? Could it be that the conventional wisdom is wrong?
The SchiffGold Friday Gold Wrap podcast combines a succinct summary of the week’s precious metals news coupled with thoughtful analysis. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes.
I’ve got bad news for all you aspiring Olympic champions out there. Your gonna get hosed. Your first-rate effort will win you a second-rate prize.
Get this – the Olympic gold medal is mostly made out of silver. True story. The gold medal is actually formed mostly out of silver coated with about 6 grams of gold plating.
So, gold medal winners – for all practical purposes – you’re getting a silver medal.
Sorry about your luck.
The stock market has continued its upward trajectory through the first two weeks of the new year. In fact, the market has only seen one down day since Jan. 1. Peter Schiff appeared on The Street and opened things up with a bang, calling investors “Oblivious.”
Peter reiterated a message he’s been preaching on his own podcast for weeks – despite what you see in the markets, the US economy is heading for a major crash. We’re partying like it’s 2006 – oblivious to what’s lurking right around the corner.
Peter also talked about China’s decision to cut back or end the purchase of US Treasuries, the Federal Reserve, Trump’s economy and Bitcoin during the interview.
