China has opened the door to billions of dollars in gold imports.
Reuters cites five sources indicating that Beijing has greenlighted the import of 150 tons of gold valued at around $8.5 billion at current prices. The report notes that China’s sudden appetite for gold could potentially “support global prices.”
China made a big splash when it rolled out its digital yuan and it got a boost when China’s biggest online retailer announced it has developed the first virtual platform to accept the Chinese digital currency. But China isn’t alone in exploring the possibility of digital money. Sweden has developed a digital currency of its own and the European Central Bank is pushing for a digital euro.
We’re told digital currency should replace unwieldy physical cash. It will be more convenient and help governments stop criminals. But there is a more sinister motive behind this government pivot toward digital currency.
Last summer, the Chinese government launched a pilot program for a digital version of the yuan. The virtual currency ups the ante in the war on cash and creates the potential for the government to track and even control consumer spending.
Last week, the digital yuan got a boost when China’s biggest online retailer announced it has developed the first virtual platform to accept the Chinese digital currency.
The economy has gone through the quickest and arguably the deepest collapse in history, but the stock market has been rallying. How can this be? In this episode of the Friday Gold Wrap podcast, host Mike Maharrey says look no further than the Federal Reserve. Despite the economic chaos, it has managed to blow up stock market bubble X.0 He also talks about a move China recently made that ups the ante in the “war on cash.”
The Chinese government has launched a pilot program for a digital version of the yuan. The virtual currency ups the ante in the war on cash and creates the potential for the government to track and even control consumer spending. It also raises some concern that the Chinese could threaten dollar-dominance.
As if there weren’t enough headwinds for the economy already, the Washington Post reported the Trump administration was exploring the possibility of canceling some US debt obligations to China. President Trump denied it but floated the idea of tariffs on Chinese imports as punishments for that country’s handling of the coronavirus. Peter Schiff appeared on RT Boom Bust to talk about the economic saber-rattling and the possible impacts on the US stock market.
Donald Trump and Chinese Vice Premier Liu inked their signatures on the Phase 1 trade deal this week. But was it really a big deal? Or was it no deal? Mike Maharrey talks about it on this week’s Friday Gold Wrap podcast. He also talks about why the gold market seems to be holding steady despite some strong headwinds and the outlook for the yellow metal in 2020.
Donald Trump and Chinese Vice Premier Liu signed the Phase 1 trade deal on Wednesday. The mainstream was generally bullish on the news, but there was some underlying concern because the deal did not bring substantive tariff relief. Peter Schiff broke down the deal in his latest podcast, saying that despite all the hype, the deal was really much ado about nothing.
Back in 2017, the IMF published a creepy paper offering governments suggestions on how to move toward a cashless society even in the face of strong public opposition. It hasn’t been in the news a whole lot lately, but the war on cash undoubtedly continues. In fact, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) may be planning to embrace the idea as another weapon to wield against its people.
In August, the People’s Bank of China said it was close to launching a digital yuan. This could take the first step toward pushing China toward a cashless society.
China has accumulated more than 100 tons of gold since it resumed buying the yellow metal last December in a quest to diversify its reserves away from the US dollar.
The People’s Bank of China added another 5.9 tons of gold to its hoard in September, according to data on its website reported by Bloomberg. It was the 10th straight month of gold-buying for the Chinese central bank and it added to the 99.8 tons accumulated during the prior nine months.
