In a podcast a couple of weeks ago, Peter Schiff said we now have all the elements of a gold bull market. Well, it looks like the mainstream might be starting to catch on. A headline at Bloomberg on Friday proclaimed “Hedge Funds Go All-In on Gold.”
According to the Bloomberg report, hedge funds increased their gold net-long position by 23% to 285,082 futures and options, this according to US Commodity Futures Trading Commission data that was published on Friday. This figure measures the difference between bets on the price of gold going up and bets on a decline. It was the highest since July 2016.
The price of gold surged this week, breaking all-time records in a number of currencies. It also did pretty well in dollar terms, hitting six-year highs and pushing above the key $1,500 level. Meanwhile, silver had its best single day in over three years. What drove this week’s precious metals rally? And can we expect it to continue? Host Mike Maharrey talks about it in this week’s Friday Gold Wrap.
Several currencies have been strong against the dollar over the last couple of days, but as Peter Schiff said in his podcast, the biggest gainer wasn’t a currency at all. It was real money – gold.
Gold hit six-year highs on Monday and set records in a number of currencies. It continued to move upward on Tuesday. Overnight, the yellow metal pushed briefly above $1,500.
Gold has pushed much higher in recent weeks, breaking through the $1,400 level and holding. Silver has also rallied and has started to close the gap with the yellow metal. In a recent podcast, Peter Schiff said we are seeing signs that the investment world is starting to catch on. The psychology has shifted and investors are started to realize that the gold bull-run is for real.
A lot of it has to do with the anticipation of more easy money from the Federal Reserve. Fed-speak continues to boost anticipation of an interest rate cut. The only thing dampening expectations is the possibility of higher inflation. Peter said that doesn’t matter. Inflation or not, the Fed is cutting rates.
The minimum wage debate obscures a more significant problem in America. We don’t primarily have a wage problem. We have a money problem. Government devaluation of the dollar over the years has stolen money from average Americans. But instead of dealing with the core issue, the fight centers around wage policy and offers solutions that will just exacerbate the problems.
While we’re on the subject, a recent study by the Congressional Budget Office put a little bit of a damper on the “Fight for 15” minimum wage initiative.
For the seventh straight month, China added a significant amount of gold to its official reserves.
The People’s Bank of China’s gold hoard grew another 10.3 tons in June, according to information released by the bank. Over the last seven months, the Chinese have increased their gold reserves by just over 84 tons.
Central banks bought more gold in May according to the most recent data released by the World Gold Council.
Globally, central banks purchased a net 35.8 tons of gold in May. Year-to-date, reported central bank net purchases of the yellow metal total 247.3 tons. That represents a 73% increase over the same period in 2018.
SchiffGold’s own Mike Maharrey recently appeared on RT to talk about the potential consequences of US policies that effectively weaponize the dollar.
We’ve been reporting extensively on efforts by Russia, China and other countries to minimize their exposure to the dollar. Russia and China recently agreed to increase trade using their own national currencies. This is another in a series of moves globally to reduce dependence on the US dollar. Currently, about 10% of trade between Russia and China is conducted in yuan and rubbles. Under the new deal, it will increase to about 50%.
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.
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.
