Have you been watching the Olympics? I’ve always loved the Olympic Games. There’s always so much drama as the best athletes in the world compete for gold.
But did you know they are mostly competing for silver?
True story. There is very little gold in an Olympic gold medal.
The Federal Reserve held its July meeting this week. Once again, it didn’t do anything. But there was certainly plenty of talk to dissect. In this episode of the Friday Gold Wrap, host Mike Maharrey does just that with some analysis of the messaging coming out of the Fed meeting, along with a look at the newly released GDP numbers and what they might be telling us.
India ranks as the second-largest gold-consuming country in the world, second only behind China, but demand has languished for the last couple of years. The pandemic crushed demand, particularly for gold jewelry, but record-high gold prices in rupee terms and government policy put a drag on the gold market even before COVID-19. There were signs of a turnaround late last year and it continued through the first quarter of 2021. The most recent wave of COVID-19 stalled the gold Indian gold market’s recovery, but it appears to be regaining steam.
With friends like this, who needs enemies?
Amanda Douglas, 27, stole gold and silver coins, along with other items from her friend’s home, including gold bars, 150 earrings, guns, ammunition, and a container holding a dog’s ashes. Yes. You read that correctly. Amanda stole her friend’s pet’s ashes. Nice girl.
Pop some popcorn. It’s time for some political theater. Congress is gearing up for another debt ceiling fight. In this episode of the Friday Gold Wrap podcast, host Mike Maharey gives you a preview of the next big Washington DC blockbuster production, complete with some debt ceiling history and an explanation as to why we shouldn’t need one. Maharrey also covers retail sales, inflation and the latest movement in the gold market.
Chinese gold imports have nearly returned to pre-pandemic levels and the world’s biggest gold market continues to recover.
According to the latest data reported by the World Gold Council, China imported 67.6 tons of gold in May. That was 65 tons higher than May 2020 and only three tons lower than May 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic gripped the country.
Falling lake levels due to drought in California have revealed the ruins of an old gold mining town. The story behind Mormon Island is pretty interesting.
Early in March 1848, W. Sidney, S. Willis, and Wilford Hudson set off from their fort to hunt deer. When they stopped along the south fork of the American River, they found gold.
This was just two months into the California gold rush.
Consumer price index data came in hotter than expected. Again. The producer price index data also came in well above projections. But Fed Chair Jerome Powell continues to stick to his “inflation is transitory” story. On this episode of the Friday Gold Wrap, host Mike Maharry digs into the inflation data and highlights Powell’s comments on Capitol Hill. He concludes the story is really all they’ve got.
Many variables can drive the price of gold and silver. These include Fed meetings/speeches, inflation data, jobs numbers, risk appetite, etc. Some people speculate that the price is suppressed and manipulated by the banks and Fed. While coordinated suppression is not impossible, there are other more probable explanations for gold and silver price action. This price action manifests with changes in Open Interest in futures contracts traded on the Comex.
Gold has served as a lifeline for Indians pummeled by the economic storm caused by the government response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Indian government’s response to the first wave of COVID-19 ravaged the economy. As a result, many banks were reluctant to extend credit due to fear of defaults. In this tight lending environment, many Indians used their stashes of gold to secure loans. As Indians battle the second wave of COVID-19, many Indians have now turned to selling their gold outright in order to make ends meet.
