2021-09-13

Sight Deposits have risen by +0.2 bn CHF, this means that the SNB is intervening and buying Euros and Dollars.

2021-08-20

In our post on August 11 titled End of an ERA: The Bretton Woods System and Gold Standard Exchange, we discussed the significance of then-President Nixon’s action of closing the gold window thereby ending the Bretton Woods Monetary system.

Under the Bretton Woods monetary system, central banks could exchange their US dollar reserves for gold. This also ended the gold fixed price of US$35 per ounce.

This week we explore the two questions that concluded last week’s article: What role can gold serve in the international financial system in the future? And why do central banks continue to increase their gold reserves?

Starting with the latter question of why central banks continue to increase their gold reserves?

This is an important factor in the gold market and therefore

2021-08-07

In our July 29 post titled How Gold Stacks Up Against Stocks, Property, Commodities and Big Macs! we showed readers charts of gold as a ratio to other assets and products. We discussed that gold competes with crypto and stocks for the investment dollars.

2021-07-24

Central banks’ massive Quantitative Easing (QE) programs have come under scrutiny many times since the central banks fired up the printing press and began quantitative easing programs en masse after the 2008-09 Great Financial Crisis.

However, the increase in central bank assets due to quantitative easing programs during the crisis pale in comparison to the QE programs during the Covid pandemic.

As economies recovered after the Great Financial Crisis many worried that consumer price inflation would rise rapidly due to the extra liquidity in the market. A fear that never materialized as many economies stayed well below central bank inflation targets.

Quantitative Easing Leading to Financial Crisis?

The question being asked now is have these programs led to financial

2021-05-06

The difference between physical gold investing and ETF investing was stark in the first quarter 2021 according to the World Gold Council’s Gold Demand Trends data released last week. Before focusing in on investment demand below a few notes on overall gold demand in the first quarter.

2021-04-16

The debate between relatively new digital cryptocurrencies versus ‘tried and true’ gold has dominated most precious metals related websites. But what if gold and cryptocurrencies were combined? According to a Bloomberg article a NYC Real Estate Mogul, after learning about cryptocurrencies from his son, is putting this concept to work by securing a minimum of $6 billion in gold reserves to back his new cryptocurrency.

2021-04-10

‘ESG’ is a great buzzword in investing right now. For years the momentum has been building for the idea that retirement savings should do more than keep you secure, it also should help the planet. Obviously, no one wants to hurt the planet since its our only home. ESG Investment is shorthand for Environmental, Social and Governance, which are the three lenses through which investments are to be ranked.

2021-04-03

Gold has not made new highs in many months. Gold peaked last year at US$2067 on August 6. The 7 month down leg of more than 18% as been deep enough and long enough that some commentators are now saying that the bull market has now turned to a bear market for gold.  Losing faith is understandable because falling prices feel bad. But this week we want to show that current prices may not reflect reality.