Precious metals news

The following article was written by Mary Anne and Pamela Aden for the February 2011 edition of Peter Schiff's Gold Letter.
The year ended with a bang - record or multi-year highs in gold, copper, silver, palladium, cotton, tin, cattle, and other commodities. 2010 was a particularly great year for the precious metals, as they beat stocks, bonds, and the dollar. It seems like a perfect moment to take stock of gold's bull run and forecast where it might go next.
Gold has now closed in on 10 years of consistent yearly rises, gaining 30% in 2010. Silver was even more impressive, gaining 83.5% last year. Yet, with all this bullishness, Americans are just now becoming aware of the lasting power of precious metals. Disbelief is turning into acceptance.

In a heated debate on the February 1st episode of CNBC’s "The Kudlow Report", financial commentator Donald Luskin offered his "textbook" definition of inflation as "an overall rise in the general price level." I countered with the "dictionary" definition. My 1988 edition of Webster’s Dictionary defines inflation as follows: "An increase in the volume of money and credit relative to available goods, resulting in a substantial and continuing rise in the general price level." [Emphasis added.] These differences are not academic and go a long way toward explaining why economists argue so vociferously.
In an inflationary environment, general prices tend to rise, although particular market segments tend to do so at uneven rates. This is hardly controversial. The more disputed question is why prices rise in the first place. As Luskin is well aware, the US Dollar is backed by nothing but confidence and perception. Its value depends upon our collective belief in its current a...

Utah Could Use Gold, Silver Under Sound Money Act New American - The Utah State Legislature is considering a bill that would require the state government to accept taxes and pay obligations in gold or silver upon demand. The "Sound Money Act" cites the US Constitution's requirement that "no state shall make anything but gold and silver a tender in payment of debts." That clause has never been repealed, though it was ignored by the courts as the US was gradually taken off the gold standard. This groundbreaking piece of legislation (and fantastic promotional video) could be the start of a movement among the states to return to Constitutional money. Among the coins Utah would accept are: American Gold Eagles, Australian Kangaroos, Canadian Maple Leafs, and South African Krugerrands. Read Full Article>>
Emerging Markets Feeling the Heat of High Inflation Rates Economic Times - Emerging markets are struggling under the burden of inflation ‘exported' from the US. As the Fe...

In current economic analysis, inflation is largely in the eye of the beholder, and depending on how you choose to look, very different stories emerge. In the U.S., food and beverages count for just 16.4% of the CPI calculation. The Chinese apparently believe that the basic necessities of life should count for more, assigning a 33% weight to the nutritional components. These differences in measurement are partially responsible for the divergent inflation climate in both countries, and make most people believe that inflation is fickle and localized. From my perspective, inflation is a global wave that will ultimately swamp all shores.
As the world’s economic leaders gather in Davos Switzerland, much of the discussion has been focused on a report jointly issued by the Global Economic Forum and McKinsey & Co. which forecasts a $100 trillion increase in global debt in the coming decade. The authors of the report argue that such an increase will be needed to maintain global econo...

By Peter Schiff
Back in October of 2009, when Congress first announced the formation of a commission to investigate the cause of the 2008 financial crisis, I knew immediately that their ultimate conclusions would support the agendas of their respective political parties. (Watch the video blog I recorded that day) Particularly, I knew that the commission's Democrat majority would use the crisis to justify more government involvement in the financial markets. These concerns have now been fully validated.

There can be little doubt that Fed Chairman Benjamin Bernanke has been a very, very good friend to gold investors. However, some of those who have benefited from his largesse now fear that the recent selloff in gold indicates an imminent end to Bernanke’s monetary high-wire act. Most assume that a cessation of the Fed’s stimulative efforts, if it were to occur, would spell the end of gold’s bull run. But a closer reading of Bernanke’s economic philosophy and the Fed’s own recent history, shows that once a central banker begins a strenuous routine, it is very hard, if not impossible, for them to dismount.
It is widely believed that the unemployment rate, core inflation and home prices are the three key pieces of economic data that Bernanke and his Fed cohorts rely upon when formulating monetary policy. Although other data points, such as regional manufacturing surveys and the producer price index (which have rebounded significantly in some cases) attract some attention, they do n...

By Peter Schiff
In the early fall of 2009, just before I announced my candidacy for the U.S. Senate, I was introduced to a number of Washington-based political analysts and journalists. Among the group was Stuart Rothenberg, writer of the Rothenberg Political Report, a classic "inside the Beltway" publication targeted at those whose lives and livelihoods revolve around national politics. His acerbic comments regarding my candidacy in the months that followed reveal the enormous chasm that separates the real world from Washington.

By Peter Schiff
Last month, I addressed the hype around gold confiscation, and debunked the myth that collectible or numismatic coins would offer effective protection. But there is another sales pitch that many dealers will use while trying to "up sell" you to numismatics. They may argue that on investment merits alone, numismatics are a better bet. While this may be a more rational line of thinking than the typical confiscation con, it is bad advice for investors hoping to protect their assets in an economic slump.
Think Like a Pro, Not a Schmo
I have long urged investors to keep 5-10% of their portfolios in physical precious metals, and add even more exposure when appropriate through the Perth Mint certificate program and mining stocks. This advice, far outside of the Wall Street mainstream, stems from my view of the kind of crisis we are approaching.

The following article was written by Mary Anne and Pamela Aden for the January 2011 edition of Peter Schiff's Gold Letter.
In May, gold hit an all-time record high, and then, in September, silver reached a 30-year high. It was super bullish action, exciting to watch and to be part of, and it's not over yet.
The gold price reached yet another record high on December 31, while silver, copper, palladium, and the CRB commodity index went on to reach new bull market or record highs. While gold has stolen most of the headlines with its 30% run up this year, silver has actually returned an incredible 83.5%... making it the star of 2010.

Gold Imports by China Soar Almost Fivefold Bloomberg - The Shanghai Gold Exchange reported that gold bullion imports into China have jumped five-fold since 2009. This reflects strong demand for gold investment among the Chinese, whose local currency, the yuan, is being rapidly devalued to maintain its exchange rate with the US dollar. While prices at the grocery store are rising 5-6% a year in yuan terms, they are falling in terms of gold as the Chinese standard of living rises. The sheer numbers quoted in the report indicate that the Chinese government may have lifted all of its restrictions on gold imports. Still, the result is surprising given China's status as the world's largest producer of gold - proving that private demand is outstripping their immense supply. The World Gold Council expects Chinese demand to increase another 43% next year. Read Full Article>>
Gold Jumps on China's Fund Approval The Australian - Gold saw a jump this month after the Chinese government...

By Peter Schiff
The United States Postal Service announced this week that all future first class postage stamps sold will be the so–called “forever stamps” that have no face value but are guaranteed to cover the cost of mailing a first class letter, regardless of how high that cost may rise in the future. Currently these stamps are sold for 44 cents, but will increase in price if and when the Post Office hikes rates.

The Fed's lucky streak of luring bond investors with low interest rates may be drawing to a close. Nevertheless, the extended period of low borrowing costs has bred a new breed of investor. To the bulls and bears, we can now add the ostriches – those who bury their heads in the sand of declining debt service ratios while refusing to face up to intractable levels of total US government debt. If these ostriches were to actually look at the numbers, they would realize that it is their investments which are made of sand.
As the issuer of the world’s reserve currency, the US government has enjoyed the benefits of low interest rates despite its inflationary practices. When we run a trade deficit with a country like China, they have a strong incentive to ‘recycle' the deficit back into our dollars and Treasuries. This practice has hidden what would otherwise be much higher borrowing costs and much lower purchasing power for the dollar. This artificial price signal allows people l...

By Peter Schiff
There is an old adage on Wall Street: no one rings a bell to signal a market top or bottom. Yet, I have found that bells do ring; it’s just that few people know exactly what sound to listen for.
Perhaps the biggest and most liquid of all markets is for US government bonds. That market has been rallying for almost thirty years. The bull can be traced back to 1981, when Treasury bond yields peaked at about 15%. At that time, high inflation and a weakening dollar had justifiably squelched demand for Treasuries. Even the ultra-high interest rates were not enough to attract buyers.

Despite the fact that the S&P is up over 80% in the last 21 months, US financial firms are currently tripping over each other in their zeal to raise their S&P 500 and GDP targets for 2011. JPMorgan's chief US equities strategist, Thomas Lee, came out on December 3rd with a target of 1425 on the S&P for 2011, which would be a 15 percent gain. Barclays Capital last Thursday released a 1420 estimate. Not to be outdone, Goldman Sachs also recently released its forecast, and it sees a more-than-20 percent increase next year, to 1450. Meanwhile, PIMCO’s idea of a “new normal” has translated into a 2011 GDP forecast raised from 2-2.5% to 3-3.5% due to “massive” government stimulus.
In the midst of this collective ‘hurrah,' very little attention is being paid to what is going on over in the bond market. With my due condolences to Fed Chairman Bernanke, the yield on the 10-year Treasury note has increased from 2.33% on October 8th to 3.29% today. And, if there is any...

By Peter Schiff
This week Washington displayed the kind of “bipartisanship” that will bankrupt our country and wreck our currency. Coming at a time when both parties say they want to address our long-term fiscal imbalances, the compromise extension of the Bush era tax cuts should be a wake-up call to anyone who somehow expected the American leadership to ever have an “adult conversation” about the country’s long term economic health.

This past Sunday on the CBS program “60 Minutes”, Americans received a massive dose of mendacity from our Fed Chairman. Mr. Bernanke’s shaky delivery, and even shakier logic may cause faith in America’s economic leadership to evaporate faster than the value of our dollar. In particular, Bernanke delivered two massive distortions:
Lie #1 - The Fed isn’t printing money. Bernanke stated: “The amount of currency in circulation is not changing…the money supply is not changing in any significant way. What we’re doing is lowering interest rates by buying Treasury securities.” Given that it is the Treasury Department’s Bureau of Engraving and Printing, not the Fed, that actually prints paper money, his statement is technically correct while substantively false. However, Bernanke is buying bank assets with Fed credit. With such an arrangement, printing becomes unnecessary.
According to gentle Ben, credit created to buy something should not be considered money and has no affect on ass...

By Peter Schiff
Today’s payroll report severely disappointed on the downside and left economists scratching their heads to explain the weakness. The explanation, however, is plain as day. As I have been saying for years, the US economy will not create jobs as long as the Fed keeps interest rates artificially low, and Congress keeps stimulating spending and consumer debt, punishing employers with mandates, regulations, and taxes, crowding out private investment with massive government borrowing, and preventing market forces from restructuring our out-of-balance economy.

By Peter Schiff
If you've spent enough time in the gold community, you might be under the impression that the most imminent threat to the average American isn't terrorism or unemployment, but rather gold confiscation. Starting with the fact that FDR confiscated gold during the last Great Depression, and continuing to the quite accurate forecast that we are headed into an even Greater Depression, unscrupulous coin dealers have been pushing investors to buy expensive "numismatic" or "collectible" coins that they claim would be protected from government seizure. The only problems are that the original motive for confiscation no longer applies and the "protection" offered by major coin dealers wouldn't actually help you keep your gold.

The following article was written by Mary Anne and Pamela Aden for the December 2010 edition of Peter Schiff's Gold Letter.
Silver is skyrocketing far above the maddening crowd. It's up 65% in just over three months - clearly the best performing asset this decade.
Gold is in full gear too, barely looking back over the last two years. It has practically doubled since the heat of the financial crisis (see Chart 1).

By Peter Schiff
Given the opposing views of the potentially parsimonious new Congress and the continuously accommodative Federal Reserve, there is a movement afoot among Republicans to eliminate the Fed’s “dual mandate.” Prior to 1977, the Fed only had one job: maintaining price stability. However, the stagflation of the 1970s inspired politicians to assign another task: promoting maximum employment. This “mission creep” has transformed the Fed from a monetary watchdog into an instrument of social policy. We would do well to give them back their original job.