You are well aware that the Federal Reserve is raising interest rates. This policy started in December 2015 with Janet Yellen’s “liftoff” from zero and has continued through seven more rate hikes in 2016, 2017 and 2018, with another hike expected this December. The cumulative impact is to put the high end of the range
I’m in Dublin, Ireland, today, where I was honored and humbled to receive a writing award from Trinity College. It’s my job to continue pointing out the risks to the financial system that we still face and to try to help people prepare for the next crisis. Of course, central banks are a big part
Those who focus on the U.S. national debt (and I’m one of them) keep wondering how long this debt levitation act can go on. The U.S. debt-to-GDP ratio is at the highest level in history (106%), with the exception of the immediate aftermath of the Second World War. At least in 1945, the U.S. had
Those who focus on the U.S. national debt (and I’m one of them) keep wondering how long this debt levitation act can go on. The U.S. debt-to-GDP ratio is at the highest level in history (106%), with the exception of the immediate aftermath of the Second World War. At least in 1945, the U.S.
Generally speaking, well-managed gold mining operations have never had much difficulty getting the dollars needed to begin and sustain their efforts. Gold is highly liquid and easily turned into cash, so getting cash loans by pledging future gold production is a straightforward financing technique. But nothing is ever quite so simple in Zimbabwe. The
Most of the attention regarding the decline of the U.S. dollar as a global reserve currency has been focused on Russia and China and their vast accumulations of gold. Neither the Russian ruble nor the Chinese yuan is ready to perform a reserve currency role due to the lack of rule of law and
June 23, 2016, was a historic day. That’s the day the U.K. voted in a referendum to leave the EU, the so-called “Brexit” vote. Since then, the U.K. leadership under Prime Minister Theresa May has been negotiating with EU officials on the exact terms of the Brexit. Some of the issues in play include
Investors are well acquainted with the annual U.S. budget deficit and the national debt that accumulates from a succession of deficits. The U.S. budget deficit under Trump is approaching $1 trillion per year, similar to what we saw in 2010 and 2011 under Obama. This is the result of tax cuts (that don’t “pay
Forecasting elections is more art than science. One of the problems in forecasting elections is the nature of polls. Many polls are misleading and suffer from flawed methodology. I was flying around the world just before the 2016 presidential election, telling audiences in Europe, Australia and here at home that Trump would win. I got
Unless you’ve been living under a rock somewhere, you know the critical midterm elections are tomorrow. The outcome will likely have a major impact on President Trump’s future in office. For months, we heard talk of a coming blue wave that would put Congress back in Democratic hands. Basically, the idea was that Democratic voters
