The Bank for International Settlements has published its May statement of account, giving limited information on its use of gold swaps and other gold-related derivatives during the month:https://www.bis.org/banking/balsheet/statofacc180531.pdfThe information provided by the BIS monthly statements is not sufficient to calculate a precise amount of gold-related derivatives, including swaps, used b...Read More

By Gary TanashianAgree 100%, Charlie.See: Buy in May and Stay InvestedNow, I am not of that ilk personally. My closely held biases are that a) the market's cycles can be interpreted and managed (although my bias also has led me astray at times, in my execution) and b) that the economy, and by extension the markets, are not normal; not your grandpa's economy and markets because they are ginned an...Read More

By Frank HolmesI recently had the opportunity to see the excellent 2017 film Darkest Hour, about British Prime Minister Winston Churchill's struggle to keep the United Kingdom in the fight against the Nazis, even as members of his own government pressured him to capitulate. Gary Oldman's portrayal of the tough-as-nails leader is at turns tender and rousing and very well deserving of the Best Act...Read More

As part of Merk's in-house research we regularly evaluate a consistent set of charts covering the economy, equities, fixed income, commodities and currencies. The aim is to keep our eyes open and to look through the noise of the headlines, avoiding the distractions of sensationalized click-bait. In sharing this content, we offer a cross-check to your own thinking and aim to add value to your own...Read More

Gold, silver, and mining stocks moved higher once again yesterday and the former even managed to move above the declining trend channel. Breakouts are bullish and thus the outlook for gold improved significantly... Or did it? Gold's price in terms of the euro and gold's relative performance to silver and mining stocks make replying to the above question quite easy. Looking at the relative price...Read More

by Simon Constable for Middle East EyeTurkey's central bank has accumulated an additional 400 metric tonnes of gold since 2011 (Image via Wikimedia)Turkey's economy has been in a tailspin with an inflationary currency, but the country is using something rare to help stabilise itself: gold.In late 2011, Turkey started to allow commercial banks to use gold instead of the Turkish lira for their req...Read More

Source: Ychharts Datastream; BMG Group Inc.Read More

The comments below are an edited and abridged synopsis of an article by Charles Hugh Smith"The Status Quo is in trouble if the bottom 95% wake up to the asymmetric gains that are the only possible output of our hyper-financialized economy."The core dynamic of the US economy in this era is asymmetric gains. The status quo must paper over this widening gulf with narratives that no longer match rea...Read More

The comments below are an edited and abridged synopsis of an article by Jeff ThomasThe $20-trillion debt that the US government has created is far beyond anything the world has ever seen and, in fact, it exceeds the total of all other countries combined.To add insult to injury, the unfunded liabilities of Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, etc., bring the total real debt to over one hundred tril...Read More

China will end the anti-dumping tariffs on electrical steel imports from South Korean producer Posco from June 9.This comes after further investigation by the Ministry of Commerce said the price remedies that Posco has pledged would no longer cause the domestic electrical steel...Read More

The comments below are an edited and abridged synopsis of an article by Tyler DurdenBillionaire investor George Soros has warned that the world could be on the brink of another financial crisis, as debt crises reemerge in Europe, and a strengthening dollar pressures both the US's emerging- and developed-market rivals.And Europe won't be far behind as political pressures eventually translate into e...Read More

Click Here to Listen to the InterviewHighlights:Global financier, Martin Armstrong of Armstrong Economics rejoins the show with this latest market commentary.Despite the coordinated Herculean efforts of global central banks, low rate policies have failed to revive the economic patient.Pension funds and related retiree accounts have suffered through impossibly low rates, further compounding the dif...Read More

The comments below are an edited and abridged synopsis of an article by Tyler DurdenA new test regarding the financial literacy of people worldwide has produced alarming results. People don't understand some of the central tenets of global monetary policy, or some of the key concepts about retirement.The first problem was that the average investor doesn't seem to understand the difference between...Read More

Lynette Zang Interviews Danielle DiMartino Booth on her book Fed Up, along with a diversity of topics ranging from Gold and Silver, the coming Crash, Rescission, and Financial Reset. They also get into the Central Banks, the Federal Reserve, US currency, the Chinese Yuan, Global Markets, Derivatives, the Bond Market, 2018, the immediate future, and so much more...Lynette Zang has held the position...Read More

The comments below are an edited and abridged synopsis of an article by Alasdair MacleodThere is a revolution taking place on the back of the erosion of the dollar's hegemony. Every time the US deploys its control over global trade settlement as a weapon against the regimes it dislikes, neutral observers take note and consider how to protect themselves, just in case.Russia has set up an alternativ...Read More

Peter Schiff is an internationally recognized economist specializing in the foreign equity, currency and gold markets. Mr. Schiff made his name as President and Chief Global Strategist of Euro Pacific Capital. He frequently delivers lectures at major economic and investment conferences, and is quoted often in the print media, including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Barron's, BusinessWee...Read More

The comments below are an edited and abridged synopsis of an article by Simon ConstableTurkey's economy has been in a tailspin with an inflationary currency, but the country is using something rare to help stabilize itself: gold.In late 2011, Turkey started to allow commercial banks to use gold instead of the Turkish lira for their required deposits at the central bank. These deposits are known as...Read More

Click here for the full transcript: http://financialrepressionauthority.c...Read More

Turning points in a financial system usually occur in discrete phases. At first, new information that contradicts existing preconceptions is dismissed as unimportant.Continue...Read More

Emerging markets, EMs, have had an amazing run over the past two years. Moving in lock step with U.S. stock markets, the leading EM stock ETF has produced gains of Continue...Read More