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Inflation is scrambling Americans’ perceptions of middle-class life

Michael Raines Many Americans have come to feel that a middle-class lifestyle is out of reach. Blame inflation for bringing down the mood and making the economy seem much worse than it is. Money experts say people feeling downbeat can create a financial plan to alleviate stress.   Vincent, a 29-year-old medical-sales rep, makes $130,000 [...] READ MORE

China is buying gold like there’s no tomorrow

AS GOLD surged this year to its highest price ever, Xena Lin joined the frenzy by making monthly purchases of gold “beans”, pebble-like morsels of the precious metal.   For Lin, a 25-year-old administrative worker in southern China, the US$80 beans – small enough to rest on a fingertip and weighing about one-thirtieth of an [...] READ MORE

Gen Z will pay dearly for this U.S. blunder on the massive debt that boomers, Gen X, and millennials are dumping on them, former White House economist warns

"Half of young adults don’t think they will ever afford a home, yet they will be asked to pay for their grandparents’ profligacy." | GETTY IMAGES U.S. debt is soaring to record levels, and the Treasury Department squandered an opportunity to help ease the burden on Gen Z, a former White House economist warned. That’s [...] READ MORE

At $2 Million Per Minute, Treasuries Mint Cash Like Never Before

With the Federal Reserve in no hurry to cut interest rates, investors are flocking back to fixed-income assets in major reset for Wall Street. Photographer: Mark Wilson/Getty Images For the first time in nearly a generation, fixed income is living up to its name.   This, at a certain level, is simply the consequence of [...] READ MORE

Silver: “A Quadruple From Here Is LOGICAL”

  Are you ready to witness the potential explosion in silver prices? With historical trends suggesting a leap well beyond triple digits, this video is your guide to understanding why $100 per ounce could be just the beginning for silver. Dive deep as we explore the intricate world of precious metals investing, driven by detailed [...] READ MORE

Gold flat ahead of US payrolls data, set for 2nd weekly drop

Gold prices were set for a second consecutive weekly fall, even as bullion traded almost flat on Friday as investors refrained from taking big positions ahead of U.S. non-farm payrolls data that could offer more cues on the Federal Reserve's policy path.   FUNDAMENTALS   * Spot gold XAU= was nearly unchanged at $2,302.51 per [...] READ MORE

Carry Trades Wobble as Yen Swings Roil One of Year’s Best Bets

Japan is threatening to derail one of the most profitable currency bets this year: carry trades borrowing the yen to invest in emerging-market currencies.   A gauge of yen volatility jumped to the highest level since July this week as Japanese officials were suspected to have twice intervened to prop up the besieged currency. Yen-funded [...] READ MORE

Japan used $59bn to prop up the yen but consumers may still cut back

Government interventions this week fail to ease concerns about plunging currency When Japanese authorities deployed tens of billions of dollars to try to prop up the weakening yen this week, it was partly with an eye on the growing grumbles from people such as Keiko Shimoharaguchi.   The 60-year-old retired in March looking forward to [...] READ MORE

U.S. job growth totaled 175,000 in April, much less than expected, while unemployment rose to 3.9%

KEY POINTS: Nonfarm payrolls increased by 175,000 on the month, below the 240,000 estimate from the Dow Jones consensus. The unemployment rate ticked higher to 3.9% against expectations it would hold steady at 3.8%. A more encompassing jobless rate edged up, to 7.4%, its highest level since November 2021. Consistent with recent trends, health care [...] READ MORE