Learn

Higher interest rates make government debt unviable as an economic solution

The national debt clock in midtown Manhattan in New York City, US, in May 2023. For more than a decade, numerous economists – primarily but not exclusively on the left – have argued that the potential benefits of using debt to finance government spending far outweigh any associated costs. The notion that advanced economies could [...] READ MORE

Chinese Gold Trading EXPLODES

Join Alan Hubbard in today’s update on the massive increase in Chinese gold trading activity. This data is something that has to be seen to believed…what is afoot? Join Alan to hear his thoughts.   Alan Hibbard first became curious about the world of investing in 2007. He studied business at a university during the [...] READ MORE

Fed Chair Jerome Powell Projects Optimism, But Inflation Data Are in the Driver’s Seat

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell tried to keep the central bank’s options open Wednesday by sticking with his view that interest rates are restrictive and that inflation was likely to resume its decline.   But a string of disappointing readings on price and wage pressures have led investors to put less weight on the central [...] READ MORE

Gold pulls back, traders hunker down for interest-rate cues

Gold bars are pictured at the plant of Argor-Heraeus, in Mendrisio (Reuters) - Gold retreated on Thursday as focus returned to chances of U.S. interest rates staying higher for longer, with traders also positioning for economic data that could influence the Federal Reserve's policy path.   Spot gold fell 0.5% to $2,306.69 per ounce by [...] READ MORE

US labor market still tight; productivity falters in first quarter

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits held steady at a low level last week, pointing to a still fairly tight labor market that should continue to underpin the economy in the second quarter.   Economists largely shrugged off other data from the Labor Department on Thursday showing growth in [...] READ MORE

Biden forgives $6.1 billion in student debt for 317,000 borrowers. Here’s who qualifies for relief.

The Biden administration is forgiving $6.1 billion in student debt for 317,000 people who attended The Art Institutes, a for-profit chain of schools that shut down last fall amid allegations of fraud.   The latest effort represents President Joe Biden's plan to tackle the nation's $1.7 trillion in student debt after the Supreme Court last [...] READ MORE

Long-predicted consumer pullback finally hits restaurants like Starbucks, KFC and McDonald’s

A Starbucks sign outside a store in Washington, D.C. KEY POINTS Starbucks, Pizza Hut and KFC are among the chains that reported same-store sales declines this quarter. McDonald’s said it’s adopting a “street-fighting mentality” to creating value to win over customers. Outliers like Wingstop and Chipotle Mexican Grill show that customers will still order their [...] READ MORE

The Deadline To Turn in Your Gold – May 1st, 1933

While memories of last year's regional banking crisis might be fading, the industry remains under threat. U.S. regulators just announced the first bank failure of 2024, marking a concerning start to the year.   To make matters worse, a new report from consulting firm, Klaros Group, shows that hundreds of small to mid-sized U.S. banks [...] READ MORE

Treasury yields fall as Fed says it will ease back on balance sheet tightening

Treasury yields fell on Wednesday, as investors digested the Federal Reserve’s move to ease the pace of balance sheet reduction, and the central bank’s chairman Jerome Powell ruled out the possibility of a rate hike next month.   The yield on the 10-year Treasury dropped 5 basis points at 4.632%. The 2-year Treasury yield was [...] READ MORE