Executive Insights

On May 16, 2023, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned that “the U.S. economy hangs in the balance” if lawmakers don’t act swiftly to increase the U.S. debt ceiling—the total amount that the federal government is allowed to borrow. The debt ceiling may be reached as early as June 1, 2023. As regular readers of “Gold News & Views”...

Right now, economic headlines are providing some mixed messages. On May 5, 2023, for example, The New York Times reported, “U.S. employers added 253,000 jobs despite economic worries,” and on May 8, 2023, CNBC reported, “Recession fears [have] eased.” But at the same time, MarketWatch reported on May 8, 2023, “U.S. markets fear...

I recently ran across an April 28, 2023, MarketWatch article with a headline that begins: “America’s personal savings just hit $1 trillion.” It then goes on to ask whether CDs, I-bonds, or online savings accounts would be the best place to put that extra cash. I’m a big believer in being prepared. It’s why I keep an eye out for these...

On April 20, 2023, MarketWatch reported, “The U.S. economic index sank 1.2% in March and fell for the 12th month in a row, continuing to signal a recession later in 2023.” That same day, Fox Business reported, “The Fed says a mild recession is in the cards this year.” A day later, on April 21, 2023, CNBC reported that according to one...

In the wake of the Silicon Valley Bank collapse, consumer confidence in our banking system has been shaken. Many Americans are no longer certain whether their deposits are safe and have turned to other assets like gold to help diversify their portfolios should their financial institution of choice run into any trouble. This reduction of...

Sometimes, one of the best ways to look to the future is with an eye on the past. On April 7, 2023, The New York Times wrote, “It’s clear that [Federal Reserve] policymakers recognize that there is a good chance of a sharp [economic] slowdown soon. Their own policies are at least partly responsible for making that happen.” Meanwhile,...

Scanning the latest financial headlines, you may feel that the current financial environment may not seem quite as dire as it did a few weeks ago. There’s still talk of economic slowdown in the fallout of the recent banking issues and closures, but that comes alongside headlines touting consumer resilience and an uptick in home sales....

I’ve never been one to gamble, but it certainly looks like 2023 might be one for the record books when it comes to gold prices. On March 23, 2023—just one week prior to this piece’s being published—gold was priced at $1,991.41/oz. That’s just $81.09 shy of gold’s all-time record high price of $2,072.50/oz. set in August 2020. According...

The recent failure of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) is often blamed on poor management and risk practices. And while that is accurate, and may also be a factor in why other banks like Signature, First Republic, and Credit Suisse have similarly failed or are facing challenges, there’s also something telling in that they all started having...

When it looks like times might get tough, I don’t worry—I act. I do as much research as I can and then put that research to work by making the most educated decisions possible for myself, my family, and my financial future. And right now, it looks like many Americans might by doing the exact same thing. As the latest banking crisis...

During my tenure as Director of the United States Mint (2006–2011), I witnessed the largest single bank collapse in U.S. history when Washington Mutual shut down in 2008 in the midst of the Financial Crisis of 2007–2008. I also saw how many Americans reacted during this time of uncertainty and the proceeding Great Recession, as during...