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The gold-silver ratio is the relationship between the price of gold and silver, expressed as the number of ounces of silver required to equal the value of one ounce of gold. As of this writing, the ratio is 85.6:1. The ratio tends to be a reliable barometer for global economic, social, and political stability and, […]

Gold is forged in the death of stars. It was sailing around in the gas and dust that created our sun and the planets of our solar system. Once just a theory, scientists finally observed evidence of its formation in August of 2017 when the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) detected the remnant cores of […]

Gold has always held intrinsic value and, since ancient times, has been revered for its beauty, association with the divine, and as a representation of wealth and status. Gold coins were among the first currency in ancient times. Because gold’s value is universally accepted, its use as currency eventually became standardized. In 1816, Britain officially […]

Gold has captured people’s imagination since its discovery. In ancient times, it was believed to have been a dense melding of sunlight and water, a mystical creation associated with deities, beauty, and power. Gold can be found all over the world and, as such, it is valued by a vast array of cultures. Its physical […]

In March of 2022, the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) and the CME Group, Inc barred six Russian precious metal refiners from the London Good Delivery Lists for gold and silver. This move coincided with the US Treasury Department’s declaration that any transactions involving gold from Russia’s Central Bank are included in the full spectrum […]

Since President Nixon’s abandonment of the Bretton Woods System in August of 1971 the price of gold in US Dollars has been allowed to fluctuate from its previously set price of $35.00 per troy ounce. Since 1971 there have been both extended periods of gold price stability as well as several instances of rapid price […]

The United States Mint recently announced there will be new reverse designs for the popular Silver and Gold Eagle bullion coins in 2021. In 2021 both Silver and Gold Eagles will be celebrating their 35th anniversary which is one of the two oft stated reasons for the design change. The second and more likely reason […]

Throughout recorded history, true money has been defined as a tangible item accepted for exchange and considered to have value. Diverse items ranging from tulip bulbs to seashells to weaponry have been considered money at some point in history. However, none of those items have stood the test of time. Neither have government issued fiat […]

Part 1: Why Own Physical Gold? As opposed to our usual format of discussing a hypothetical scenario, we thought an article along the lines of “An Intro to Gold Buying” might be in order. Both novices and sophisticated investors can benefit from a review of the basics. The following is a list, in no particular […]

This past March, China launched trading of the yuan-denominated crude oil futures contracts. These are the first futures that have been listed on China’s mainland to overseas investors. Given that China is the largest importer of crude on the planet, Asia Times called the launch of the petro-yuan a “geoeconomic game-changer.” But what does this […]