Precious Metals Industry and Futures Markets: Locking in the Margins
By Lisa Murray-Roselli
The precious metals industry is subject to marketplace fluctuations, political volatility, industrial demands, and consumers’ response to economic instability. In order to brace against these factors and maintain a successful business, precious metals traders often turn to the futures markets to secure their margins—mitigating against both unsustainable gains and devastating losses.
The Trillion-Dollar Coin Debate
By: Lisa Murray-Roselli
The US is, once again, about to hit the debt ceiling. Fundamentally, we have more debt than can be funded with revenue: approximately $31.4 trillion in debt compared to $25.7 trillion in GDP. As a nation, we spend more than we can afford. This a familiar predicament for greater than fifty percent of Americans who have credit card or student loan debts they cannot erase. However, some economists and government leaders have suggested a radical solution not available to ordinary citizens: mint a trillion-dollar coin.
Shipwrecks: Treasure, Tragedy, and the Endless Lure of the Deep Sea
By Lisa Murray-Roselli
The ocean floor is chockablock with shipwrecks. The hunt for these vessels can consume decades of an individual’s or organization’s time and the cost of searching is enormous: boats, submersibles, personnel, equipment, and research are just some of the expenses incurred during underwater exploration. And the worst part is, it may all be for naught. It takes a special kind of motivation, or obsession, to maintain the will and the means to keep searching for something that may never be found.
History of Precious Metals Mining
By Lisa Murray-Roselli
The history of precious metals mining is inextricably linked to the social and economic development and exploration of the world. The use of precious metals for currency originates in ancient times and since then, wealth has fueled the power and expansiveness of kingdoms, nation-states, countries, and individuals. The technology used to extract these precious metals may have changed over time, but their value and perception as symbols of wealth and power has not.
There’s Silver in That?
By: Lisa Murray-Roselli
Silver is a remarkable precious metal. It is used in a vast array of products and new applications are being discovered every year. Its beauty and durability make it an obvious choice for jewelry, table settings, and decorative items, but its conductivity, malleability, superior reflective, antibacterial, antifungal, and non-toxic qualities make it a valuable material for many industries. In fact, 50% of all silver is used for industrial purposes—some are well-known while others could hardly be imagined.
The Gold-Silver Ratio Explained
By: Lisa Murray-Roselli
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, therefore, a valuable tool for investors.
There’s Gold in That?
By: Lisa Murray-Roselli
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 two massive stars spiraling toward and then smashing into each other, approximately 130 million light years away. These neutron stars, the collapsed cores of stars that were once much more massive than our Sun, merged to form a black hole and, in the process, many heavy metals, including gold. This was the first time scientists saw the rapid neutron capture process (r-process) in action and could confirm the origin of gold.
Gold’s Relationship to the US Dollar
By: Lisa Murray-Roselli
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 adopted a gold standard. Then in the 1870s, gold became the the international standard for valuing currency.