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The U.S. student load system is broken. Borrowers currently owe more than $1.5 trillion, an average of $34,000 per borrower. Over two million of them have defaulted on their loans in just the past six years, and the number grows by 1,400 a day. The federal government now acknowledges that taxpayers stand to lose $31.5
As noted May 22, “the odds are that the Fed will next cut interest rates.” While there have been no rate cuts, Fed Chair Jerome Powell has made statements that indicate rate cuts this year. Also noted: “gold should respond well.”
Primarily because of the strength of the dollar relative to other currencies, gold has been stuck in the $1275 for the past month. In the other major currencies, gold has risen as those currencies have fallen against the dollar.
Currently there is much speculation about whether the Fed will continue quantitative tightening or return to quantitative easing. In 2018, newly appointed Fed Chair Jay Powell indicated that 2019 would see four rate hikes. However, he has since backed off on that forecast.
“If you asked me to look across the commodity landscape and pick what I liked best, it would be gold. Literally, just this morning I saw that central banks are buying lots of gold. Sam Zell is buying lots of gold. You can try to fade this (bet against it) if you want, but it’s
Whenever corporate debt-to-GDP has had sharp runups, reaching levels of 40% plus, recessions have followed. Three times since 1986, aggressive taking on of corporate debt has been followed by recessions.
David Stockman issues one of the most thought-provoking newsletters I’ve read in years. He combines his experience in the Reagan administration as Budget Director with his more than 30 years in the investment world, much of it with some of the best-known firms on Wall Street, to present views rarely found elsewhere. Stockman has constantly
In the irony of ironies, the central bank of Switzerland recently bailed out the manufacturer of the polymer material used in the new Swiss 10-franc notes. Swiss National Bank purchased a 90% stake in Landqart AG after the company got into financial difficulties. The SNB is known for its huge investments in equities, with Apple,
Recently a client wrote: “In 2004, I started buying gold and silver because of increasing US debt, thinking that inflation would come about and the dollar would suffer. Now David Stockman (former Budget Director under Ronald Reagan) forecasts imminent doom for the stock and the bond markets. And, I agree that it will most likely
There are many dangers–not to mention moral issues–of money created out of “thin air.” One of the dangers is that it distorts the markets and results in bad investments during “booms,” which inevitably turn to “busts.” During the busts, the bad investments wash out. Another is that it is easy to use. The economy slows,
