It is spouted far and wide by pundits and politicians that inflation is at record lows. Yet we see prices rising all around us. At least part of the answer to this lies in how inflation is defined these days. Since the 1970s, then Fed chairman Arthur F. Burns (unrelated to Montgomery Burns of the Simpson fame) came up with a way to distract everyone away from day-to-day living-expense-inflation in order to allow the Fed to operate an extremely easy … Read More »
Month: July 2013
Treasure Rising From The Ashes
Most people are aware of the great 1906 earthquake and fire of San Francisco. Fewer people know of the great treasure of gold and silver that hid in the basement of one of the burned out buildings of the time. Before the early morning earthquake, which some now estimate between 7.7 and 8.25 on the Richter scale, and which took the lives of 3,000 people and destroyed 80% of San Francisco, the trove was resting in the basement of what … Read More »
New Round Of Housing Defaults
In an assessment from the Special Inspector General for the troubled “Troubled Asset Relief Program,” fully 46 percent of homeowners who got 2009 loan modifications from the Home Affordable Modification Program have now re-defaulted on those loans. One might ask oneself “When will we ever learn?” It amounts to “tough love” to know where to draw the line between helping those who can reasonably take on a mortgage and those who should not. “This is a program where there’s not … Read More »
Dollar-Dallying
Though technically we may no longer be in the midst of a recession, we still feel it tugging at our purse strings. For many the feeling of economic uncertainty is showing no sign of dissipating in the near future and, in truth, it most likely won’t. We are told that new jobs are being created and the government is working to alleviate the deficit, but we still witness sudden crests and troughs in oil prices and a steadily increasing debt. … Read More »
Detecting the Authenticity of your US Coins
The Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) is the top-most respected coin grading service in America, along with the Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC). Refuse investing in gold and silver coins that lack certification from one of these entities. All coins sold by ITM Trading are certified by either of these professional organizations composed of the world’s most intelligible coin aficionados. Both the PCGS and the NGC employ expert numismatists to accurately grade every incoming coin. Each organization has a group of … Read More »
Star Struck Gold – Literally
Scientists have long held that many of earth’s basic elements, such as carbon, calcium, iron, and gold are the incidental result of nuclear fusion from stars like our sun. Eventually, as stars reach the end of their life they explode in a super nova and shoot the sun-born elements into the cosmos. As these elemental building blocks travel through space, they combine with other elements even more basic, hydrogen and helium to become the stuff our earth and even we … Read More »
Treasure from 1715
If you have ever had the dream of suddenly finding a loose coin on the ground in a night vision, then finding another then another, and on and on, you have some idea of what Captain Greg Bounds of the salvage ship Capitana felt when they found 48 gold coins from the ocean’s floor some 200 feet off Florida’s east coast. The gold coins are thought to be 1, 2 and 8 Escudos minted in Mexico, Lima, Peru and Bogota, … Read More »
What Is A Troy Ounce?
When discussing buying gold coins, the difference between a troy ounce and a standard ounce (also known as an avoirdupois ounce) often comes up. One would think that with the troy ounce being around since the 1400s, there would be no question about what it is. As it turns out the weight and measures term “Troy” is lost to antiquity, but some suggest it has its origins in the Champagne fairs at Troyes, in northeastern France. Once widely used, the … Read More »
Whoa! World Growth, Not So Fast
In a revised report, the International Monetary Fund lowered their optimism for economic world growth in 2013 and 2014. The update anticipates a prolonged recession for Europe, the United States and a decline in China and Brazil. Depending on who you talk to, the IMF is either, in its own words an organization that “works to foster global growth and economic stability. It provides policy advice and financing to members in economic difficulties and also works with developing nations to … Read More »
The State of Nordic Banks
In May of 2012, Moody’s credit agency downgraded several of Norway and Sweden’s largest banks. The move came as a surprise to many who still consider Nordic banks to rank among the strongest in Europe. They are the only two countries in Europe that do not have a deficit, and it is significant that neither is a member of the Eurozone. The downgrades were mild compared to those inflicted on banks in Spain and Italy. Moody’s Justification The credit rating … Read More »
