Peter's Blog

Wealthier Shoppers Flocking to Walmart as Inflation Bites

Walmart recently announced better-than-expected third-quarter sales growth. This may seem like great economic news until you realize the reason behind the retailer’s big jump in sales. As it turns out, wealthier shoppers are flocking to Walmart to make ends meet as rising prices squeeze pocketbooks.

Household Debt Charts Largest Increase Since 2007 in Third Quarter

With real wages decreasing and inflation running rampant, Americans are burying themselves in debt to make ends meet. After setting a new record in the second quarter, household debt increased at the fastest pace in 15 years during Q3, as American consumers have run up credit card balances month after month this year as they […]

War on Cash: New York Fed Launches “Digital Dollar” Pilot Program

On Tuesday (Nov. 15), the New York Federal Reserve announced a 12-week pilot program in partnership with several large commercial banks to test the feasibility of a central bank digital currency (CBDC). The “proof of concept” program will test an “interoperable digital money platform” on a regulated liability network (RLN) for “technical feasibility, legal viability, […]

Get Up to 30% More Silver Free!

If you are holding American Silver Eagles, this is a great time to exchange them for silver bars and walk away with a lot more silver.

More of the Same: US Government Starts Fiscal 2023 With a Big Budget Deficit

After running a $1.3 trillion deficit in fiscal 2022, the US government took up right where it left off to start fiscal 2023 — running a big budget deficit. The October budget deficit came in at $87.8 billion despite another month of healthy government receipts, according to the latest Treasury statement.

Auto Loan Delinquencies at 10-Year High

With prices rising and real wages falling, many Americans are struggling to make ends meet. They are increasingly turning to credit cards and other debt to fill the gap. But that creates other problems. Debt has to be repaid and a growing number of Americans are struggling to keep up with payments. Auto loan delinquencies […]

Americans Pile on Another $25 Billion in Consumer Debt

American consumers continue to dig deeper into debt as they try to cope with rising prices using credit cards. Americans added another $25 billion to their record levels of debt in September, according to the latest data from the Federal Reserve.

Optimal Investment Portfolio Should Include 4 to 6 Percent Silver and Other Silver News

Multi-asset portfolios would benefit by adding a 4 to 6 percent silver allocation, according to new research by Oxford Economics. This is one of several silver-related stories in the latest edition of Silver News published by the Silver Institute.

Central Bank Gold Buying Hit Historically High Levels in the Third Quarter

Central banks added nearly 400 tons of gold in the third quarter, according to data compiled by the World Gold Council. This was 300% higher than Q3 2021 and came in as the largest quarterly increase in central bank gold reserves since the World Gold Council started keeping records in 2000.

Gold Demand Charts Healthy Increase in Q3

Gold demand rose 28% year-on-year in the third quarter, driven by robust consumer demand for physical gold and central bank buying, according to data released by the World Gold Council. Year-to-date, demand is up 18% compared to the same period in 2021, a return to prepandemic levels.