Free Republic

The Trump administration has made no secret of its desire to push the monetary easing pedal to the metal, even as the engine is already near the red line. They intend to push the system as hard as possible today and worry about the consequences later. One reason may be to inflate the stock market ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. There are several indicators that the Trump administration intends to run it hot in 2026. The first — and most important — is that Trump will likely succeed in consolidating control over the Federal Reserve. Jerome Powell’s term as...

What to know about the partial government shutdown:President Trump signed a massive funding bill to end the partial government shutdown on Tuesday, bringing an end to the standoff after four days with a new fight over immigration on the horizon.The House voted earlier in the day to approve the package by a vote of 217 to 214, with 21 Republicans and 21 Democrats crossing the aisle. Getting the bill across the finish line presented some challenges earlier in the day for Speaker Mike Johnson, who ultimately convinced a handful of GOP holdouts to advance the measure for a final vote.The...

President Donald Trump on Friday formally nominated former Federal Reserve governor Kevin Warsh to succeed Jerome Powell as chair of the U.S. central bank, bringing a turbulent and politically charged transition at the Fed closer to resolution. The decision concludes a months-long search process that unfolded amid extraordinary pressure on the Federal Reserve, rising concerns over inflation persistence, and growing debate about the future independence of the central bank. Trump announced the nomination in a Truth Social post, praising Warsh as a steady and capable choice during a volatile period for monetary policy. “I have known Kevin for a long...

Last year might have proved a good time to own shares in the chip-maker Nvidia, along with the booming American tech giants. Or a piece of the defence manufacturers as the world re-arms. Or to hold a position in some of the rapidly growing economies of South America or Asia, or even one of the hyped-up crypto currencies. There were plenty of places investors expected to make money over the past year. As it turned out, however, there was one asset that outpaced them all, even though it generates no income: gold, and to an even greater extent, its junior...

105 days to go!

(Kitco News) - Gold and silver prices are strongly higher in afternoon trading Wednesday, with gold leading the way this time, powering to an all-time high of $5,360.60, basis April Comex futures, as of this writing, and scoring the largest daily price gains ever, in dollar terms. The precious metals are supported by safe-haven demand as the U.S. dollar wobbles on the foreign exchange market. April gold was last up $197.20 at $5,317.20. March silver prices were up $5.59 at $111.52. Gold and silver markets have shown no significant price reactions in the immediate aftermath of the Federal Reserve’s two-day...

Gold crossing $5,000 an ounce is not a technical breakout, a speculative frenzy, or a “risk-on trade.” It is a judgment. Silver pushing past $100 last week only reinforces the point. These prices are not expressions of optimism about growth or productivity. They are expressions of doubt: about currencies, about governments, and about the institutions charged with preserving economic stability. What makes this moment different is not simply the level of prices, but the speed and unanimity with which investors have arrived at them. Gold did not grind higher over a decade of slow erosion in confidence. It vaulted. Silver...

Summary Gold hits record high of $5,110.50/ounce Silver hits all-time high of $109.44/ounce Analysts expect gold prices to climb toward $6,000 this year .

The U.S. economy is either chugging along nicely or seriously struggling, depending on who is asked. The mismatch stems from perception and perspective. While many of the macroeconomic data look benign, they don’t capture the pain experienced by a large segment of society, several experts told The Epoch Times. At 4.4 percent, unemployment has been only slightly elevated and the median wage growth of 4 percent has more than kept up with 2.7 percent inflation, all according to December data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Yet a solid majority of Americans feel gloomy about the economy, polls indicate. “I...

U.S. senators have left town for a week-long recess, leaving themselves only five days to pass the six remaining federal government funding bills. Four of those massive bills, which are also the thorniest, have not even passed the lower chamber, though House leaders hope to advance them in a package next week while the Senate is off. If Congress fails to meet the deadline – which many, including the National Governors Association, anticipate – they face a partial government shutdown. In that instance, the only way lawmakers could prevent a shutdown would be by punting the deadline via a Continuing...

Core U.S. consumer prices rose less than predicted in December, reinforcing hopes that inflation is tempering as the Federal Reserve contemplates its next move on interest rates. Excluding volatile food and energy prices, the consumer price index showed a seasonally adjusted 0.2% gain on a monthly basis and 2.6% annually, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Tuesday. Both were 0.1 percentage point below expectations. Though they look at both measures, Fed officials consider core inflation a better long-run gauge of where inflation is heading. On a headline basis, the CPI posted an increase of 0.3% for the month, putting the...

Donald Trump has announced that he will impose increasing tariffs on eight European countries unless they agree to let the US take over Greenland. Britain, France, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and the Netherlands will be hit by a 10 percent levy on 'any and all goods' entering the US from February 1, the president announced on Truth Social on Saturday. Trump said that if no deal was reached by June 1, the tariff will increase to 25 percent. The president, who referred to himself as 'the tariff king,' called on Denmark to relinquish the mineral-rich territory by claiming world...

I can't afford to buy a home! I hear this lament often, especially from young folks. Boomers often respond, saying, "Quit buying $6 lattes and ordering Uber Eats, and maybe you could save for a house." It might just be me, but it seems like that may oversimplify things a tad. I mean, there's no doubt a lot of young people would benefit from budgeting lessons. However, that doesn't change the fact that there is a significant home affordability problem here in the U.S. Last year, the average age of a first-time homebuyer in the U.S. climbed to 40 for...

The internet is forever! At least that’s a concept most people on the internet besides CNN seem to grasp. On Tuesday, CNN made its double standard on inflation so nakedly apparent it needs an NC-17 rating. Inflation under Biden was "falling," but under Trump it's "persistent....as high prices continue to weigh on many Americans." The Bureau of Labor Statistics released a report January 13 finding that core consumer prices — which excludes volatile food and energy prices — increased less than expected at 2.6 percent year-over-year in December. The all-items index increased 2.7 percent on an annual basis, in line...

President Trump has made lowering prescription drug prices a clear priority, repeatedly arguing that Americans should not be forced to pay more for medicine than patients in other developed countries. Drugmakers have publicly welcomed that message. But their actions tell a more complicated story.First reported by Reuters this week, pharmaceutical companies are raising list prices on more than 350 drugs for 2026. Many of the increases were small, but others were not, including sharp hikes on certain hospital-administered and specialty medicines that patients and providers rely on every day.Among the steepest increases were those for Demerol, a painkiller used in...

Progress in the fight to throttle back inflation appeared to stall in December amid price pressures from groceries, dining out, utility gas, clothing and other categories of consumer spending. The consumer price index, a key inflation gauge, rose 2.7% in December from 12 months earlier, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said Tuesday. That was unchanged from the previous month and in line with estimates. “The bottom line is, I think inflation is still uncomfortably high,” said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s. “Inflation for staples, necessities, remains elevated.”

Food prices climbed sharply in December, providing little relief to consumers at the grocery store and adding to the political pressure on President Trump to improve affordability. The 0.7 percent jump in food prices from a month earlier was the largest one-month increase in grocery prices since October 2022. That was up from 0.2 percent in September, the last month the federal government released month-to-month inflation figures for after the shutdown disrupted data collection. Compared with a year earlier, overall food prices were up 3.1 percent and grocery prices were up 2.4 percent in December. The increase could frustrate consumers...

Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts said that President Donald Trump called her on Monday following a speech in which she sharply criticized his record on costs and governance. "In my remarks, I made it clear that despite promising to lower costs On Day One, Trump has done nothing but raise costs for families," she said in the statement. She said Trump called her after her remarks at the event on Monday. "I told him that Congress can pass legislation to cap credit card rates if he will actually fight for it. I also urged him to get House Republicans...

Reality does not negotiate. There are decisive geostrategic consequences of the two Gates of Silver closing at the same time. The first Gate of Silver that closed is that the world’s silver price is now the price of physical silver, which is fixed largely in Shanghai and in Chinese Yuan (CNY), not US Dollars (USD). The second Gate of Silver that closed is that as of January 1st. China not only dominates the world’s silver refining capacity no matter where silver is mined, it requires a permit to export silver, so Beijing decides to whom silver can be exported. For...

A grocery store receipt from 1997 shows just how much prices of everyday items have skyrocketed in less than three decades. TikTok user Zoe Dippel shared the shockingly low costs in a viral video after a family member found the proof of purchase in a box of mementos. “$155 for all of this!” one of Dippel’s relatives remarked after holding up the lengthy receipt from Texas chain H-E-B dated June 20, 1997. “That’s a lot of stuff,” Dipple declared, as she started to sort through the 122 items and read the prices out loud. The receipt revealed that Little Debbie...