People often wonder what modern U.S. coins are made of and how their composition has changed over time. While most people know that circulating coins no longer contain precious metals, the exact materials and the historical shifts behind these changes are less widely understood. Below is a clear, concise look at how U.S. coin composition … Read more

U.S. retail sales rose 0.4% in December 2024, signaling continued consumer spending momentum at the end of the year. The increase was broad-based but uneven across categories, with notable strength in automobiles (up 0.7%), furniture (up 2.3%), and sporting goods (up 2.6%). These gains contributed to a modest monthly uptick following a stronger 0.8% gain … Read more

The Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge, the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) index, is projected to rise by just 0.1% in April. If that small monthly increase holds, it would push the annual PCE inflation rate down toward 2.2%, nearing the levels seen before the pandemic. At first glance, that outlook is encouraging: lower readings on … Read more

New York Federal Reserve President John Williams said there has not been a meaningful exodus from U.S. assets, despite increased market attention after the recent credit rating downgrade and ongoing fiscal concerns. Williams acknowledged that investors are reassessing risk and rebalancing portfolios, but he emphasized that overall capital flows have stayed relatively steady. He pointed … Read more

Key Takeaways: Silver rose 2.99% on May 25, 2026—about 2.3 times gold’s 1.31% gain—after optimism over an Iran agreement reduced energy risk and lifted expectations for industrial demand. The gold/silver ratio compressed to 58.7:1, under the post-2000 average of roughly 60–65:1. Similar behavior occurred on May 11 with the US-China tariff truce: when macro headwinds … Read more

Oil prices rose on Wednesday, with Brent crude climbing back above $70 per barrel and West Texas Intermediate trading around $67. Two main developments helped lift the market. First, the U.S. Energy Information Administration sharply reduced its forecast for a global oil oversupply. The agency lowered its estimate for 2025 and cut the 2026 surplus … Read more

Gold is holding firm near historic highs as several factors continue to support its safe-haven status. The metal is trading above $2,940 an ounce, with recent market momentum driven in part by President Trump’s announcement of 25% tariffs on automobiles, semiconductors, and pharmaceuticals. Geopolitical tensions have also contributed to demand for gold. Ongoing U.S.-led initiatives … Read more

Key Takeaways Silver’s larger decline versus gold is structural: about 58% of silver demand is industrial, so economic or geopolitical shocks quickly remove that premium. Silver trades in a much thinner market than gold, and central banks do not hold silver, so there’s no institutional cushion comparable to gold’s floor. The silver market has faced … Read more

Indian jewellery major Titan Company announced on Monday that its fourth-quarter revenue rose 25% year-on-year, outperforming last year’s 17% growth despite a 15% increase in gold prices during 2024. Rising gold prices have led some middle-class households to trim discretionary spending, but they have not significantly discouraged wealthier buyers. Affluent Indians continue to purchase gold … Read more

Gold prices rose about 1% Monday morning as investors sought safe-haven assets following an unexpected U.S. credit rating downgrade. The downgrade, together with accelerating inflation and ongoing geopolitical tensions, has intensified demand for gold as a hedge against uncertainty. Investors often turn to bullion during periods of market stress, and the recent combination of factors … Read more