Despite high-profile proposals to reduce spending and the establishment of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), federal outlays have risen by 8.7% when comparing the period since President Trump took office to the same timeframe in 2024. The largest contributors to the increase are long-standing mandatory programs: Social Security, Medicare and other social insurance benefits. … Read more

In today’s update: Gold fell 2.62% and silver dropped 8.69% as the dollar rallied, producer prices hit a three-year high, and the Trump‑Xi summit produced no major deal. Behind the gold decline: China’s central bank increased purchases to a 17‑month high. As of Friday, May 15, 2026, gold trades near $4,530.10 and silver around $76.29. … Read more

The pound delivered a mixed performance on Monday, slipping against the euro while strengthening versus the US dollar. Market moves followed European leaders’ announcement that they plan to draft a Ukraine peace proposal for submission to the United States, a development traders expect to influence regional currency flows. The euro rose by 0.10% to 82.53 … Read more

Gold has surpassed the euro to become the world’s second-largest reserve asset after the U.S. dollar, according to a recent ECB report. This change reflects a roughly 60% rise in gold prices over the past two years and a surge in central bank purchases—more than 1,000 tonnes bought in 2024 alone, about twice the average … Read more

Swiss gold exports to the United States rose sharply in December, increasing elevenfold to 64.2 tonnes — the largest monthly shipment since March 2022. Valued at nearly $6 billion, the surge reflected traders and refiners accelerating purchases of bullion to avoid potential tariffs. This precautionary buying pushed physical demand higher as market participants positioned themselves … Read more

Where, exactly, should you store your gold at home? You instinctively know gold is valuable and needs secure storage. Unlike bank records or insured items with replacement policies, gold coins and bars offer no guarantees—if they are lost or stolen, they’re gone. That makes a thoughtful home storage plan essential. While keeping some gold at … Read more

The COMEX May gold contract has seen unusually high activity: 6,712 new contracts were written since first notice day, well above the long-term average of 1,525 and surpassing the previous record of 4,150. Cumulative deliveries for this series have now approached 16,000 contracts, exceeding the earlier record set by the March contract. Much of this … Read more

2024 was a landmark year for the gold market, with demand rising across multiple sectors and several records set. Central banks continued to dominate as the largest buyers, maintaining net purchases above 1,000 tonnes for the third consecutive year. Their buying accelerated toward the end of the year, with net acquisitions reaching 333 tonnes in … Read more

China has turned rare earth metals into a geopolitical lever, exposing how dependent the West remains on a small number of suppliers for the materials that power modern life. In July 2025 Beijing tightened export controls on several key rare earth elements, limiting access to the materials used in electric vehicle motors, wind turbines, smartphones, … Read more

Gold continues its record-setting rally, trading above $2,950 per ounce as it closes in on the $3,000 mark. Markets attribute the recent advance to expectations of Federal Reserve rate cuts in late 2024 and a renewed surge in safe-haven demand. These factors have driven investors back into bullion, prompting several major banks to revise their … Read more