For those who continue to hope for a return to economic normalcy, Fed Chairman Jerome Powell’s testimony last week was bitterly disappointing. Anyone hoping for an end to accommodative monetary policy and a return to market-determined prices for assets has much longer to wait. The Fed has barely run off a little more than ten […]
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Most investors know that Warren Buffett isn’t a fan of gold. He has long derided the yellow metal as a bunch of rocks that sit in a vault and don’t do anything. Of course, when stocks are plummeting and losing half of their value there’s nothing investors want more than something that does nothing but […]
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One of the common complaints we hear about American society today is that nobody wants to work hard for anything. Everyone wants to be able to get a six-figure job without having to have any talent or ability, and wants to be able to make lots of money without having to put in any work. […]
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Many a novice gold-buyer has picked up an Austrian Corona-series coin and marveled at how a coin minted in 1915 could be in such great condition. And that’s because they weren’t actually minted in 1915. The 1915 100 Corona, 1915 20 Corona, and 1912 10 Corona coins were restrikes produced by the Austrian Mint to […]
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One of the many benefits of the end of the Cold War was the vast amount of military surplus items that made their way west. From uniforms to clothing to weapons and ammunition, American shooters benefited greatly from the cheap goods that were once readily available. Now that most Eastern European countries have eliminated their […]
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With so much focus on gold, silver often gets little notice. But the white metal, often known as “poor man’s gold,” has caught fire this year. Purchases of American Silver Eagle coins this year are up nearly 50%, with over 6 million coins having been purchased so far. In fact, sales are so brisk that […]
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The performance of stock markets in the first several weeks of 2019 has been nothing short of astonishing. After a horrendous fourth quarter in 2018 that was the worst since the Great Depression, markets rebounded to have their best January in 30 years. That has some market pundits crowing about how well markets will do […]
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Replacing one of the most beautiful coins in American numismatic history, the Franklin half dollar was perhaps always going to disappoint. Ben Franklin was chosen for the coin’s obverse because Mint Director Nellie Tayloe Ross had always been a great admirer of his. Mint Chief Engraver John R. Sinnock’s medal of Ben Franklin served as […]
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While it played second fiddle to the Winchester Model 12 throughout its lifetime, the Remington Model 31 shotgun remains much beloved by shooters and collectors. Produced from 1931 to 1949 until being replaced by the Model 870, the Remington 31 was a development of the 20-gauge John Moses Browning-designed Model 17 shotgun, adapted for side […]
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Stock markets rose Wednesday in the aftermath of the release of the minutes from last month’s FOMC meeting. Overall, markets viewed the minutes as a positive, confirming that the Fed intends to pause the reduction in its balance sheet and will likely not hike rates again this year. FOMC participants found it strange that balance […]
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