Five key economic releases arrived this week and together they cut the market’s expectation of a September Federal Reserve rate hike by roughly 27 percentage points over the past month. Each report pointed in the same direction: less urgency for tighter policy. As a result, the CME FedWatch tool now shows the odds of a … Read more

Gold opened above $4,400 for the fourth straight session today after softer inflation readings, but the metal is consolidating rather than breaking out. The July Producer Price Index (PPI) was unchanged versus a consensus of +0.2%, and the July Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose just 0.1% the day before. Those two successive soft prints would … Read more

Key Takeaways The S&P GSCI, the world’s most widely followed commodity index, assigns only about 7.2% of its weight to gold. The Bloomberg Commodity Index places gold nearer to 14.9%. Both weights meaningfully understate gold’s role as a monetary asset. Most commodity index weightings are calculated using futures-market liquidity and annual production — measures that … Read more

Key Takeaways Headline inflation measures price changes across the entire economy, including food, energy, housing and services. Core inflation excludes food and energy to highlight the underlying trend. The Federal Reserve’s formal 2% target is defined using headline PCE (Personal Consumption Expenditures), but policymakers often focus on core PCE when making real-time rate decisions. The … Read more

The Federal Reserve voted 9–3 to hold interest rates at its July 29 meeting. Three members dissented and preferred an immediate hike. Since that decision, two key inflation reports—released in mid-August—came in softer than expected. Those reports have given the majority who favored a pause a clearer, data-driven rationale heading into September. Gold has reacted … Read more

After the July 29 meeting, Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh told reporters he wanted his forthcoming Jackson Hole speech to “frame the big questions.” He warned that the Fed’s constant cycle of meetings and pressers can encourage a narrow focus on quarter-point moves rather than on the structural forces that will shape the decade ahead. … Read more

China’s central bank increased its gold holdings by 19.9 tonnes in July 2026 — the largest single-month purchase since October 2023 and the 21st month in a row of additions. The headline number is notable; the rationale and process behind it are more important for investors and reserve watchers. At the time of reporting, gold … Read more

Two consecutive inflation reports arrived this week. On Wednesday, the Consumer Price Index for July showed year-over-year inflation at 3.4%, matching expectations. The following morning, the Producer Price Index for July reported final demand unchanged month-over-month, while annual producer inflation cooled from 5.5% to 4.7%. Taken together, these readings provide the Federal Reserve with two … Read more

Key Takeaways The Austrian Gold Philharmonic has been produced annually since 1989 by the Münze Österreich — one of the world’s oldest continuously operating government mints Struck in .9999 fine (24-karat) gold, it carries the highest purity available in a major sovereign bullion coin The World Gold Council declared it the world’s best-selling gold coin … Read more

The University of Michigan published its preliminary Consumer Sentiment Index for August at 10:00 a.m. ET on Friday, and the result came in significantly below forecasts. The index registered 51, well under the consensus expectation of 54.5 and below July’s final reading of 55.2. That represents roughly an 8% decline in a single month and … Read more