Silver Jumps To Highest Level In 13 Years

Above, circulated Morgan silver dollars. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The price of silver jumped to its highest level in 13 years. Some see $50/toz is within reach.

According to CNBC:

The price of silver moved sharply higher Thursday morning and hit its highest level in more than a decade.

Silver futures rose as high as $36.27 per troy ounce on Thursday, notching the highest price for the metal since early 2012. Silver futures were last up more than 3% on the day at $35.81 per troy ounce.

To read more, go here. 

U.S. Trade Deficit Plummets

 

🚨 BREAKING: U.S. trade deficit PLUMMETS after Trump's tariffs.

"It comes in at -$61.6 BILLION...it has now been cut by more than HALF."

"The big news is there is how much it bolsters GDP. Just look at Atlanta Fed GDP now - which is at +4.64%." pic.twitter.com/p6AjMIXJqh

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) June 5, 2025

February Foreign Visitors To Japan Hit Monthly Record

Above, the Saikai Bridge near Sasebo on Kyushu. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Japan's economy is being driven by the surge of foreign tourists, according to CNBC.

This isn't surprising given the favorable foreign exchange rate in Tokyo between the U.S. dollar and other currencies against the Japanese yen.

February's number of foreign visitors hit a new record.

According to an article from Kyodo News:

The number of foreign visitors to Japan in February rose 16.9 percent from a year earlier to a record 3.26 million for the month, driven by strong demand for winter sports and the Chinese New Year holiday trailing into the month, government data showed Wednesday.

The figure topped 3 million for the first time in February, driven by a surge in visitors from Australia and the United States, the Japan National Tourism Organization said.

By country and region, South Korea led with 847,300 visitors, up 3.5 percent and a record for the month. China followed with 722,700 visitors, a 57.3 percent increase, driven in part by expanded flight connections between the two countries.

To read more, go here. 

National Parks: You May Need Advance Reservations and Permits

Above, at Manzanita Lake Campground at Lassen Volcanic National Park. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The days of spontaneously going to a national park without camping reservations are pretty much a thing of the past. In some cases, spontaneously just going to a park is also becoming a thing of the past.

I have gotten lucky in getting campsites at two national parks over the past few years without making any reservations: Joshua Tree National Park and Lassen Volcanic National Park.

But since the pandemic, our national parks are getting more crowded and in order to control crowd numbers to protect the parks, some are requiring reservations even to just enter the park.

That is the subject of a CNBC post.

They begin with:

National park tourism is booming. But an idyllic adventure into the great outdoors can be derailed by overlooking an important aspect of trip planning: advance permits and reservations.

Some of the most frequently visited parks require people to book ahead for access to popular attractions like heavily trafficked hikes, roads and campgrounds. Some require advance tickets for full park entry.

What this means: Travelers can’t necessarily bank on showing up spontaneously to a national park and getting the experience they desire. Fail to secure this paperwork, which is typically free but can carry a processing fee of as little as $2, and you might not even get in. Since reservations can be in high demand, it’s necessary to plan ahead.

To read more, go here. 

RFK Jr.: CBDC Financial Slavery and Political Tyranny

Above, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

There comes the beginning of the loss of our financial freedom unless we stop it.

I have blogged about the pitfalls of a digital currency system before. 

CNBC posted on March 15:

The Federal Reserve’s digital payments system, which it promises will help speed up the way money moves, will debut in July.

FedNow, as it will be known, will create “a leading-edge payments system that is resilient, adaptive, and accessible,” said Richmond Fed President Tom Barkin, who is the program’s executive sponsor.

The system will allow bill payments, money transfers such as paychecks and disbursements from the government, as well as a host of other consumer activities to move more rapidly and at lower cost, according to the program’s goals.

Participants will complete a training and certification process in early April, according to a Fed announcement.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. posted a response to this yesterday. I don't see anything in what he said to disagree with.

 

Caroline Kennedy ought to award her cousin a Profile In Courage Award for speaking the truth of this scheme.

Remember (Source: American Patriot Poll):

The 'digital dollar' puts all your money in the hands of the government.

They'll be able to.... 

• Know what's in your accounts and what you buy
• Limit what you purchase and the causes you support
• Take everything away with the click of a button

Why Silver Coins Will Always Be A Favorite

The turmoil in the banking industry continues.

The collapse of Credit Suisse in Europe has burned quite a number of people.

According to CNBC:

“The $17 billion wipeout of Credit Suisse bondholders has not gone down well in Europe.”

One section of Credit Suisse’s bondholders is set to be wiped out following the struggling bank’s takeover by UBS, causing them to see investments worth 16 billion Swiss francs ($17 billion) become worthless. The Swiss regulator FINMA announced Sunday that the so-called additional tier-one bonds, which are widely regarded as relatively risky investments, will be written to zero as part of the deal.

For the rest of us, protecting our wealth is becoming more urgent and there is one way of doing so.

From Insider Paper:

Silver coins have been around for centuries and have become the favorite of many avid collectors. Silver coins are a great way to start a collection and can be found in various shapes, sizes, and designs. Here are some reasons why silver coins are so popular among avid collectors.  

Investing in silver is one of the safest ways to protect wealth as its value tends to remain stable even during economic downturns or market volatility. By investing in silver coins, you can diversify your portfolio and offer better risk management capabilities than investing solely in stocks or bonds.

To read more, go here. 

Silicon Valley Bank Collapses, Silver Spot Price Up

Above, an 1889 Morgan Silver Dollar. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

A major bank in Silicon Valley collapsed, causing the stock market to drop over 300 points today. At the same time, the spot price for went up.

CNBC reported:

Stocks tumbled Friday as tech-focused lender Silicon Valley Bank shut down following losses in its bond portfolio, prompting the biggest bank failure since the global financial crisis and sending shockwaves through the banking sector.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped for a fourth consecutive day, finishing 345.22 points lower, or 1.07%, to close at 31,909.64. The S&P 500 lost 1.45% to settle at 3,861.59. The Nasdaq Composite shed 1.76% to end at 11,138.89.

All the major averages capped off the week with losses. The Dow fell 4.44% to post its worst weekly performance since June. The S&P dropped 4.55%, while the Nasdaq lost 4.71%.

Perhaps this is why the silver spot market went up today.

According to Monex on today's rise in silver:

$20.56

+0.42

+2.09%

I don't know the correlation between the stock market and silver's spot price today, but it is something worth keeping watch on.

To read more, go here.

Why More Americans Are Choosing .999 Pure Silver

  

Along with what Reagan said above, inflation is also caused by the "printing press" money the government churns out. 

Republicans are also guilty as Democrats in government over-spending and churning out fiat currency with nothing backing it. 

As inflation is roaring under His Fraudulency Joe Biden, Kevin O'Leary of Money Metals Exchange put it bluntly on CNBC on why people are turning to coins, bullion and silver rounds as hedges against inflation.

He said:

MONEY METALS – Kevin O'Leary bluntly stated on CNBC why Americans have more reason than ever to move some of their wealth from dollar-denominated investments into hard assets like silver rounds –

“You print $6.72 trillion in thirty months, what the hell did you think was going to happen? Of course there's going to be inflation.”

And Mr. Wonderful's figures are on point, says the Foundation for Economic Education. Federal Reserve data show that in August 2019, the U.S. had $14.9 trillion total in circulation. By January 2022, it was $21.6 trillion.

That's 44.97% more Federal Reserve notes chasing substantially fewer goods due to shortages of everything from medications to microchips to eggs – the classic inflationary set-up. Anything denominated in U.S. dollars – stocks, bonds, cash – is losing value daily.

To read more, go here. 

Gold, Silver Spot Prices Up

Yesterday, the Federal Reserve announced the eighth interest rate increase since the current process started in 2022.

According to CNBC:

The Federal Reserve on Wednesday raised its benchmark interest rate by a quarter percentage point and gave little indication it is nearing the end of this hiking cycle.

Aligning with market expectations, the rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee boosted the federal funds rate by 0.25 percentage point. That takes it to a target range of 4.5%-4.75%, the highest since October 2007.

The move marked the eighth increase in a process that began in March 2022.

In response, gold and silver spot prices rose.

From Nasdaq.com:

Feb 2 (Reuters) - Gold rose to a nine-month high on Thursday on a subdued dollar, as investors held onto the view that the U.S. Federal Reserve would soon end its rate hiking cycle after it announced an expected 25-basis-point increase.

Spot gold XAU= was up 0.2% at $1,954.77 per ounce at 0927 GMT, having hit its highest since April 2022 earlier in the session. U.S. gold futures GCv1 rose 1.5% to $1,955.30.

Spot silver XAG= gained 0.9% to $24.19 per ounce, scaling a one-week high.

Silver Spot Price Above $24

From CNBC, here is the spot price for silver (per troy ounce) this morning:

Some Japanese Locals Not Ready For Reopened Borders

Above, crowds on Kyoto's Kiyomizu-dera stage was common before the pandemic. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Japan is looking towards reopening its borders to foreign tourism next month.

However, some locals in Japan are not ready for reopened borders and prefer to keep things the way they are.

According to CNBC:

As countries across Asia reopen to international travelers, Japan — one of the continent’s most popular destinations — remains firmly closed.

That may soon change. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced Thursday at a news conference in London that Japan will ease border controls in June.

Locals often celebrate the easing of pandemic-related border restrictions, but some in Japan say they are fine with keeping measures in place.

Japan welcomed nearly 32 million international visitors in 2019 — up from just 6.8 million just ten years prior, according to Japan Tourism Agency.

The rapid increase in tourists caused major draws, such as the culturally rich city of Kyoto, to struggle with over-tourism.

Residents in Kyoto are now saying that “silence is back,” said Miyamoto, who recounted instances where foreign tourists spoke loudly and were discourteous to locals.

Similarly, Lee said that “a lot of people who were quite upset about over-tourism in Kyoto” are now saying “it feels like how Kyoto was 20 years ago — the good old Kyoto.”

To read more, go here.

Time To Boycott Shell For Buying Russian Oil

Shell Oil Company is under fire for buying Russian oil, and rightly so.

According to CNBC:

Oil major Shell has sought to defend its decision to buy a heavily-discounted consignment of oil from Russia, saying it would commit the profits to a fund dedicated to humanitarian aid for Ukraine.

On Friday, Shell purchased 100,000 metric tons of flagship Urals crude from Russia. It was reportedly bought at a record discount, with many firms shunning Russian oil due to Moscow’s unprovoked invasion of its neighbor. The purchase did not violate any Western sanctions.

Shell said in a statement late Saturday that it had been in “intense talks with governments and continue to follow their guidance around this issue of security of supply, and are acutely aware we have to navigate this dilemma with the utmost care.”

“We didn’t take this decision lightly and we understand the strength of feeling around it,” the statement read. 

Besides the questionable morality involved, one has to wonder what are the prices Shell is charging for their gasoline, given that they got their Russian oil at a "heavily-discounted" rate? Are they passing on the discount to consumers? Shell gasoline is generally overpriced anyway.

Why are we even buying from Russia when we are sitting on vast supplies of oil here? We can thank Joe Biden for this.

A boycott of Shell is in order.

To read more, go here.

Dow Loses Nearly 600 Points To Start March

It was a good thing that I moved my investment accounts to a "safe haven" two weeks ago.

Yesterday, the month of March did not have a good start as the Dow lost nearly 600 points due to the Russia/Ukraine war (we may as well call it that) and the surge in oil prices.

According to CNBC:

U.S. stocks slid Tuesday, the first day of March, as oil prices surged and investors continued to monitor the fighting between Russia and Ukraine.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 597.65 points, or 1.76%, to close at 33,294.95. The S&P 500 sank by 1.55% to 4,306.26, and the Nasdaq Composite slid 1.59% to 13,532.46.

The decline in stocks came as satellite cameras captured a convoy of Russian military vehicles apparently on its way to Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital. A U.S. defense official said Tuesday that 80% of the Russian troops that massed on Ukraine’s border last month have now entered the country.

We have Vlad the Invader to thank for all of this.

To read more, go here. 

European Airspace Closed To Russian Planes

Finally, European countries are showing that they have some guts against the big bully to the east, namely Russia, over their unprovoked attack on Ukraine. This is welcome, given their past history of appeasement.

From CNBC:

Key Points

• A growing number of countries have announced Sunday they’re joining a string of nations in closing their airspace to Russian aircrafts after Moscow began its invasion of Ukraine.
• Officials for Canada, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Italy, Austria and Iceland all announced the measures on Sunday that would further isolate Russia.
• The moves by the nations put even more pressure on Russia, with countries banding together to impose wide-reaching sanctions on Russia and its elite.

A growing number of countries announced on Sunday they’re joining a string of nations in closing their airspace to Russian aircraft after Moscow began its invasion of Ukraine.

Officials for Canada, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Italy, Austria and Iceland all announced the measures that would further isolate Russia. It follows similar restrictions from the U.K., Poland, Romania, Finland, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.

The moves by the nations put even more pressure on Russia, with countries banding together to impose wide-reaching sanctions on Russia and its elite. A ban means Russian aircraft can’t fly over or land in the nations that impose the rules, which often means lengthy and costly reroutes.

Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod said on Twitter his government is pushing for a European Union-wide ban of Russian flights at a meeting of the bloc’s ministers of foreign affairs. An EU official told Reuters that could be a part of fresh sanctions.

There are also reports that Vladimir Putin has put Russia on nuclear alert over the sanctions. This is definitely something to keep a watch over.

To read more, go here. 

Dow Falls Over 800 Points On Ukraine

This comes as no surprise.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average and other markets are reacting to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

From CNBC:

U.S. stock futures fell sharply Thursday as Russia attacked Ukraine, causing global energy prices to jump and sending investors fleeing for the safety of fixed income assets.

The invasion comes as global equity markets were already reeling because of decades-high inflation stemming from the pandemic.

S&P 500 futures were down 2.5%, set to plunge the benchmark further into correction territory. The index closed Wednesday 12% off its record high. Dow Jones Industrial average futures fell 810 points, or 2.4%. The blue-chip measure closed Wednesday more than 10% off its record. Nasdaq 100 futures declined 3%. The Nasdaq Composite is teetering on bear market territory, down just less than 20% from its high through Wednesday’s close.

I anticipated this. I transferred most of my investments to the safety of money markets last week. They don't pay much in interest, but at least I won't be losing anything. 

To read more, go here.

Consumer Price Index Up 9.7% Over Last Year

Elections have consequences, especially ones of dubious legitimacy.

The following is not surprising to those who are feeling the pinch to their wallets and purses. We can thank the runaway spending by congress for all of this along with the guy who signed the bills in the White House.

CNBC reported:

Key Points

• The producer price index, which measures wholesale prices, rose 1% in January and 9.7% for the 12-month period, the latter just off the record high.

• Core PPI rose 0.9%. Both increases were at least double the Wall Street estimates.

• Manufacturing in the New York region increased modestly in February but was below expectations. The prices received index soared to a record high.

Prices at the wholesale level jumped twice the expected level in January as inflation pressures were unabated to start the year, the Labor Department said Tuesday.

The producer price index, which measures final demand goods and services, increased 1% for the month, against the Dow Jones estimate for 0.5%. Over the past 12 months the gauge rose an unadjusted 9.7%, close to a record in data going back to 2010.

Excluding food, energy and trade services, co-called core PPI climbed 0.9% for the month, well ahead of the 0.4% estimate. For the 12-month period, the measure increased 6.9%. Both core and headline PPI gains over the year were 0.1 percentage point lower than the record levels hit in December 2021.

 To read more, go here.

Wholesale Prices Rise 9.6% In Year-Over-Year Average, A Record Increase

With voter fraud and stupid people being allowed to vote, His Fraudulency Joe Biden is now in the White House and has made a mess of everything he's touched.

One can say that Biden has the "Midas Touch" in reverse, Everything He Touches Turns To Shit.

Here's the latest, from the Daily Wire:

The United States Department of Labor announced more troubling news for the Biden administration as wholesale prices of consumer goods rose 9.6% year-over-year from November 2020-November 2021, setting a record since the department started tracking these figures in 2010.

CNBC reported that “the producer price index for final demand products increased 9.6% over the previous 12 months after rising another 0.8% in November.”

The business new outlet also noted that economists had predicted an annual gain of 9.2%.

The news comes as several economists have called on the Federal Reserve to hike interest rates to help combat inflation across the economy. 

To read more, go here. 

Highest Gas Prices In 7 Years

Above, the Flying J's price on May 12. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

With my Good Sam discount, I've been paying $2.80/gallon at the gas pump at the Flying J. It was at $2.94 back on May 12, but has since gone down.

Not everyone has been so lucky. Gas prices over Memorial Day weekend were the highest in seven years and they are showing no signs of abating during the summer. Some areas are worse than others.

CNBC reported back on May 27:

Gasoline prices are expected to be the highest for a Memorial Day weekend in seven years, and prices could stay elevated all summer, as Americans take to the road in a post-coronavirus pandemic driving spree.

The current average price for a gallon of unleaded gasoline of $3.04 per gallon, 16 cents more than a month ago and $1.08 per gallon higher than last year, according to AAA. The motor club federation expects 37 million Americans to travel this weekend, a 60% increase over last year when the economy was still shut down.

To read more, go here. 

 

The Stock Market Is Now Tanking Thanks To Joe

The Stock Market was up, but is now tanking once it was revealed that His Fraudulency Joe Biden wants to hike the capital gains tax.

Gee, thanks a million, Joe! What an idiot!

Georgia: Pro-Gun Groups Outspend Gun Control Activists

Showing how crucial the Georgia senate run-off campaign is, pro-Second Amendment groups are outspending gun control activists in the campaign.

CNBC reported:

With control of the Senate at stake, gun rights groups are pouring millions of dollars in outside spending into the Jan. 5 runoff election in Georgia to support two Republican candidates.

Meanwhile, gun control groups are far behind in supporting the two Democratic candidates monetarily, which could impact their chances of winning as well as President-elect Joe Biden’s hopes of passing gun control legislation in 2021.

Pro-gun groups such as the National Rifle Association and Gun Owners of America are backing incumbent GOP Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler and opposing Democratic challengers Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock.

Republicans will hold a 50-48 majority in the Senate come January. If Republicans keep just one seat in Georgia, the GOP retains control of the Senate. If Democrats win both races, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris would be the tiebreaking vote, giving the party unified control of the White House and Congress.

To read more, go here.