Gold Standard News Daily - Real Money Blog
Posted M-F by 6pm ET
8.5.25 - End of the Petrodollar?
Gold last traded at $3,379 an ounce. Silver at $37.85 an ounce.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Adding to the dollar's woes, it appears the petrodollar's use may come to a screeching halt. More and more nations are opting to use other currencies to settle trades, as the wave of global de-dollarization continues to grow.
End of the Petrodollar? Oil Markets Are Ditching the US Dollar -Watcher.Guru
by Paigambar Mohan Raj
The petrodollar was established in the 1970s after the US struck deals with Saudi Arabia and other OPEC countries. The deal was to price and settle oil trades in US dollars. The arrangement ensured a constant global demand for the US dollar. While the system supported US economic dominance, we may be coming to the end of the petrodollar. The share of the US dollar in global reserves has been falling over the last two decades. Moreover, countries buying oil in local currencies have seen a substantial rise. Let’s discuss if we are at the end of the dollar’s reign.
China is the world’s largest oil importer. The nation has also started a crusade against the US dollar. China has encouraged oil exporters like Saudi Arabia to accept the yuan for oil trades and settlements. China also does oil deals with Russia using the yuan.
India has also joined the US dollar-ditching bandwagon. The country began paying for some oil imports from the UAE and Russia in rupees. President Trump recently imposed a 25% tariff on India for its Russian oil purchases. India released a statement saying that it needs to keep its national interests in check. The country will likely continue buying Russian energy for the foreseeable future.
There are also hints that Saudi Arabia is open to accepting yuan or other currencies for oil exports. If Saudi Arabia begins settling oil trades in non-US dollar currencies, we may see a big shift in global currency domination. The US dollar, and petrodollar for that matter, may see a halting end to its dominance. READ MORE
RealMoneyBlog - Free daily/weekly email
8.4.25 - What the BRICS 2025 Summit Achieved
Gold last traded at $3,375 an ounce. Silver at $37.41 an ounce.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The most recent BRICS summit provided productive discussions for the growing alliance. There is tremendous uniformity in their focus on de-dollarization and in their development of alternative currency options. During the summit, the BRICS Multilateral Guarantees initiative was established, allowing for monetary cooperation among the BRICS nations.
BRICS 2025: What the Summit Really Achieved Behind Closed Doors -Watcher.Guru
by Loredana Harsana
The BRICS 2025 summit in Rio actually delivered some concrete outcomes, even though key leaders like Putin and Xi Jinping weren’t there. While much of the media focused on who was absent, the BRICS summit 2025 produced tangible agreements on currency cooperation and also infrastructure investment. The BRICS 2025 meeting established what’s called the BRICS Multilateral Guarantees initiative and made real progress on monetary cooperation among BRICS countries, which signals a shift toward practical implementation rather than just diplomatic talk.
The BRICS summit 2025 actually produced a joint declaration titled “Strengthening Global South Cooperation for a More Inclusive and Sustainable Governance” that all the participating BRICS countries adopted. The summit introduced what they’re calling the BRICS Multilateral Guarantees initiative, which the World Bank’s Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency inspired.
This new institution aims to help with infrastructure investment across the Global South by providing investment guarantees that reduce political risk. The initiative shows continued interest in building parallel institutions to existing frameworks, and developers expect it to progress through 2025 and 2026, along with other cooperative efforts. READ MORE
RealMoneyBlog - Free daily/weekly email
8.1.25 - India Lets 30 Countries Trade With Rupee
Gold last traded at $3,357 an ounce. Silver at $36.98 an ounce.
EDITOR'S NOTE: As President Trump continues to navigate his way through choppy financial waters, he now has the added headache of BRICS nations operating independently by utilizing their own currencies. Another bold move forward in their efforts to dethrone the US dollar.
India Lets 30 Countries Trade With Rupee in New BRICS Strategy -Watcher.Guru
by Vinod Dsouza
US President Donald Trump imposed 25% tariffs on India, accusing it of indulging in anti-American activities. Trump also imposed a penalty on India for buying Russian crude oil and military equipment despite the sanctions. The US President is coming down hard on BRICS, especially India, accusing them of advancing de-dollarization by putting the rupee ahead for trade and transactions.
Even before Trump imposed 25% tariffs, India had been closely working to allow nearly 30 countries, including BRICS members, to settle payments in the rupee through the special Vostro bank accounts. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) recently lifted the cap on Vostro accounts investments to push the rupee-denominated trade, according to a recent report from Reuters.
BRICS member India is aiming to internationalize the rupee with the new Vostro bank accounts, making it easier for other countries to settle payments. Vostro accounts enable domestic Indian banks to facilitate payments from various countries and overseas businesses in rupees. Countries that initiate cross-border transactions with India can open Vostro accounts and remit the rupee directly. This saves overseas clients from foreign exchange charges that eat up a chunk of their remittance.
Among the 30 countries, 22 nations have already settled trade using the rupee through Vostro bank accounts. The countries include Bangladesh, Belarus, Botswana, Fiji, Germany, Guyana, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Myanmar, New Zealand, Oman, Russia, Seychelles, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Uganda, and the United Kingdom. BRICS members and partner countries, Russia, Belarus, Malaysia, and Uganda, among others, have used the rupee for settlements with India. READ MORE
RealMoneyBlog - Free daily/weekly email
7.31.25 - Global gold demand up 3%
Gold last traded at $3,294 an ounce. Silver at $36.70 an ounce.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Gold continues to climb in value, and has been capturing headlines along the way. There are several factors at work contributing to its gains, with one of the most important being good, old fashioned demand. We've seen a 3% increase in global demand in the second quarter of this year, according to the World Gold Council.
Global gold demand up 3% in second quarter as investment jumps, WGC says -Yahoo! Finance
LONDON (Reuters) -Global gold demand including over-the-counter (OTC) trading rose by 3% year-on-year to 1,248.8 metric tons in the second quarter of 2025 as investment jumped 78%, the World Gold Council said on Thursday.
Spot gold prices are up 26% so far this year after hitting a record $3,500 per troy ounce in April as uncertain global trade policy and geopolitical turbulence fuelled inflows into safe-haven assets.
Demand for gold bars rose 21% in the second quarter, offsetting a continuing slump in demand for coins, said the WGC, an industry body whose members are global gold miners.
Physically backed gold exchange-traded funds recorded their largest semi-annual inflow since the first half of 2020 from January to June, the WGC said earlier in July. READ MORE
RealMoneyBlog - Free daily/weekly email
7.30.25 - Why are the BRICS accumulating gold?
Gold last traded at $3,275 an ounce. Silver at $37.12 an ounce.
Should you invest in gold? -Yahoo! Finance
Yesterday we wrote about Fidelity calling for $4,000 gold, today it's Goldman Sachs with the same prediction. As these forecasts roll in, gold sits at $3,300, which would mean a $700 increase in five months or less. Call Swiss America today to get in before it does.
by Pedro Goncalves
Gold’s allure has attracted retail investors in their droves and is trading well above $3,000 as the so-called “safe haven” asset has provided stability amid turmoil in the financial markets.
US president Donald Trump’s tariff blitz reignited fears of a full-blown trade war, prompting investors to seek refuge in the precious metal. Historically viewed as a hedge during political and financial instability, gold reached an all-time high of $3,500.05 in April.
Rick Kanda, managing director at The Gold Bullion Company, said: "Gold has been the go-to investment for centuries, and it’s easy to see why people buy gold. The timeless reliability is why gold remains a favourite for those wanting to protect their wealth, no matter what’s happening in the economy.
"It’s like a steady friend you can always count on. When currencies take a hit, gold often holds its ground or can even climb higher. This is particularly true when the US dollar, the heavyweight of global trading currencies, starts to wobble." READ MORE
Why are the BRICS accumulating gold? -Brics Brasil
As the dollar continues to decline in value, nations around the world–along with Central Banks–continue to accumulate gold at a record pace. It's a move to de-dollarize, as well as put global dollar dependence in the rear view mirror.
by Aleksandra Zakartchouk
Several countries are reinforcing their gold holdings to reduce dependence on the U.S. dollar.
The escalation of geopolitical tensions since 2022 — marked by wars, economic sanctions, and asset seizures — has accelerated a shift in the global monetary system. In this context, BRICS countries like China, Russia, and India have been increasing their gold reserves at a record pace, reflecting a rising demand for security.
This strategy is a direct response to the use of the dollar as a tool of coercion, the institutional vulnerabilities of the SWIFT system, and the real risk of international asset freezes, as seen in 2022 with Russia. As a result, they helped pave the way for a multipolar financial system backed by real assets and supported by central bank digital currencies (CBDCs).
The World Gold Council (WGC), the leading global authority on the gold market, monitors gold supply and demand, offering reliable data to investors, governments, and central banks. Headquartered in London, the WGC is a global benchmark for understanding how gold impacts the world economy. Its April 2025 report shows Q1 gold demand hit 1,206 tonnes — the highest since 2016 —driven by central banks, investors, and technology sectors. READ MORE
A Decade in Deficit: US National Debt from 2015 to 2025 -Direct News Centre
It's common knowledge that the US debt is more than just an abstract problem. This article will illustrate just how bad it has become over the last 10 years.
It's common knowledge that the US debt is more than just an abstract problem. This article will illustrate just how bad it has become over the last 10 years.
At the start of 2015, the total US national debt—combining debt held by the public and intragovernmental holdings—stood around $18.1 trillion, about 100% of GDP. By mid‑2025, total debt surpassed $36 trillion, more than double the level seen just ten years prior.
Two periods drove the most dramatic jumps: following the 2008–2009 financial crisis and, more recently, during the COVID‑19 pandemic. Between 2013 and 2023, the debt rose by roughly $16.8 trillion. Fiscal relief packages in 2020 alone pushed the debt to record highs; by early 2022 it topped $30 trillion for the first time .
As of June 4 2025, the US government owed approximately $36.21 trillion in gross national debt. Debt held by the public is about $28.9 trillion, with intragovernmental holdings (like Social Security trust funds) making up the remainder.
Interest payments on the debt have surged alongside it. In FY 2023, the government spent some $678 billion in cash interest, with total interest (including intragovernmental) near $875 billion . Experts warn interest is now the second-largest federal expense after Social Security .
The US debt-to-GDP ratio first exceeded 100% in 2013 and stayed above that level through the past decade. As of 2024, it hovered around 100%, climbing further to approximately 123% in May 2025. READ MORE
RealMoneyBlog - Free daily/weekly email
7.29.25 - Fidelity Says $4,000 Gold Possible
Gold last traded at $3,326 an ounce. Silver at $38.21 an ounce.
EDITOR'S NOTE: As the dollar continues its slide, the predictions for gold continue to be positive. This latest call is for a very bullish move. If things continue as they have been, Fidelity's $4,000 prediction could very well be a quick stop on the way to even higher gains.
Fidelity Says $4,000 Gold Possible as Fed Cuts, Dollar Drops -Yahoo! Finance
by Sybilla Gross
(Bloomberg) — Gold could hit $4,000 an ounce by the end of next year as the Federal Reserve cuts rates to cushion the US economy, the dollar drops, and central banks keep adding holdings, according to Fidelity International.
Multi-asset fund manager Ian Samson said the firm remained bullish on the precious metal, with some cross-asset portfolios recently increasing holdings as prices eased from an all-time high above $3,500 an ounce in April.
“The rationale for that was that we saw a clearer path to a more dovish Federal Reserve,” Samson said in an interview, adding that some funds had as much as doubled their 5% allocation over the past year. Also, August is often slightly weaker for markets, so more diversification “makes sense,” he said.
Gold is up by more than a quarter this year, as uncertainty around President Donald Trump’s aggressive attempts to reshape global trade, conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, and central-bank accumulation buttressed gains. Still, the metal has traded within a tight range over the past few months, with demand for havens cooling a little as some progress in US trade talks eased fears about worst-case-scenarios for the global economy. READ MORE
RealMoneyBlog - Free daily/weekly email
7.28.25 - How Shifting Debt Levels Are Driving Gold and Silver Prices
Gold last traded at $3,315 an ounce. Silver at $38.13 an ounce.
EDITOR'S NOTE: If you believe debt is a problem in this country, have I got the perfect investment for you: gold and silver. Don't take my word for it, you can read for yourself why it's not only a great financial step forward, but a necessary one.
How Shifting Debt Levels Are Driving Gold and Silver Prices -Investing Haven
Surging global debt is pushing investors toward gold and silver as safe havens amid fiscal stress and negative real yields.
Global debt has surged to record levels, topping $324 trillion in Q1 2025, a $7.5 trillion jump in just three months . As governments borrow more, investors increasingly turn toward hard assets. This rising global debt is shifting investor behavior toward precious metals like gold and silver.
Public debt is now nearing 100% of global GDP, with 80% of countries experiencing rising debt-to-GDP ratios .
In the U.S. alone, national debt exceeds $36 trillion, and China’s debt is expected to hit 100% of GDP by year-end.
This debt crisis weakens faith in fiat currencies, making gold a preferred store of value. Gold has rallied roughly 29% year‑to‑date, while silver has climbed about 25–36%, reflecting how debt levels boost silver prices and strengthen gold’s appeal. READ MORE
RealMoneyBlog - Free daily/weekly email
7.25.25 - 'Bubbles Are About To Start Busting'
Gold last traded at $3,328 an ounce. Silver at $38.10 an ounce.
EDITOR'S NOTE: As the old adage goes, "all good things must come to an end". Will this be true for bitcoin and the high-flying stock market? According to this journalist, the answer is yes. All markets have been through decades of ups and downs but bitcoin is a whole new financial frontier. Can bitcoin weather the storms as other markets have? Or is a collapse possible?
‘Bubbles Are About To Start Busting’—Huge Price Swings Spark Fear Of A Stock Market And Bitcoin Crash
by Billy Bambrough
Bitcoin has rocketed this year, soaring along with the stock market that’s hit repeated all-time highs (even as Elon Musk quietly moving bitcoin sets alarm bells ringing).
The bitcoin price has almost doubled since U.S. president Donald Trump retook the White House, hitting an all-time high of $123,000 per bitcoin as a crisis engulfs the Federal Reserve, while stock markets are also at all time highs.
Now, as traders bet on a controversial “infinite money glitch," some are warning the bitcoin price and stock market bubble could be about to burst as prices swing wildly.
“The crypto market took a nosedive, losing almost 4% of its market cap over the last 24 hours,” Alex Kuptsikevich, FxPro chief market analyst, said in emailed comments and pointing to double-digit percentage declines for some of the biggest cryptocurrencies that’s wiped $100 billion from the combined crypto market.
“A reversal to growth will be needed to stop the build-up of pessimism for the entire crypto market, where corrective sentiment is intensifying.”
Bitcoin and stock markets could see a sell-off in coming weeks due to fears over Trump’s latest trade tariffs, due to take effect from August 1, or changes to the Federal Reserve’s expected cuts to interest rates, according to analysts with Piper Sandler. READ MORE
RealMoneyBlog - Free daily/weekly email
7.24.25 - 10 Economic Facts Nobody Can Deny
Gold last traded at $3,367 an ounce. Silver at $39.07 an ounce.
EDITOR'S NOTE: We are all feeling the financial pinch of rising costs lately. Politicians–as well as some on Wall Street–continue to give empty assurances that our economy is robust and inflation is in check. The real numbers tell a different story. Here are ten examples.
10 Economic Facts That Nobody Can Deny -ZeroHedge
Authored by Michael Snyder via TheMostImportantNews.com
If you ask 1,000 different Americans about the state of the U.S. economy, you will get 1,000 different opinions. But what is the truth? In this article, I am going to share information with you that is indisputable. I like to examine things from an analytical point of view, and so I always want to know what the cold, hard numbers are telling me. And what the cold, hard numbers are telling me is very troubling.
The following are 10 economic facts that nobody can deny…
#1 The Conference Board’s index of leading economic indicators fell more than expected last month, and during the entire first half of 2025 it declined at an even faster rate than it did during the second half of 2024… READ MORE
RealMoneyBlog - Free daily/weekly email
7.23.25 - Have stocks hit the 'line of death'?
Gold last traded at $3,387 an ounce. Silver at $39.27 an ounce.
Silver's hot streak gathers pace; market at highest since 2011-Yahoo! Finance
Silver prices continue to climb rapidly. Its industrial uses continue to grow, and now even crypto holders are using it as a hedge.
by Polina Devitt and Sherin Elizabeth Varghese
(Reuters) -Silver prices surged to their highest in almost 14 years on Wednesday, aided by worries about U.S. tariff policy, signs of tightness in the spot market and growing investor interest in alternatives to gold.
Spot silver was up 0.3% at $39.40 per troy ounce as of 1354 GMT, its highest level since September 2011.
Silver, both a precious and industrial metal, is up 36% this year, outperforming gold's 31% growth and coming within a whisker of the key $40-per-ounce mark. The metal hit a record high of $49 in 2011.
U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to impose 50% import tariffs on copper from August 1 and the U.S. import tariffs for Mexico widened the premium of the U.S. futures for silver and other metals against the London benchmarks in July, leading to a growth in lease rates in the spot market.
Gold, silver, platinum and palladium were excluded from Trump's April reciprocal tariffs, but "the broader market isn't trading it that way and is taking a page out of Comex copper's handbook", Nicky Shiels, head of metals strategy at MKS PAMP. READ MORE
Stocks just hit a 'line of death' last reached at the peak of the dot-com bubble, veteran investor Bill Smead warns -Business Insider
The stock market has been experiencing a pretty strong and sustained rally. Many wonder how long this rally will continue. According to Bill Smead, we just crossed a pivotal marker, and he's suggesting we may very well see another dotcom-esque bubble burst. Let's hope he's wrong.
by William Edwards
Bill Smead doesn't know how long the current stock-market rally can continue, but the veteran investor does think it's in a particularly vulnerable spot.
In his Q2 letter to investors on July 15, Smead — whose Smead Value Fund (SMVLX) has beaten 96% of peers over the last 15 years, Morningstar data shows — shared a chart displaying inflation-adjusted S&P 500 returns since the 1960s.
An upward trend line shows resistance at two major market peaks, in 1966 and in 2000, is also shown. In both of those instances when S&P 500 inflation-adjusted returns hit the trend line, a significant correction followed.
In recent weeks, the market has touched the line for the third time since 1960 as the S&P 500 has surged to all-time highs around 6,300. READ MORE
Brace For Soaring Electricity Bills: Biggest US Power Grid Sets Power Costs At Record High To Feed AI -ZeroHedge
Will AI make electricity impossible to afford? The energy consumption of AI is just one of the many negatives consequences of this technology that is growing at a "relentless,ravenous" pace.
by Tyler Durden
Very soon if you want AI (and even if you don't), you won't be able to afford AC.
Just this morning we warned readers that America's largest power grid, PJM Interconnect, which serves 65 million people across 13 states and Washington, DC, and more importantly feeds Deep State Central's Loudoun County, Virginia, also known as 'Data Center Alley' and which is recognized as one of the world's largest hubs for data centers...
... had recently issued multiple 'Maximum Generation' and 'Load Management' alerts this summer, as the heat pushes power demand to the brink with air conditioners running at full blast across the eastern half of the U.S.
But as anyone who has not lived under a rock knows, the deeper issue is that there's simply not enough baseload juice to feed the relentless, ravenous growth of power-hungry AI server racks at new data centers.
"There is simply no new capacity to meet new loads," said Joe Bowring to Bloomberg, president of Monitoring Analytics, which is the independent watchdog for PJM Interconnection. "The solution is to make sure that people who want to build data centers are serious enough about it to bring their own generation."
Well, there is another solution: crank up prices to the stratosphere. VIEW CHARTS AND READ MORE
RealMoneyBlog - Free daily/weekly email
To see older blog posts CLICK HERE
