Gold last traded at $1,301 an ounce. Silver at $15.32 an ounce.

News Summary: Precious metal prices rose Monday, building on last week's rally, as investors eye Fed meeting. U.S. stocks struggle for direction as traders await Fed statement due later this week.

Why Gold Is Still The Best Basis For Money- Forbes
"To understand why gold works, as a standard of monetary value, you have to understand what makes good money. Today's cryptocurrency enthusiasts are rediscovering what monetary thinkers have always known: that the best money is stable money, or, as I like to term it, Stable Money -- money that is stable in value....Ideally, a currency would be perfectly stable in value. The market economy is organized via prices, profit margins, returns on capital and interest rates. Changes in the value of the currency derange this process, creating chaos and havoc....In practice, such idealized perfection is not quite possible, so we have to go with the next best thing. The next best thing is gold: the thing that most closely approximates this ideal of stability of value....Gold's performance as a standard of Stable Value has been exemplary. It is, actually, a lot better than one might rationally expect. The things that the gold standard made possible -- such as the extraordinary stability of bond yields during the nineteenth century -- have never been replicated under fiat currencies....Economies work best when currencies are stable in value. Once we know what the goal is, we then look for a way to achieve it; and the best way has always been to base a currency on gold. Nobody has found a better way, even in the form of a proposal; and nobody has ever needed to find a better way, because gold has always worked very well."

A Recession Is Coming, And Maybe a Bear Market, Too - Bloomberg
"The recessionary indicators are numerous. Tighter monetary policy by the Federal Reserve that the central bank now worries it may have overdone. The near-inversion in the Treasury yield curve. The swoon in stocks at the end of last year. Weaker housing activity. Soft consumer spending. The tiny 20,000 increase in February payrolls, compared to the 223,000 monthly average gain last year. Then there are the effects of the deteriorating European economies and decelerating growth in China as well as President Donald Trump’s ongoing trade war with that country. There is, of course, a small chance of a soft landing such as in the mid-1990s. At that time, the Fed ended its interest-rate hiking cycle and cut the federal funds rate with no ensuing recession. By my count, the other 12 times the central bank restricted credit in the post-World War II era, a recession resulted.... At present, I don’t see any major economic or financial bubbles that are just begging to be pricked. The only possibilities are excess debt among U.S. nonfinancial corporations and the heavy borrowing in dollars by emerging-market economies in the face of a rising greenback. Housing never fully recovered from the subprime mortgage debacle. The financial sector is still deleveraging in the wake of the financial crisis. Consumer debt remains substantial but well off its 2008 peak in relation to household income."

"Kicking The Can Down The Road Forever": Nobody In Charge Wants 2019 To Actually Begin- Zero Hedge
"As we crawl towards the end of Q1 it becomes evident that the main theme for 2019, besides appalling far-right violence, is that nobody in charge wants 2019 to actually begin. What do I mean by that? That all we see everywhere is can-kicking rather than decision making. For example, look at Brexit. After last week’s drama of the UK having now said No to EU membership, No to PM May’s Withdrawal Deal, No to No Deal, No to a second referendum, and No to Parliament testing out alternatives to May’s deal, this week we are either going to see May’s deal reheated and presented once again...For a second example, look at UK-China trade relations. The news from the South China Morning Post today is that the Trump-Xi summit to sign this 'trade deal' --on which I have been voluble in my scepticism-- is now not going to take place in March, or even in April. Now it is apparently going to happen in June. The reason? The same one that led to my scepticism: no agreement from China on the structure of enforcement mechanisms that will mean the deal means something. Of course, that is also epic can-kicking....Furthermore, the US Federal Reserve, when they meet this week, will also try to send the message that doing precisely nothing is exactly the right action to take....In short, 2019 is aping 1984: not just on the invasive/repressive technology front, where China is leading the way, but in that its vision of the future being a boot kicking a can down the road – forever."

Expectations of weaker economy unites small business owners- Fox Business
"Although small businesses vary widely in terms of size, industry and issues, they do appear to be generally united by a growing uneasiness about the economy. Several surveys and economic reports released in recent weeks show that company owners have more trust in their businesses than the national or local economy, and that they're running their businesses more conservatively in response to uncertainty about overall business conditions. In a survey by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and MetLife taken in January, 53 percent of the 1,001 randomly selected small business owners questioned said they believe the national economy is in good shape, down from 58 percent in a survey taken in the last quarter of 2018. Fifty-three percent said their local economy is in good health, down from 56 percent. A small business index that accompanied the survey fell to 65.6 from 69.3 in the fourth quarter. 'The change is largely due to a decline in economic outlook and expectations (both national and local), but small business owners report their fundamental operations remain strong,' the chamber and MetLife said."

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Gold last traded at $1,302 an ounce. Silver at $15.32 an ounce.

News Summary: Precious metal prices rose Friday on a weaker U.S. dollar and renewed optimism over a U.S.-China trade deal. U.S. stocks continued higher as investors digested comments from Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.

Commerzbank Sees $1,400 Gold, $16.50 Silver By Year-End - Kitco
"Commerzbank looks for gold to climb as high as $1,400 an ounce and silver to $16.50 before the end of 2019. Gold started the year strongly, nearly reaching $1,350 an ounce last month, helped by a U.S. Federal Reserve that made a dovish U-turn and now appears cautious about hiking interest rates again. However, the metal subsequently gave up much of its gains and was trading at $1,303.60... Silver, which has followed gold up and back down, was at $15.35. Analysts pointed out that gold hit its yearly highs in 2014, 2015 and 2018 during the first three months of the year. However, they say they do not think the metal has peaked in 2019, calling the recent pullback a 'pronounced correction,' with more upside to come. 'We are still convinced that gold will climb noticeably during the course of the year,' Commerzbank said. 'This is supported by the premature end to the Fed’s rate-hike cycle, the continued ultra-expansionary monetary policy of the ECB [European Central Bank], possibly stronger demand in China and India again and a possible revival of investment demand in the West. What is more, central banks remain important buyers. Gold is likely to rise to $1,400 per troy ounce by year’s end.'"

Is Income Inequality Fair? -Williams/Zero Hedge
"Some Americans have much higher income and wealth than others. Former President Barack Obama explained, 'I do think at a certain point you've made enough money.'....Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Elizabeth Warren, in calling for a wealth tax, complained, 'The rich and powerful are taking so much for themselves and leaving so little for everyone else.'....A system that requires that one serve his fellow man to have a claim on what he produces is far more moral than a system without such a requirement....Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, with a net worth over $90 billion, is the second-richest person in the world...Millions of people around the world voluntarily plunked down money to buy Microsoft products...If Gates and others had followed President Obama's advice that 'at a certain point' they'd 'made enough money' and shut down their companies when they had earned their first billion or two, mankind wouldn't have most of the technological development we enjoy today....The only people who benefit from class warfare are politicians and the elite; they get our money and control our lives. Plus, we just might ask ourselves: Where is a society headed that holds its most productive members up to ridicule and scorn and makes mascots out of its least productive and most parasitic members?"

U.S. manufacturing sector slowing as economy loses momentum - Reuters
"U.S. manufacturing output fell for a second straight month in February and factory activity in New York state was weaker than expected this month, offering further evidence of a sharp slowdown in economic growth early in the first quarter. The reports on Friday extended the streak of weak economic data and underscored the Federal Reserve’s 'patient' stance toward further interest rate increases this year. Fed officials are scheduled to meet next Tuesday and Wednesday to assess the economy and deliberate on the future course of monetary policy. The U.S. central bank raised rates four times last year....In a separate report on Friday, the New York Fed said its general business conditions index fell 5.1 points to a reading of 3.7 in February. It was the third consecutive monthly reading below 10, which the New York Fed said suggested 'that growth has remained quite a bit slower so far this year than it was for most of 2018.'"

Explosion of global debt biggest risk to world's financial system, Bank of Canada warns- Financial Post
"The Bank of Canada’s senior deputy governor says an explosion of global debt over the last decade is a top concern that she argues is holding back economic growth and creating vulnerabilities in the world’s financial system. The global financial system is in better shape than it was in 2007 before the financial crisis, but unknowns such as ongoing U.S.-China trade tensions could knock things off course, Carolyn Wilkins said in a speech Thursday in Vancouver. Wilkins also warned that high debt loads usually become an 'amplifying factor' when it comes to an economic downturn....'The global development that concerns me the most, though, is rising debt,' Wilkins said in her speech at an event hosted by the University of British Columbia’s economics department and CFA Society Vancouver....She said the combined global debt owed by governments, businesses and households now amounts to US$240 trillion, which is US$100 trillion higher than just before the financial crisis and more than three times the world’s gross domestic product. Government debt, she added, has 'skyrocketed' over the past 10 years, while corporate borrowing has “exploded” and now displays some risky qualities....Wilkins added it’s important for policy-makers around the world to continue efforts to conduct stress tests on different parts of the financial system, and, when necessary, put in safeguards."

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Gold last traded at $1,295 an ounce. Silver at $15.17 an ounce.

NEWS SUMMARY: Precious metal prices eased back Thursday on profit-taking and a firmer dollar. U.S. stocks traded mostly lower following weaker-than-expected housing data and Facebook's 2% slide after a worldwide outage of its apps, Instagram and WhatsApp.

$1,700 Gold Is On The Horizon, Says Analyst -Kitco
"A potential correction in the equities market, coupled with rising U.S. debt levels, will play in gold's favor, said Jay Taylor of J. Taylor's Gold, Energy & Tech Stocks. 'I think we need to get through $1,350, $1,360 [an ounce], and then the first major target that I see, and I'm not sure of the timing, I think we're looking at $1,700,' Taylor told Kitco News on the sidelines of the Metals Investor Forum in Toronto. Taylor noted that this target is unlikely to be met this year, adding a one to two year time horizon."

How to Think About Stocks and Bonds in a Bear Market -Wall Street Journal
"Being surprised at equities’ ups and downs is like visiting Chicago in January and being shocked by 8 inches of snowfall. Similarly, when you invest in stocks, be prepared to occasionally lose a large pile of money....Staying the course when the sky turns dark requires a more systematic approach, and being able to execute it depends almost entirely on one’s frame of mind. How do you get to that healthy place in your mind? Your psychological investment overcoat is the fundamental equation of happiness: Well-being = Reality minus Expectation....The lower your expectations, the better you will feel when things head south, and the better you feel the more likely it is that you will see your strategy through....So, my advice is to mentally vaporize 75% of your portfolio, and when the crunch inevitably transpires, you will be psychologically well-prepared. In investing, to paraphrase the redoubtable Yankee catcher, psychology is destiny."

The Only Way to Drain The Swamp... -Bonner/Bonner And Partners
"The only way the White House could make a real cut in spending would be to propose an across-the-board cut... and bypass Congress, selling the idea directly to the American people. The president would have to use his histrionic genius by going on TV and explaining what is really going on... and that the real beneficiaries [of rising debt] are the Swamp Critters, not the American people)....We are now at the tail end of a boom. GDP growth rates have been going down for at least 30 years. Averaged over the last 10 years, the real GDP growth rate now is only 1.5%, not 3%. And there’s no evidence - none - that the trend of the last 10 years is reversing. And why would it? The burden of debt is still growing, not shrinking. And interest rates are rising, not falling… making the debt burden heavier....The real crisis will begin, no matter which party is in power, when the stock market crashes. Then, growth rates will go negative... and federal borrowing will soar....Government revenue… now running about $3 trillion… will fall to $2 trillion. And federal spending… now running about $4 trillion… will rise to about $5 trillion. The feds will not be able to finance that $3 trillion gap without pushing up interest rates. But higher rates will sink the economy into a depression, further reducing federal revenues. So, the feds will resort to the 'printing press' - aka, the Fed. We don’t presume to know what will happen in any detail. But some trends are almost impossible to reverse. Instead, they have to run their course... all the way to the grim end."

Forget the Green New Deal. We need free-market climate solutions -Kasich/USA TODAY
"There’s a lot of talk these days about the Green New Deal, a progressive Democratic response to the challenge of climate change. While it is intended to improve our environment, many Republicans and even some Democrats fear that it would stifle economic growth and kill jobs, set off a massive redistribution of wealth, and dangerously centralize federal government power. But for all those problems, the Green New Deal is serving an important purpose by provoking a more vigorous level of public debate...The time has come for people who understand the need to be good stewards of our economy as well as our environment to put forward a responsible program. I am convinced that conservatives and moderates, including many Democrats, can agree on a commonsense set of policies. They would be based on responsible economic principles of free-market capitalism and personal choice, not coercion. They would actually reduce regulation and lighten the heavy hand of government, while stimulating job growth and the economy, encouraging innovation, benefiting working-class Americans and - most important - protecting and improving the environment we share with the world....It’s time for free-market moderates on both sides of the aisle to come up with answers of their own."

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