There are certain phrases – like “trust me” or “I got this” – that should immediately provoke one’s suspicion. When your slippery contractor tells you, “trust me, your kitchen renovation will be done before Christmas,” you should be wary. There’s no way it’ll be done until late spring. Or when your incompetent client says, “I won’t be needing your services at this t... read more

A host of global factors mean gold’s price is set to maintain its strength at least for the next six to 12 months, according to an economist from a top Singapore bank. “The world right now is in a precarious state and gold is due to benefit from this situation,” said Howie Lee, economist at Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation. Gold was changing hands at about $1,495 per ounce on Wedne... read more

Something is wrong with the global economy. It's not functioning as it "should," or traditionally has. Actually, the world economy seems downright dysfunctional. This distortion relative to past norms reminds me of the skewed, tragi-comedic worldview of Garp in John Irving's best-selling 1978 novel “The World According to Garp,” about a man born out of wedlock to a feminist icon. The U.S.... read more

-- Gold bulls are betting there’s more to the metal’s rally than rates. Bullion is on its way to a third straight monthly gain, trading near a six-year high as central banks signal easier monetary policy. The Federal Reserve is expected to cut U.S. interest rates by a quarter percentage point on Wednesday. Gold analysts and traders are looking for affirmation from Fed Chairman Jerome Po... read more

The Fed is about to embark on a rate cutting cycle that could stoke asset bubbles, forcing it to later cut interest rates back to zero or even negative levels in the future, according to Scott Minerd, global CIO at Guggeheim. Minerd expects the Fed to cut interest rates by a quarter point Wednesday, but he says the economy is much more in need of better fiscal policy than easier monetary pol... read more

- Gold prices steadied on Monday ahead of a U.S. Federal Reserve meeting later in the week where markets will watch for indications of monetary easing in the world's largest economy. Spot gold was up 0.2% at $1,419.91 per ounce as of 0456 GMT. Prices had dropped about half a percent in the previous week, pressured by dollar strength and robust U.S. economic data. U.S. gold futures were littl... read more

A quarter-point Federal Reserve interest rate cut in July is almost a done deal, according to economists in a Reuters poll, who expect another later in the year amid rising economic risks from the ongoing U.S.-China trade war. Expectations in the July 16-24 poll for the first rate cut in more than a decade have firmed this month after several Fed members have strongly hinted policy easing... read more

The Brexit deadline, a changing of the guard at the European Central Bank, and rising tensions in the Gulf — 2019 still has a lot of potential risks on the horizon. Nomura published its latest quarterly Risk Radar on Tuesday, which tracks “what we think investors need to know” for the rest of 2019 and beyond. The Japanese investment banks produced a graphic visualising all the risk poin... read more

(Bloomberg) -- UBS Group AG’s chief is sounding the alarm on fresh monetary easing just as European policy makers appear poised to deliver another helping to stimulus-hungry markets. “I’d be very, very careful about growing further the balance sheet of central banks,’’ Sergio Ermotti said in a Bloomberg TV interview on Tuesday, ahead of the European Central Bank’s policy decision... read more

(Bloomberg) -- Federal Reserve Bank of Boston President Eric Rosengren said the country’s last painful bout with high inflation was caused by White House meddling with monetary policy, a not-so-subtle warning about risks faced by the Fed amid pressure from President Donald Trump. “The framework the Fed found itself in during the 1960s and 1970s raised doubts that the central bank could a... read more