The Economy Isn’t Booming or Crashing; It’s Doing Something Stranger
The United States is living through an economy that defies the usual labels. Growth is neither roaring ahead nor collapsing, yet households and investors are wrestling with a mix of resilience, strain, and uncertainty that feels unfamiliar. Instead of a classic boom or bust, the data and daily experience point to something more uneven and, in many ways, stranger.
Output has slipped in fits and starts, prices have cooled without fully relieving pressure on budgets, and the job market is still creating work even as anxiety about layoffs and automation spreads. I see an economy that is decelerating, reshaping itself around new technologies and geopolitical shocks, and forcing consumers to adapt in ways that do not fit the old playbook of recession or recovery.
Looking ahead, I see a tug-of-war between supportive policy and structural headwinds. On one side, lower borrowing costs and government spending are poised to give the economy a lift. On the other, high public debt and the lingering effects of past rate hikes could limit how strong and inclusive any expansion becomes. The outcome will determine whether this strange middle ground evolves into a more familiar period of steady growth or tips into something rougher… (Continue to full article)
Here’s Where I Expect Gold and Silver Prices to Be Trading in 2026
This year has been very good to gold (GCG26) and silver (SIH26) market bulls, as Comex futures prices have gained around $1,700 so far this year and silver has more than doubled in price. Will 2026 be as kind to the two precious metals?
Given that this year’s price gains in both gold and silver are set to be the biggest ever, it would be a very tall order to expect price action in 2026 to be stronger than that seen in 2025. But you never really know — especially in the endeavor of trying to analyze and forecast raw commodity markets prices.
In my 40-plus-year career of reporting on the commodity markets, including metals, I cannot think of another time when gold traders were looking so closely at the silver market for daily guidance on price direction. I think such will continue to be the case for the next few weeks.
I’m still bullish, overall, on gold and silver, longer term, based on the bullish longer-term technicals that remain in place. Fundamentals are also rock-solid. Global central banks continue to stock up on gold reserves.
Silver’s rally this year is due in part to tightening silver inventories and robust retail and industrial demand, particularly from the expanding solar, electric vehicle, and data center industries… (Continue to full article)
A New Poll Has A Bold Prediction For The Value Of Gold In 2026
If you have been looking for a way to expand your investment returns in recent years, you might have considered gold. While there is a caveat to buying gold in 2025, it did go up in value throughout the year. As of mid-December 2025, it was solidly on its way to its largest year-over-year value increase in more than four decades. With those kinds of gains already locked in, you may now be wondering if gold is again worth buying in 2026.
A new poll from Goldman Sachs says that you may want to add gold to your portfolio before the new year. The investment bank took a survey in mid-November 2025 of more than 900 institutional investor clients using the Goldman Sachs Marquee platform. Almost 70% of the people responding to the poll expect gold to exceed $4,500 per ounce by the end of 2026 (via CNBC).
As of December 15, 2025, that amount of gold is trading in excess of $4,300, so that suggests the potential for a pretty sizable increase… (Continue to full article)
Gold Forecast to Glitter Again Next Year Despite Biggest Gain Since 1979
Gold has made its biggest jump since the 1979 oil crisis in 2025 — with prices doubling in the last two years — a performance which might previously have meant forecasts of a big correction.
Yet a growing investor pool and factors ranging from U.S. policy to war in Ukraine mean analysts at JP Morgan, Bank of America and consultancy Metals Focus now see bullion hitting $5,000 per troy ounce in 2026.
Spot gold prices reached a record $4,381 in October, having never hit $3,000 before March, driven by demand from central banks and investors with new participants ranging from stablecoin issuer Tether to corporate treasurers… (Continue to full article)
Social Security Is Earned Income, Not a “Federal Benefit”
Social Security is often framed as a handout from Washington, but the program rests on a simple, concrete reality: workers pay into it with every paycheck and then draw on what they have earned. Treating those monthly deposits as a casual “federal benefit” blurs the line between an entitlement someone has worked for and a discretionary program that can be trimmed at will.
That distinction matters for how voters think about retirement security, how lawmakers talk about deficits, and how future reforms are judged. When I look at the data, the tax rules, and even the way the government itself classifies different kinds of support, the picture is clear: Social Security is built on earned income, and the language we use should reflect that.
For most retirees, Social Security is not an abstract policy debate but the culmination of a working life measured in pay stubs. Many Americans can point to a span of more than 50 years in which every paycheck carried a line for Federal Insurance Contributions Act taxes, a quiet record of what they were told was a promise for old age… (Continue to full article)
Silver And Oil Prices Recently Witnessed An Important Crossover – The Last Time It Happened Was Over 40 Years Ago
Silver prices have more than doubled this year, and the absolute price of the commodity has even topped the price of oil.
Despite a slight decline on Tuesday, spot silver prices remained about $63 per ounce, higher than the per-barrel prices of Brent crude and West Texas Intermediate. This was the first time this has happened since the early 1980s.
The precious metal has been on a historic run this year, even outshining bullion. Silver demand has surged due to its expanding use in solar panels and electric vehicles, giving the metal a renewed role in the market and prompting concerns that supply could fall short… (Continue to full article)
