Claudio Grass

No economy is immune to public panicThe risk of a bank run is also present in much more stable economies and a harsh crisis is not necessary to trigger it. A prime and fairly recent example of this can be found in the mass withdrawals Home Capital faced in 2017, in Canada. The lender, based in Toronto, offered uninsured mortgages to borrowers who had been rejected by traditional banks and it ca...

There are numerous and wide-ranging reasons why someone may choose to invest in physical precious metals. A deep understanding of monetary history provides plenty of solid arguments, and so do the mounting geopolitical risks, the spiking probability of a recession and the long-term goal of many conservative investors to safeguard their financial self-determination. For me, while all of these re...

Depression and mass unemployment are not caused by the free market, but by government interference in the economy.” – Ludwig on Mises, The Theory of Money and CreditWhat is clear is that all indications point to the fact that the Fed made a serious judgement error when it began its tightening program in 2017. It overestimated the robustness of the economy, underestimated the level of addiction ...

The essence of the interventionist policy is to take from one group to give to another. It is confiscation and distribution.“ – Ludwig von Mises, Human ActionIn less than a year, we have witnessed an unprecedented monetary policy rollercoaster by the Federal Reserve, which began with a momentous U-turn in the central bank’s guidance in January, and has continued to escalate ever since. It is ea...

Few investors and market observers were really surprised when Mario Draghi announced the ECB’s next massive easing package in mid-September. Cutting rates further into negative territory and the revival of QE were largely expected sooner or later, as the “whatever it takes” outgoing ECB President is now faced with a wide economic slowdown in the Eurozone. After all, over the last decade, the EC...

After a remarkable run over the past few months, gold and silver now appear to have entered a period of consolidation. Many speculators and short-term focused investors have sold their positions fearing a correction, while mainstream market commentators fuel these fears, with analyses that proclaim “the end of the road” for gold and silver.Of course, nothing could be further from the truth. All...

We’ve recently seen a lot of coverage and even more “expert analyses” on the state of the bond market, to the extent that the average investor, or the average citizen for that matter, is likely to be overwhelmed and very confused about what it all means. Experts from the institutional side and defenders of the current monetary direction argue that it is all the result of policy choices, that’s ...

“Our prosperity is temporary and illusory. “PART IIClaudio Grass (CG): While President Trump blames the Fed, the Fed blames the President and his trade war for the recent turbulence in the markets. What do you identify as the most important effects of the trade frictions in the country? Do you expect the conflict to be resolved before the next election?Jeff Deist (JD): Tariffs are a form of eco...

“Our prosperity is temporary and illusory. “As we go through an important paradigm shift in politics, in the global economy, in equity markets, and of course in precious metals too, the fundamental economic principles we used to rely on seem to be increasingly under attack. Central bankers the world over are doubling down on reckless monetary policies, punishing savers and responsible, long-ter...

Even with seasoned precious metals investors, it is often the case that platinum gets overlooked, while gold and silver dominate the conversation over which metal affords the best long-term protection of one’s wealth. Nevertheless, platinum has proved to be an excellent store of value, while it also offers a number of interesting advantages as a long-term investment that could play an important...