Financial crisis

In just a few days, the global geopolitical and economic situation has suddenly become tense. The attack by the United States and Israel on Iran on February 28 caused a sharp rise in oil prices and reignited fears of inflation.

The gap between the euphoria in the equity markets and the first cracks emerging in certain areas of credit is striking. In this environment, gold plays the role of an insurance against a financial accident or a sudden reversal in liquidity.

The downturn is now global and simultaneous: US consumption is running out of steam, unemployment is rising in Europe, household and business confidence is collapsing in China, while defaults are increasing and bond flows betray a growing flight for safety.

Ray Dalio: "It seems to me indisputably true that gold is a money and it is the money that is least at risk of being devalued and/or confiscated. You should think of gold as being a fundamental money that you should own at least some of."

With the US government shutdown, “fiscal QE” came to an abrupt halt. It comes at a time when the US Treasury has become the central player in providing liquidity to the system. The longer the situation drags on, the more the pipeline seizes up – and the greater the likelihood of an accident.

For two years, observers have been puzzled by a paradox: while the Fed is reducing the size of its balance sheet through quantitative tightening (QT), the M2 money supply is on the rise. The key to this mystery lies in the growing role of money market funds (MMFs).

To function, a gold standard would require a far higher price than today. Will Donald Trump, willingly or not, help China and Russia rebuild the international monetary system? The answer could come within weeks — or months at most.

France is going through a critical period in its history. The country's democratic and political crisis is now compounded by the possibility of a financial crisis.

Mitch Vexler, a real estate developer turned whistleblower, detailed what he considers to be a ticking time bomb at the heart of the US financial system: the way property taxes fuel public school funding and school bonds.

On September 8, the French government will face a decisive confidence vote. The risk is clear: if the government fails and the general strike brings the country to a standstill, France could plunge into a systemic bond and banking crisis within a matter of days, with no credible political support...