Barron's: Gold Could Be in a Prolonged Tailspin

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Don’t expect gold prices to recover anytime soon, because the strength of the U.S. dollar will keep a lid on any rally at the very least and could push prices for the metal down further. Read more here.

Forbes: Did The Fed Break The "Yield Curve Indicator?"

By SIMON CONSTABLE

A once-reliable indicator of future recessions may be broken.

The metric in question is the so-called treasury yield-curve which measures the difference in the cost of the government borrowing for two years and the cost of the government borrowing for 10 years.

In the past, when the 2-year interest rate on U.S. Treasuries was higher than the 10-year rate on U.s. Treasuries, then we could reliably expect a recession in short order.

Not so much anymore, because recent actions by the Federal Reserve may have broken the indicator, according to one analyst. Read more here.

PJ Media: How GMOs or 'Frankenfoods' Help Reduce World Poverty

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Could so-called “Frankenfoods” be a solution to global poverty?

The answer is yes, according to a new study that shows increased use of genetically modified (GM) crops (those that have higher yields than non-modified plants) boosted the economics of some of the world’s poorest countries. The derogatory term Frankenfoods likens engineered plants, aka GM crops, to the fictional lab-made monster of Dr. Frankenstein, made famous in many movies.

However, the findings from the research also show the GM crops aren't a horror show at all. They provide yet more evidence of how capitalism is far better at tackling economic privation than any attempts at socialist-style wealth redistribution. Ironically, it could turn the producers of genetically modified (GM) crops and activists into unlikely partners. Read more here.

Forbes: Economics Disaster Won't Prompt Iran Regime Change

By SIMON CONSTABLE

There's some bad news for Iranians who are now suffering the wealth-withering effects of hyperinflation and mass unemployment.

Just because Iran's beleaguered economy is a mess doesn't mean that the end is in sight for the theocratic regime that has ruled the country since 1979.

History shows that regimes that send their countries into economic armageddon can continue on for years without being ousted. Read more here.

Forbes: Trump's Economy Still Lags That Of Clinton And Bush

By SIMON CONSTABLE

When the first read on second-quarter U.S. GDP data gets released Friday, its expected to be good enough to grab some big headlines.

But no one is expecting the growth to be anywhere near as good as things got in the years under President Bill Clinton or those of President George W Bush. Read more here.

Forbes: Why Globalization Ain't Dead Yet

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Claims that the era of free trade is on its last legs are much exaggerated.

It is nowhere near dead. Not by a long shot.

Assurances that the U.S. has embarked on a trade war that will collapse the world economy similarly grasp at a phantom menace.

Who knows for sure why people say such things, but we can make educated guesses.

A couple of probable reasons stand out as feasible. First, it may be because such scaremongers are too focused on the recent spats between the U.S. and China, plus the U.S. and the European Union. Alternatively, it could be that they aren’t aware of how the current tariffs fit into the move towards increasingly freer trade over the last two centuries. Read more here.

Forbes: Could Small Caps Help Investors Beat A Trade War?

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Talk of a trade war has been increasingly ubiquitous for the past few months, whether it be between the U.S. and either China or the U.S. and the European Union.

But that hasn't stopped investors piling into U.S. assets including greenbacks and stocks.

Read more here.