Barrons: The Price of Gold Could Hit a New Record High in 2020

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Investors who didn’t own gold in 2019 could be kicking themselves after an 18% rise in prices for the year. But it might not be too late to join the rally. 

Some gold bulls even see the price of bullion breaking the record high set in 2011, when it topped $1,900, roughly 25% higher than current levels. Robust buying by central banks, a weakening of the U.S. dollar, and growing political tensions could combine to fuel further gains. Read more here.

Photo by Jingming Pan on Unsplash

Forbes: U.S. Sanctions Prompted Iranian Attacks In 2019, Experts Say

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Last Friday's Iranian-backed attack on a U.S. military facility in Iraq is a direct consequence of the stringent sanctions imposed on Iran, experts say.

What's more, it likely won't be the last such event as Iran’s economy spirals into oblivion. Read more here.

Forbes: Oil Prices Face Double Whammy In 2020

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Oil traders should look out below for the next 12 months.

Next year, the energy market faces a double whammy of a supply glut and lackluster demand that could send prices for crude oil down more than 10% from current levels.

While that might mean lower gasoline prices at the pump, it could put the squeeze on countries in the middle east that rely on oil revenues. Read more here.

Photo by Delfino Barboza on Unsplash

Forbes: Wall Street Puzzle -- Investors Stampede Into Bonds Funds, While Economy Booms

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Investors can’t seem to get enough of mutual funds and exchange-traded funds that specialize in fixed-income securities.

That’s happening even as stocks continue to soar, and the U.S. economy looks set to roar louder in 2020 than this year. Investors usually prefer stocks to bonds when the economic outlook is good. Read more here.

Darden: Regulation vs. Shadow Banking In China

By SIMON CONSTABLE

China Beige Book, which studies independent data on the Chinese economy, recently reported a significant increase in the phenomenon, accompanied by the intertwined issues of slowing economic growth and high levels of debt.

Given the inherently fragile nature of shadow banking and the importance of the Chinese economy to the global economy, the rise bears examination. Read more here.

Forbes: Former Fed Chief Found Economists “Useless,” New Book Says

By SIMON CONSTABLE

One of the most storied economists of the twentieth century thought economists were "useless!" 

The man in question might surprise some people including hordes of Wall Street investors. 

It was the late Paul Volcker, one-time head of the Federal Reserve and a near-fixture of the economics establishment for the past few decades. Read more here.

Forbes: Jeremy Corbyn Loses. Party Loyalists To Get Axed

By SIMON CONSTABLE

There's a certain irony in the wake of Britain's general election. The fall-out of massive losses at the polls for the left-leaning Labour Party won't fall much on its forlorn leader Jeremy Corbyn. 

Yes, he'll soon step down as leader, but he'll still have a job as a Member of Parliament.

The real suffering will get felt by the party's worker bees and its nearly five-dozen ousted MPs. Read more here.

Jeremy Corbyn

Photo by Richard Townsend, CC BY-SA 4.0 

<https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, 

via Wikimedia Commons