HIDDEN PITFALL: “PAY-TO-PLAY” MARKETING PRACTICES

One of the biggest problems in the precious metals IRA sector is “Pay-to-Play” websites, where companies pay to be boosted in online search results that recommend “the best” companies. The people behind the online lists aren’t truly recommending the “best” company for a precious metals IRA; they are recommending the companies that pay them money for advertising. Even the disclaimers state words to that effect.

Gold, Silver Up Double-Digit Percentages For August

Gold is up 10% so far in August and silver is up 13.5%. It appears silver finally set a firm new floor above $60 and is trading up to $65 this week, while the S&P 500 is up only 3.2%, NASDAQ is up 4.2% and the Dow is up 2.5%. It also appears that GOLD has set a new floor of $4,000 per ounce and it began moving off that base over the past week.

Treasury Rates are Relentlessly Climbing – Causing Higher Budget Deficits Each Year

The consensus from UBS, Commerzbank, Bank of America and Citibank is that gold will reach $5,000 again by the end of the year. You’ve seen me write about buying on the dips, when gold and silver have declined; this is that time. 

Today’s New “Stealth” Gold Standard Should Keep Pushing Gold Prices Up

The reason gold has more than doubled since 2022 is simply supply and demand: The world’s gold mines produce about 3,600 tons of gold per year, almost entirely consumed privately, namely in demand for gold jewelry (about 2,000 tons), investment demand (1,180 tons a year) and industrial demand (325 tons). Gold buying by central banks since 2011 has pushed gold into a supply deficit, driving gold prices up.

Central Bank Gold Buying Picks Up in May – Especially in China and Poland 

After a hot first quarter of 244 metric tons of central bank gold buying, that pace tapered off sharply in April, then resumed in May, according to the World Gold Council (WGC) and the London Gold Exchange. The full second-quarter accounting (including June) is not yet available but gold buying dipped to 19 metric tons in April and then jumped to 41 tons in May, making 304 tons in the first five months of 2026. The WGC now projects 700 to 900 tons for the full year, roughly equivalent to 2025 purchases.

Several Unique New Coins Now Being Released From The U.S. Mint As Part Of "America 250" Program

History shows us that past 50-year anniversaries of America’s founding in 1776 have created a strong increase in collector and investor interest in the rare coin market. That’s what happened in 1976, during America’s bicentennial celebration and 50 years before in 1926. Now, the same is happening again.

Where is Gold Headed or is it Just Taking a Summer Nap?

Although recent gold prices have been unable to break much above $4,200 yet, Ole Hansen, Head of Commodity Strategy at Denmark’s Saxo Bank, said he believes gold’s trend is shifting from liquidation (selling) to consolidation and base-building, which is setting a new price floor. Hansen joined Saxo in 2008 and has been the major bank’s Head of Commodity Strategy since 2010.

June and First-Half of 2026 Market Summary

Gold and silver rode a powerful bullish trend to all-time highs in late January, only to retreat after the conflict in Iran began, dropping below key support levels ($4,000 gold and $60 silver) in late June. Silver peaked at $114 on January 29, then retraced 50% to $57 on June 30 before recovering to almost $62 an ounce on July 2nd. Gold peaked at $5,586 (intra-day) on January 29, closing at $5,318 an ounce, dipping to $3,960 on June 30, but reaching above $4,140 by midday on July 2nd. Likewise, crude oil peaked at $119 per barrel on March 9, shortly after the problems in Iran erupted.

With Gold Over $4,000, Beware of Ever-More-Creative Gold Scammers

Even though the price of gold declined in June, the fact that it remains above $4,000 per ounce is bringing in more buyers and, unfortunately, a new army of gold scammers. In particular, the Epoch Times has reported a growing wave of gold-related scams that target vulnerable individuals, especially retirees. One of the most insidious examples is scammers posing as government officials (via phone, email or regular mail) demanding “urgent action” concerning alleged identity theft while coercing any potential victim to buy “private” gold or silver and arranging for a courier to collect the coins for “safe storage.”

Mid-Month Deficit and Inflation for June

Since the major inflation indexes and federal deficit figures are released between the 10th and 15th of each month, we plan to update those figures in the middle of each month, as the rising debt and higher inflation are two major causes of the weakening dollar and future gold gains.

Gold bounced back +7.7% over the weekend, from a low of $4,030 on Thursday, June 11, to $4,340 on Monday, June 15. Silver bounced back over 10%, from $63.75 in the middle of last week to just over $70 per ounce on Monday.