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Why Gold Prices Are At Record Highs

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From central banks to Costco shoppers, everyone is purchasing gold these days. Spot gold touched $2,364 per ounce on Tuesday, following seven consecutive sessions of record highs and trading at $2,336 per ounce on Monday. Year on year, gold is up 16.5%.

Investors who expect the Federal Reserve to lower its benchmark interest rate are the primary drivers of price increases, but other factors, such as central banks buying gold, headed by China, to reduce reliance on US currency, are also contributing.

gold

Why Gold Prices Are At Record Highs

Central banks view gold as a long-term store of value and a haven during periods of economic and international crisis.

Gold is regarded as a reliable investment. When interest rates fall, gold prices often climb, as bullion becomes more tempting than income-paying assets such as bonds. Investors also view gold as a hedge against inflation, anticipating that it would preserve its value as prices rise.

According to Reuters, the People’s Bank of China purchased gold for the 17th consecutive month in March, adding 160,000 ounces to its stockpile of 72.74 million troy ounces.

According to a UBS research note dated April 9, central banks may wish to “diversify away” from the US currency and acquire it in the face of geopolitical instability. Demand drives up prices as China expands its reserves, which traditional investors have already increased.

According to a Capital Economics research report published on April 9, Chinese investors are looking to gold as an alternative asset due to recent downturns in property valuations and equity prices.

Other central banks, including India and Turkey, are expanding their reserves. According to UBS, India’s GDP growth is fueling these acquisitions.

gold

A sign of the times?

According to Ulf Lindahl, CEO of Currency Research Associates, central banks’ appetite for gold indicates a declining reliance on the dollar.

Lindahl said in an email that dollars are becoming increasingly undesirable to central banks seeking to reduce their economic dependency on the United States.

According to a March JP Morgan research note, nations not allies of the United States may accumulate gold to “mix away from dollars” and lessen vulnerability to sanctions.

According to the note, central bank purchases have fuelled the rise in gold prices since 2022. According to JP Morgan, gold may be entering a strong era, as central bank purchases of gold in 2022 were more than double the average annual buy over the previous decade.

The price increase coincides with US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s visit to China to address financial stability in US-China relations and what Yellen refers to as Chinese electric vehicle overproduction.

Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s, believes that rising oil costs threaten the US economy.

According to the UBS research report, higher oil costs are anticipated to raise inflationary fears, causing gold prices to rise.

The typical view of gold
The spike in gold prices indicates that investors expect the Fed to drop interest rates later this year, but they may be concerned about the prospects of containing inflation without causing the US economy to enter a recession, sometimes known as a soft landing.

According to an April 9 research note from UBS, the prospect of Fed rate cuts remains the primary driver of optimistic sentiment toward gold.

Fed Chair Jerome Powell said in remarks on April 3 that inflation remains on a “sometimes bumpy path” toward the Fed’s 2% target and that rate cuts to rebalance the economy are expected to begin later this year.

According to CME Group data, 51% of investors currently predict a quarter-point decrease in June. However, employment growth in March exceeded projections, casting doubt on the need for numerous rate reductions in an economy that remains strong.

The Personal Consumption Expenditures price index, the Fed’s favored inflation gauge, increased 2.5% in the year ended in February. According to Department of Commerce figures issued this month, this represents a little uptick from the 2.4% increase in January.

The core PCE price index, which excludes the more volatile food and energy sectors, increased 0.3% monthly. Fed officials consider the index a key indicator of underlying inflation, and it fell from 0.4% in January when it increased at the strongest rate in a year.

gold

So, why is gold soaring right now?

Some investors are buying into the frenzy around gold bullion as prices increase, pushing them further. On Reddit, proud buyers frequently create threads touting their collections.

Costco started selling bars online in August and silver coins in January. Wells Fargo estimates that the corporation currently sells up to $200 million in gold and silver per month. Chief Financial Officer Richard Galanti told analysts in December that the company had sold over $100 million in gold bars in the previous quarter.

The investment note, released on April 9, stated, “The accelerating frequency of Reddit posts, quick online sell-outs of product, and [the company’s] robust monthly eComm sales suggests a sharp uptick in momentum since the launch.”

Lindahl stated that “trend followers” and others capitalize on price increases as the long-term trend indicates much higher costs.

It’s also worth mentioning that gold has historically been a haven during political turmoil. Voters in almost 60 countries, including the US presidential election, will go to the polls this year. The increase in geopolitical and economic volatility highlights the value of precious metals.

SOURCE – (CNN)

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TD Stock Sinks as Bank CEO Suspends Guidance

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VOR News
TD stock closed at $74.02 on Thursday, a 7.08 percent decline.

TD stock sank on Thursday as a result of investors’ disappointment with the lender’s decision to suspend guidance while it conducts a strategic review in response to its anti-money laundering settlement in the United States.

TD’s quarterly profit estimates were below expectations; however, this was almost a mere footnote in the pursuit of a narrative, as analysts were unable to identify TD’s objectives.

td stock

TD stock closed at $74.02 on Thursday, a 7.08 percent decline.

The strategic review, which will be conducted by the prospective CEO, Raymond Chun, is designed to be a comprehensive assessment of the bank’s operations and opportunities in the aftermath of the substantial penalties imposed by U.S. regulators for TD’s anti-money laundering inadequacies.

In October, the lender made history by becoming the largest bank in the United States to plead guilty to violating a federal law designed to prevent money laundering. As a result, the lender agreed to pay $3 billion in penalties.

Regulators in the United States have implemented a rare asset limit that has affected TD. The bank will dispose of up to $50 billion in low-yielding bonds and reinvest the proceeds, in addition to reducing its assets in the country by 10%.

The bank’s U.S. retail business reported an adjusted net income of C$1.10 billion ($782.70 million) in the quarter, a decrease of C$174 million from the previous year.

Analysts anticipate that TD stock may pursue strategies to enhance its competitiveness in the domestic market subsequent to the implementation of the U.S. asset limitation.

In the three months ending on October 31, the bank’s adjusted net income decreased from C$3.49 billion, or C$1.82 per share, a year earlier, to C$3.21 billion ($2.28 billion), or C$1.72 per share.

Related News:

TD Bank Hit With Record $3 Billion Fine Over Drug Cartel Money Laundering

Increasing its Stake in OpenAI by $1.5 Billion is a Possibility for SoftBank.

 

 

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Canadian Dollar Drops After Trudeau Passes GST Holiday

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The Canadian dollar is hovering around 71 cents U.S. with presidential inauguration months away

The Canadian Dollar (CAD) dropped against the Greenback on Monday after the Liberals passed their controversial GST holiday, which added $6.3 billion to Canada’s National Debt.

The Canadian dollar has slipped to its lowest level in five years. Outside of the depths of the COVID pandemic, the loonie is weaker than it’s been since 2015. After trading from 1.3987 to 1.4089, the loonie traded 0.3% lower at C$1.4044 to the greenback, or 71.2 U.S. cents.

The 10-year bond yields of the Canadian government decreased by 1.4 basis points to 3.072%. On comparable benchmark debt issued by the United States government, the yield remained constant at 4.1936%.

The Canadian dollar has been consistently declining over the past few months, a decline many economists and currency experts have attributed to the country’s increasing inflation and Trudeau’s uncapped spending.

“I would not be surprised if we were to fall below 70 cents [US] and potentially as low as 68 cents at some point,” stated Karl Schamotta, the chief market strategist of Corpay, a financial payments company.

Canadian Dollar Decline

Since the summer of 2021, the Canadian dollar has been in a protracted, gradual decline. Nevertheless, the U.S. dollar has experienced a significant increase in value this month due to Donald Trump’s re-election victory.

The American dollar gained ground on the currency of nearly every industrialized country globally as he has pledged to implement tax cuts, deregulation, and comprehensive tariffs on all U.S. imports.

Canada exports approximately 75% of its goods to the United States, which has not precisely bolstered the Canadian dollar.

When the loonie falls, the Canadian economy suffers far-reaching consequences. Imports become more costly, but exporters who receive payment in U.S. dollars generate more revenue.

According to Douglas Porter, the chief economist at the Bank of Montreal, Canadians were already experiencing the effects of elevated financing costs and escalating prices for nearly all goods and services. He asserts that the cost of nearly all imports from the United States is increasing.

“It almost invariably results in increased petrol prices.” “It can directly affect food prices, as a significant portion of the food we consume is either imported or must compete on a global scale,” stated Porter.

Trudeau’s Spending

The domestic sector in Canada is experiencing an increase in borrowing costs, negatively impacting its leverage. Under Trudeau’s leadership, we are experiencing low productivity, feeble business investment, and soft commodity prices.

“People tend to see the currency value as a sort of national virility symbol,” according to him. Therefore, they will experience enthusiasm when the currency is at its highest and disappointment at its lowest.

Porter also contends that the Canadian dollar’s depreciation adversely affects the overall health of the Canadian economy.

He attributes the responsibility for this to Trudeau, who, according to him, overspent, printed an excessive amount of money, and consequently undermined the Canadian economy.

“The really sad thing is, for me and you and the rest of Canadian citizens, our standard of living has dropped 35 to 40 per cent versus the United States in the last eight years,” he pointed out.

That is merely a minor example of a low dollar’s influence on the perceptions of the economy and the politicians that many Canadians attribute to its difficulties.

 

 

 

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Proposal to Tax Cryptocurrency Mining for Climate Action

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Crypto mining is legal in many places as long as miners follow the rules

Recently, at a United Nations climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, a proposal to combat climate change by levying crypto taxes on cryptocurrency mining has amassed significant attention.

As per the proposal, if a levy of $0.045/kilowatt-hour (kWh) is imposed for crypto mining for electricity usage, it could generate $5.2 billion a year, according to a Global Solidarity Levies Task Force report led by Barbados, Kenya, and France.

This guide will examine the proposal’s key highlights, global context and precedents, and implications for the crypto industry. Let’s begin.

The Proposal: Key Highlights

Objective

  • Incentivize cleaner mining practices.
  • Fund transitions to renewable energy in less affluent nations.
  • Mitigate the environmental impact of mining activities.

Rationale

  • The Bitcoin network uses a lot of electricity—more electricity than some small countries—which results in substantial greenhouse gas emissions.
  • According to research by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), a tax of $0.045/kWh could help address negative impacts on the climate. The institute also suggested that increasing it to $0.085/kWh can help cope with air pollution from fossil fuels.

Potential Impact

  • This decision could drive miners to use hardware that consumes less electricity or adopt renewable energy sources.
  • This could also lead the Bitcoin network to transition into a more energy-efficient transaction verification method, like Ethereum, which transitioned into the Proof-of-Stake (PoS) consensus mechanism.

Global Context and Precedents

Current Examples

  • In 2022, Kazakhstan imposed a crypto mining tax, which collected $7 million in just a year.
  • Under the Biden administration, the U.S. proposed a 30m percent tax on crypto miners’ power consumption. However, this support is doubtful under the forthcoming Trump administration.

Challenges

  • Implementing such a huge task of imposing global taxes requires a bulletproof mechanism.
  • How the funds would be collected and distributed would be an even bigger task.

Future Steps

  • A task force will present a detailed proposal at Work Bank and IMF meetings in April 2025. Broader implementation discussions will take place in November 2025 at the UN Climate Summit.

Broader Scope

Initially, the task force only focused on aviation, fossil fuel companies, and maritime shipping; however, it has now also included billionaires, crypto mining and plastic production companies. Its Coalition for Solidarity Levies now includes 17 countries and organizations like the African Union and the European Commission.

The European Climate Foundation CEO Laurence Tubiana believes environmental justice cannot exist without financial equity. Those with the most resources and the largest environmental impact must contribute proportionally. Similarly, IMF Research Insight says that a single Bitcoin transaction can consume as much electricity as a Ghanaian household uses in three years or a German household in three months.

Implications for the Cryptocurrency Industry

The increased regulatory costs may lead to a substantial shift in crypto-mining practices. However, increasing Bitcoin value and favorable expectations under Trump’s presidency could lead to further mining.

This proposal is an important intersection of the cryptocurrency industry’s growth and environmental responsibility. However, its success depends on navigating complex geopolitical and economic challenges and on international cooperation.

FAQs

1. What is cryptocurrency mining?

Cryptocurrency mining is how new coins are created, and transactions are verified on a blockchain. Miners use powerful computers to solve complex puzzles, which helps keep the network secure and decentralized. In return, they earn cryptocurrency as a reward for their efforts.

2. Is crypto mining illegal?

Cryptocurrency mining is legal in many places as long as miners follow the rules, like paying electricity and taxes. However, some countries, like China and Algeria, have banned it because of concerns over its environmental impact or illegal activities. It’s important to check the rules in your area before getting started.

 

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