Gold prices have climbed 13.6% in 2025 and breached $3,000 per ounce last week, setting a new all-time high. Geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainty are driving safe-haven flows, pushing up gold prices. However, several other longer-term factors and trends will help determine whether the rally will be sustained. Causes Behind The Recent Gold Rally The biggest shift in the gold market in recent years is increased demand from global central banks. According to the World Gold Council, central banks purchased over 1,000 metric tons of gold in 2024, marking the third consecutive year of significant buying and approximately double the…

There are two things I need to bring to your attention right now, especially if you’re an income investor. One is my outlook for the market, as volatility really hits home. The other is a 15.6%-yielding(!) fund that just changed its name and ticker—and really grabbed contrarians’ attention in the process. Let’s start with what’s really going on with this wild market. The NASDAQ is now down more than 10% from its peak price, and stocks on the whole are down for the year. I don’t expect this to last very long. My take: 2025 is likely to be a…

Leaderless conglomerate Stellantis is treading water as it tries to fend off automotive industry turmoil in Europe, restore profitability and decide what to do with all those brands. A new leader is expected to be appointed by the end of June. Former CEO Carlos Tavares shocked shareholders by quitting in December, about a year before the end of his contract. Chairman John Elkann has taken over as interim CEO. Tavares orchestrated the massive merger between Fiat Chrysler and France’s Groupe PSA in 2021 and the 14 brands. Many of the brands compete in the same market, including Citroen, Peugeot, Fiat,…

Week in Review It was a risk-off week for Asian equities overall, though Hong Kong saw the brunt of selling after strong year-to-date outperformance, as China’s deflation was more pronounced than expected in February, contrasting with the NPC’s target of 2% inflation, which implies massive stimulus could be on the way. Mainland investors bought a net nearly $8 billion worth of Hong Kong-listed stocks and ETFs on weakness this week via Southbound Stock Connect, a strong bullish signal from local traders. Internet earnings season rolled on this week as online recruitment platform Kanzhun beat estimates and social media platform Weibo…

Retailers’ latest headache—shock and awe of government tariffs and layoffs—is helping drive consumer sentiment into the red. It would be hard to come up with a set of circumstances more likely to turn consumers sour on the U.S. economy than those which have developed just since New Year’s. Whether or not a recession is in the cards this year, the evidence is clear that frustration stalks the retail aisles. In fact, it has been building for some time. As we noted here last August, there is something of a Great Rejection developing among shoppers, manifesting in such phenomena as the…

Legendary investor Warren Buffett advises to be fearful when others are greedy, and be greedy when others are fearful. One way we can try to measure the level of fear in a given stock is through a technical analysis indicator called the Relative Strength Index, or RSI, which measures momentum on a scale of zero to 100. A stock is considered to be oversold if the RSI reading falls below 30. 10 Oversold Stocks You Should Know About » In trading on Thursday, shares of Apple entered into oversold territory, hitting an RSI reading of 29.7, after changing hands as…

Key News Asian equities were mostly lower overnight, though Malaysia and Pakistan managed gains while Vietnam and Taiwan underperformed. China’s markets continued a downtrend from yesterday as US tariff uncertainty continued to rattle global markets. Mainland investors continued their net buying streak, though at a level much lower than yesterday, which was near the all-time daily record. Meanwhile, there was a slight rotation factor as value sectors managed gains. Gold miners and oil led gains on geopolitical uncertainty and some reports bullish on commodity and rare earth prices. Government bonds continued to sell off, sending yields slightly higher. Weibo Q4…

Retirees imagine their post-working lives relaxing in the shade on their comfortable porch. The view before them glistens with the fresh growth of green. The sweet light of the morning sun warms the dewy grass. They’re happy, at ease, and totally unfazed by economic headlines. And they wouldn’t be wrong. Unfortunately, far too many people—retired or not—seem to prefer to listen to the shouting heads on cable TV rather than their own common sense. What a difference a few months (and a new president) make. A Deloitte report issued in late January predicted the 2025 GDP would come in at…

Billions of people will lose their livelihoods and economic output reduced by up to 34% if the Earth is allowed to warm by 3 degrees Celsius this century, but investing less than 2% of GDP now could eliminate most of those losses, a groundbreaking new report from Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and the University of Cambridge has found. Analyzing economic and climate science data, the report authors found that most economic climate damage this century will arise not from direct impacts like floods and fires, but from losses in productivity caused by reduced labor output, supply chain disruptions, and the…

Will Trump’s tariffs and his assault on the federal government lead to a deeper crash, or even a recession? Market experts advise long-term investors and 401(k) holders to sit tight. By Hank Tucker, Forbes Staff While the last three weeks have been punishing for the stock market, veteran wealth managers are sounding a similar refrain for long-term investors: don’t panic. It can be difficult advice to heed when alarming headlines are regularly flooding the news. Two days after the S&P 500 index hit its all-time high on February 19, hedge fund billionaire Steve Cohen made a prescient prediction that he…