Gold, Silver, and Currencies

Sen. Bill Hagerty of Tennessee has warned against the dangers of implementing a central bank digital currency. Bitcoin.com reports: U.S. senator Bill Hagerty has warned about what he thinks are the true objectives behind the recent legal actions against exchanges like Binance and Coinbase, which have been charged by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) with violating securities laws. Hagerty, a long-time critic of the SEC’s stance against crypto, believes that the organization is purposefully leading platforms out of the U.S. with a single objective: to establish a single central … [Read more...]

A bill introduced by Congressman Alex X. Mooney (R-WV) would "prohibit the Federal Reserve from establishing, carrying out, or approving a program intended to test the practicability of issuing a CBDC.” Mooney's press release introducing the bill follows: WASHINGTON, DC – Rep. Alex X. Mooney introduced H.R. 3712, the Digital Dollar Pilot Prevention Act to close the Federal Reserve’s Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) pilot program loophole. Specifically, this bill would prohibit the Federal Reserve from establishing, carrying out, or approving a program intended to test the practicability … [Read more...]

Is regulation about to kill cryptocurrency? No one knows, but it is obvious regulators are ramping up the attention they're paying to crypto after the SEC accused Binance and Coinbase Global of violating the law. Barron's Jack Denton reports: Doomsayers have called the death of cryptocurrency many times since Bitcoin launched 14 years ago. This week provided another opportunity after the Securities and Exchange Commission accused two leading exchanges of violating a slew of U.S. laws. The crackdown against Binance and Coinbase Global COIN +1.41% (ticker: COIN) darkens long-term prospects … [Read more...]

China has been on a gold-buying binge, and has now increased its gold reserves for seven months straight. Sybilla Gross reports for Bloomberg: China increased its gold reserves for a seventh straight month, signaling ongoing strong demand for the precious metal from the world’s central banks. China raised its gold holdings by about 16 tons in May, according to data from the People’s Bank of China on Wednesday. Total stockpiles now sit at about 2,092 tons, after adding a total of 144 tons from November through last month. Central banks bought a record volume of gold last year as nations … [Read more...]

At the Cato Institute, Norbert Michel and Nicholas Anthony explain that a "CBDC (central bank digital currency) is not 'just another form of money,' as some of its supporters have claimed." No other form of money gives governments the ability to control what you spend your money on, how much you spend, or even to take money back out of your account at a moment's notice. Michel and Anthony slam the recent defense of CBDCs by Paul Krugman. They write: This April Forbes column describes why central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) are a fundamental issue related to Americans’ freedom and much … [Read more...]

In a recent podcast on Kitco.com, Robert Breedlove and Mark Moss suggest that resistance to central bank digital currency (CBDC) implementation is futile because governments will find ways to "sneak" them through. Watch: … [Read more...]

UPDATE 3.21.23: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has proposed a law banning the use of central bank digital currencies in the state of Florida. CoinDesk's Stephen Alpher reports: A legislative proposal from Florida Gov. (and possible Republican U.S. presidential candidate) Ron DeSantis would prohibit the use of a national central bank digital currency (CBDC) as money within his state. "Today’s announcement will protect Florida consumers and businesses from the reckless adoption of a 'centralized digital dollar' which will stifle innovation and promote government-sanctioned … [Read more...]