Gold, Silver, and Currencies

For years anonymous crypto-currencies have been criminals' favorite method of hiding and laundering their money. That could all be about to end. Mike Orcutt explains at the MIT Technology Review that the Financial Action Task Force, a global standard-setting group, has put cryptocurrencies in its crosshairs. The group wants to clamp down on cryptocurrencies being used as a way to launder money. Orcutt reports: One of the biggest knocks against cryptocurrency has always been its status as a refuge for tech-savvy criminals. Even as some bigger players—particularly exchanges that handle many … [Read more...]

Bitcoin speculators are in the midst of another wild ride in the crypto-currency's price, which shot up as high as $13,387.26/bitcoin on June 26 after having settled for months in the $3,500-range.  Prices have now fallen back below $9,500 in the span of a month, taking back some, but certainly not all, of what speculators made in the last rally. Something many Americans are confused about is, whether bitcoin is a currency, or an asset. For tax purposes, the IRS is treating bitcoin like an asset. Laura Saunders reports for the WSJ: According to an IRS spokesman, there is no explicit … [Read more...]

As I wrote to you on Wednesday, Bitcoin and Libra are two different animals. One is a digital asset and one is digital cash. Bitcoin being the asset, Libra being the cash. But is Bitcoin an asset worth investing in? As I’ve written to you in the past, I love the idea of blockchain’s trustless ledger. But with my money or your money? No. Are Today’s Bitcoin Investors Making the Same Mistake as Isaac Newton? Beyond Bitcoin, Has Crypto-Boredom Set in? Can Bitcoin Ever Really Be a Currency? Emergency Cash: Bitcoin or Dollars? What do I think of Bitcoin? Part I Paul Singer … [Read more...]

IBM has rolled out a new service called IBM Blockchain World Wire that hopes to optimize and accelerate foreign currency exchange. Rachel Wolfson reports on the new service at Forbes, writing: IBM is paving the way for banks and other regulated financial institutions to join the blockchain revolution. Rather than going through a series of intermediaries when sending money across borders, IBM has created a real-time, global payments network to support cross-border transactions and foreign exchange in more than 50 countries using digital assets, also known as cryptocurrencies or “stable … [Read more...]

What happens when the core promises of a crypto-currency no longer hold true? Frances Coppola, a Senior Contributor at Forbes explains that Tether, a so-called "stablecoin," that is supposedly pegged to the U.S. dollar may not be as linked to the fiat currency as has been advertised. She writes: USDT is the foremost stablecoin in the crypto world. Pegged one for one to the U.S. dollar, it is widely used as a vehicle for getting dollars in and out of crypto exchanges. Crypto enthusiasts will tell you that holding USDT (“Tethers”) is the same as holding dollars. But now, Tether, the issuer of … [Read more...]

Socialist president Nicolas Maduro has run out of other people's money, and so his government is using inflation of its currency to pay its bills. The country's inflation has gotten out of hand, and hyperinflation has ensued. Now, the dropping value of the country's bolivars has decimated its manufacturing industry. The Wall Street Journal reports: Manufacturing’s fall reflects broader economic devastation. Venezuela’s economy has halved during President Nicolás Maduro’s six years in office, and is expected to decline another 30% this year as new U.S. sanctions on oil hit. The country’s GDP, … [Read more...]

Buyers using the QuadrigaCX exchange to invest in crypto-currencies are waking up to the possibility that their money may be gone forever. What happened, you ask? The system, like all crypto-currency systems presumably, was encrypted, but in the case of QuadrigaCX, only one man knew the password, and he's dead. Gerry Cotten, founder of QuadrigaCX took the password used to access customers' $145 million in digital assets with him to the grave. Without the password, it appears there is little the company can do to access customers' assets. Medium reports: The exchange only has … [Read more...]

I like having a little silver in my pocket especially when times are desperate. And I also like some in my portfolio. We may not see a rally in silver this year, but it’s coming off it’s best December in almost two years, up 9.1 percent, making me happy I own some. For me, silver is a counterbalance to my cash. And if the Fed’s going to sit tight on rates and silver is at its smallest output since 2013, it might be time to pay attention. Marvin Perez reports at Bloomberg: Think of it as a potential silver lining for investors. A deepening shortage is promising to help boost prices as … [Read more...]