So, why is gold still so important in a modern digital financialized economy. Well, a lot of it has to do with this fact that central banks are the world's biggest holders of gold. They have been net buyers of the yellow metal every year since 2008.The fact that they're buying tells us two things. First of all, they don't think that gold is a commodity. They think it's money. They think it's a currency.Secondly, it also tells us that they would rather be buying gold than buying one another's currencies. Wel ...

One question we've been hearing a lot is what impact do weather events have on markets and on the economy. Well, traditionally the biggest impact was always in the agricultural sector. Back in the 1970s and 1980s, if there were droughts or floods in the United States, it could create a tremendous volatility in the prices of crops like corn, wheat, and soybeans.However, it seems as though weather effects on these kinds of crops have been substantially mitigated in recent years because of the growing diversif ...

Nick Reiner, 32, was arrested and charged with the murder of his parents, the Hollywood director and actor Rob Reiner and photographer Michele Singer Reiner. The son is being held on $4 million bail. Rob Reiner and his wife were found dead in their home on Sunday according to multiple reports. He was 78, she was 68. -------- More on Bloomberg Television and Markets Like this video? Subscribe and turn on notifications so you don't miss any videos from Bloomberg Markets & Finance: https://tinyurl.com/ysu5b8a9 ...

SCARLETT: WELCOME TO ETF IQ WE HAVE SOME BIG ECONOMIC DATA POINTS TO GET THROUGH. KATIE: LET'S GET TO THE BIGGEST STORIES RIGHT NOW. 19 TRILLION DOLLAR GLOBAL ETF INDUSTRY AND IS THE LAST FULL TRADING WEEK FOR THE YEAR WITH STOCKS WIPING OUT THEIR GAINS ON THE SESSION AS PEOPLE PREPARE FOR THAT DELAYED U.S. JOBS REPORT.SCARLETT: BLACKROCK'S JEFFREY ROSENBERG WILL HAVE HIS EYES ON THAT. KATIE: PLUS IN A MOMENT WE WILL SPEAK WITH SOMEONE FROM RBC CAPITAL MARKETS ABOUT THE VIEWS INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE UNITED S ...

It's amazing having been through these shootings so many times now, you're in a situation where some of the kids at Brown University have already gone through their own shootings before, and this was their second try. The American public overwhelmingly wants gun control reforms. It is across all age brackets.It's certainly with youth voters. Any hunters you speak with will talk with reverence about how you need to have a common sense gun policy and be responsible with your gun ownership. And it's something ...

We have talked to you a lot about these lab growth diamonds. This phenomenon that's really driven down the price has driven down the price of natural diamonds as well. >> Yeah.So natural diamonds are down roughly 45% from their peak which was March of 22. So pretty phenomenal when all the other assets are doing really well. Diamonds have struggled uh because lab grown is a perfect alternative.>> And what's the adoption rate look like to you. Because I'm sure at the beginning a lot of people were unsure abou ...

What are you listening for in specific. We've talked a lot about the silence, the sense, the quiet, the sense that that happened at that meeting. What are we likely to learn from kind of panoply of speakers who are going to be giving remarks and interviews over the course of the week.Yeah, I think the one thing that stood out in the December FOMC meeting is just how divergent views are within the committee. I mean, if you just look at even the dot plot, for example, in 2026, seven participants felt that it' ...

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have added billions of dollars of mortgage backed securities and home loans to their balance sheets in recent months. That's adding to speculation. They're trying to lower lending rates and boost profitability ahead of a potential secondary offering.Bloomberg's Scott Carpenter covers credit and joins us here on set. Scott, great to have you on, on the program. This is a story that has been persistent because Bill Ackman often tweets about Fannie and Freddie.The president and those ...

Let's focus on this busy roster of central banks data. What do you think has the power to surprise Paul. Where are we going to see some volatility being created.Yeah. Hi there. Well, so lots of potential volatility in the fixed rate space this week.It all spins around off of the Fed. Of course, the Fed cutting last week, but then sort of signaling that it might be going on hold for a little bit of time. So that gives the market a time to calibrate where other central banks are going relative to the Fed.The ...

Global Economy & Central Banks - US and European futures are gaining ahead of central bank decisions [1][49] - The market expects the Bank of England to cut interest rates by 25 basis points [3][96] - The Bank of Japan is expected to move rates higher to 075% [26][96] - The US 10-year Treasury yield is at 417%, and the Euro-dollar is at 117% [4][50] - The market is pricing in slightly over two rate cuts by 2026 [92] Geopolitics & Security - Australia is considering tougher gun laws after a terrorist attack that killed 16 people [1][5][48][65] - Ukraine may drop its bid for NATO membership in return for Western security guarantees [1][48] - The EU is considering seizing or monetizing Russian assets to fund Ukraine [18] Market & Industry Trends - Asian stocks are under pressure, tracking losses from the US session, with concerns around AI investment [20][21] - China's retail sales are up 13% year-over-year, below estimates, indicating economic weakness [22] - China has built seven large petrochemical hubs, raising fears of oversupply and pressure on other nations [40] - European defense sector is interesting due to potential pullback on Russia-Ukraine discussions, but NATO demands higher defense spending [63][64] Artificial Intelligence - PolyAI raised $86 million in Series D funding for its conversational AI voice agents [70] - PolyAI's voice AI agents can handle tasks equivalent to over 1000 full-time employees for individual customers [73] - PolyAI claims to deliver approximately $10 million of value per client, totaling almost $15 billion for 250 customers [75][76] - PolyAI's annual recurring revenue was just over $20 million last year, with a goal to double this year [83]