Group 1: Gold Price Trends - Gold futures opened at $3,672.80 per ounce on Friday, reflecting a 1% increase from Thursday's close of $3,636.90, and reached a high of $3,695.50 that morning [1][2] - The current price of gold has increased by 2.9% from the opening price of $3,567.80 one week ago and has risen 9.4% over the past month from $3,356.20 on August 12, 2025 [3] - Year-over-year, gold prices have surged by 45.2% from the opening price of $2,529.10 on September 12, 2024 [3] Group 2: Market Influences - Gold prices did not react significantly to a higher-than-expected Consumer Price Index report for August, which showed a 0.4% increase after a 0.2% rise in July [2] - Despite inflation concerns, investors anticipate the Federal Reserve will lower interest rates next week due to a weakening employment situation in the U.S., which could further drive gold prices higher [2] - Lower interest rates enhance gold's attractiveness compared to cash and fixed income, while its status as a safe-haven asset increases demand during price rises [2] Group 3: Investment Opportunities - Costco has begun selling gold bars, silver coins, and platinum bars, providing a convenient option for investors looking to diversify their wealth [5][6] - The club store first introduced gold bars in 2023, followed by silver and platinum, with all three precious metals showing substantial price increases in 2025 [6] - Analysts remain bullish on gold, with Goldman Sachs predicting a price of $3,700 per troy ounce by year-end 2025, representing a 40% increase from the January 2 opening price of $2,633 [10]

Federal Reserve Independence & Credibility - The market is approaching a credibility crisis due to President Trump's actions regarding the Federal Reserve, including attempts to remove Governor Lisa Cook and influence interest rates [2][3] - The President's demands for a 3% interest rate cut and rhetoric towards Chairman Powell are unprecedented and concerning [3] - The financial industry expresses more concern over local grocery store policies than the potential politicization of the Fed, which poses a major threat to the financial system [6] Market & Economic Implications - Inflation expectations are trending upwards, and the spread between 30-year and 10-year bonds is widening, signaling potential market instability [4] - Markets are pricing in expected rate cuts, so the actual cut in September may not significantly impact long-term rates unless it signals a shift towards prioritizing easy rates [9] - Politicizing the Fed could lead to a pattern similar to the 1970s, where long-term rates rise despite rate cuts [10] Potential Policy Responses - If long-term rates increase, the administration might consider quantitative easing or pressure banks and pension funds to buy long-term bonds, which could compromise the financial system's integrity [11]

Tonight, President Trump is dismissing the latest disappointing jobs numbers. They'll say, "You're losing jobs." And then they say, "By the way, we have a correction a month later." It follows a weaker than expected jobs report. Employers only adding 22,000 new hires in August.And revised numbers show 13,000 jobs lost in June. The first time that's happened since the pandemic. Unemployment ticking up slightly to 4.3%.The White House acknowledges it's a setback. Inflation is low and economic growth is solid. ...

Economic Cycles - The economy functions like a machine, driven by short-term and long-term debt cycles [4] - Short-term debt cycles, typically lasting 5 to 8 years, are primarily controlled by the central bank through interest rate adjustments [5] - These cycles involve expansion fueled by credit, leading to inflation, followed by contraction (recession) when the central bank raises interest rates [1][2][3] - Long-term debt cycles occur because debts rise faster than incomes over decades, leading to a debt burden [6] - The ratio of debt to income is called the debt burden, which remains manageable as long as incomes rise [7] Debt and Credit - Spending increases are fueled by credit, which can be created instantly [1] - When credit is easily available, there's an economic expansion; when it's not, there's a recession [4] - Rising incomes and asset values help borrowers remain creditworthy for a long time, even with accumulating debt [8] - At some point, debt repayments grow faster than incomes, forcing people to cut back on spending, leading to a reversal of the cycle [9] - Debt burdens become too big, leading to deleveraging, as seen in 2008 in the United States and Europe [10][11] Inflation and Deflation - Inflation occurs when spending and incomes grow faster than the production of goods, causing prices to rise [1] - The central bank raises interest rates to combat inflation [2] - Deflation occurs when people spend less, causing prices to go down, leading to a recession [3] Human Behavior - People have an inclination to borrow and spend more instead of paying back debt, pushing the economy [5] - Lenders freely extend credit because everyone thinks things are going great, focusing on rising incomes and asset values [6] - People borrow huge amounts of money to buy assets as investments, causing their prices to rise even higher, creating a boom and potentially a bubble [8][7]

So the history of tariffs, I mean, we've got precedent. You know, I don't know the answer to this. You look back at Smoot-Hawley and various tariffs over the last hundred years.Is there a trend line or. Okay. Yeah, there's a red line.Tariffs are terrible. As you joined the central bank. You're out of the fiscal policy business. Okay, You're out of the partisan business.People take the job extremely seriously. So I'm not going to with the president and Congress, in their wisdom, can pass whatever tariffs the ...

All right, President Trump signing an executive order Thursday that will allow tariffs on auto and other imports from Japan to be coming in at much lower rates, 15% versus the 25 to 27 1.5%. Uh joining us right now to talk about this is Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnik and SE Secretary Lutnik, thank you for being with us today. Let's walk through how this kind of played out and what the specific details are in this agreement. All right. So the Japanese in order to buy down their tariff rate, so they had a 2 ...

Economic Outlook - Jobs report 显示就业市场疲软 [1] - 预计美联储将在 2025 年多次降息 [1] - 房屋销售量有望回升 [1] Company Performance - $OPEN 公司收入大幅增长 [1]

Group 1: Investment Opportunities - The article emphasizes the importance of purchasing quality stocks at discounted prices, particularly dividend stocks, to maximize yield [1] - It highlights three S&P 500 dividend stocks that are currently down significantly from their highs, presenting potential buying opportunities [2] Group 2: Verizon Communications - Verizon Communications is noted for its stable dividend yield of 6.2%, which has been raised annually for the past 18 years, despite a nearly 30% decline from its late-2019 peak [5][6] - The company has a substantial debt load of $124 billion, resulting in annual interest payments of approximately $6.6 billion, but it is still capable of funding its dividend [7][8] Group 3: Accenture - Accenture, valued at $158 billion, generated $65 billion in revenue last fiscal year, with a net income of $7.7 billion, showcasing its diverse business model that includes both consulting and managed services [9][10] - The stock has decreased by 36% from its peak due to market fears regarding tariffs and rising interest rates, but the company reported an 8% year-over-year revenue increase last quarter [12][13] Group 4: Lockheed Martin - Lockheed Martin's stock has fallen 26% from its October high, primarily due to reduced orders for F-35 fighter jets, although this segment accounts for less than one-third of its total revenue [14][15] - The company is still expected to achieve revenue growth, projecting around $74 billion for 2025, and has maintained a solid dividend yield of 2.9%, having increased its dividend for 22 consecutive years [18][19]

Wall Street strategists say investors are becoming more concerned about said independence as President Trump seeks to impose his will on the central bank. Jp morgan analyst wrote to clients that, quote, Markets have become more concerned over Fed independence as there are signs of a Fed inflation trade. Goldman Sachs analyst also noted growing concerns around Fed credibility.Let's get Morgan Stanley's take. Joining us now is Mike Wilson, who is the firm's chief U.S. equity strategist and CEO. Mike, thanks f ...

Market Overview - U.S. stock futures showed mixed movements following a mixed session on Wednesday, with major indices experiencing fluctuations [1] - The Dow Jones index decreased by 25 points or 0.05% to 45,271.23, while the S&P 500 rose by 0.51% to 6,448.26, and the Nasdaq Composite increased by 1.02% to 21,497.73 [7][8] Economic Indicators - The yield on the 10-year Treasury bond was at 4.20%, and the two-year bond yield was at 3.60% [3] - U.S. job openings fell by 176,000 to 7.18 million in July 2025, below market expectations of 7.4 million [6] - New orders for U.S.-manufactured goods declined by 1.3% month-over-month to $603.6 billion in July [6] Company Performance - Alphabet Inc. Class C shares surged over 9% following a favorable U.S. court ruling in the DOJ antitrust case [5] - Apple Inc. shares increased by about 4% due to the ruling preserving a significant revenue stream [5] - Campbell's Co. shares rose by 7% after reporting better-than-expected earnings [5] - Macy's Inc. shares jumped more than 20% after raising its FY2025 guidance [5] - American Eagle Outfitters Inc. saw a 24.30% increase in premarket trading after a successful second quarter [18] - Salesforce Inc. shares dropped by 6.61% after issuing third-quarter sales guidance below estimates [18] - Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Co. shares rose by 2.98% after posting strong earnings and raising fiscal 2025 guidance [18] - BrilliA Inc. shares skyrocketed by 155.87% following the announcement of a cash dividend [18] - Biodesix Inc. shares increased by 37.37% after a substantial insider purchase by a major shareholder [18] - Neonode Inc. shares plummeted by 76.53% despite announcing expected revenue from a patent settlement [18] Sector Performance - Most sectors on the S&P 500 closed negatively, with industrials, energy, and materials stocks experiencing the largest losses [4] - Communication services and information technology stocks performed well, leading to a mixed settlement in U.S. stocks [4]