Incentives Matter: Gold and Silver Edition

Incentives matter. This is a fundamental economic principle that seems to be completely lost on most people. In this special episode of the Midweek Memo podcast, host Mike Maharrey brings in Sound Money Defense League Director Jp Cortez and bullion dealer Craig Rhyne to talk about the impact of a state sales tax on gold and silver bullion recently passed by the Washington state legislature. Not content to just suck it up and watch his business get throttled by the new tax, Rhyne moved to Idaho.  Jp describes efforts to stop the tax. He and Craig explains why sales taxes on precious metals are so perverse. And Craig takes us through the agonizing decision he made to save his business.

A wonderful interview, this time with Phillip Newman, founding partner and managing director of Metals Focus. Phillip recaps the incredible rally we saw since his last guest appearance with us late last fall which saw gold and silver skyrocket and what that and the subsequent correction that took place following has meant for the precious metals market. Don't forget to also follow us on social media for more important precious metals updates! https://www.youtube.com/@Moneymetals | https://www.facebook.com/MoneyMetals | https://instagram.com/moneymetals/ | https://twitter.com/moneymetals | https://www.pinterest.com/moneymetals/

Given the surge in silver prices, you might assume that silver demand was strong last year. It wasn't. In fact, demand fell slightly.  So, how in the world did silver explode to record highs? In this episode of the Midweek Memo podcast, host Mike Maharrey digs deep into the recently released silver market data for 2025, explaining exactly what drove silver prices higher and why there is still plenty of upside remaining.  He also shares some gold news that would have sounded ridiculous just a few years ago.

An amazing interview with Greg Weldon of Weldon Financial, a renowned commodities trader with over 40 years of experience. Greg weighs in on what it will take for gold and silver to really get moving up again, what he is looking for as a key level on silver on the upside and also shares his views on when, if ever, the stock market may roll over.  Don't forget to also follow us on social media for more important precious metals updates! https://www.youtube.com/@Moneymetals | https://www.facebook.com/MoneyMetals | https://instagram.com/moneymetals/ | https://twitter.com/moneymetals | https://www.pinterest.com/moneymetals/

We don't really know what's inside the Fort Knox gold depository because the government refuses to do a comprehensive audit. But even if we take the government's claims at face value, we do know that the bulk of the U.S. gold reserves is made up of impure "non-standard" bars that don't qualify for use in international settlements.  In this episode of the Midweek Memo, Mike Maharrey explains the Fort Knox audit problem, how all that impure gold got there, and why it matters. Along the way, he also underscores the failure of the fiat money system.  This week, Mike also covers an interesting move by the Chinese that could exacerbate shortages in the physical silver market.

Joe Cavatoni of the World Gold Council, is a market strategist with over 30 years of financial services experience and helps us make sense of how gold has reacted and likely will react in the face of dizzying geopolitical and war headlines that constantly change. Don't forget to also follow us on social media for more important precious metals updates! https://www.youtube.com/@Moneymetals | https://www.facebook.com/MoneyMetals | https://instagram.com/moneymetals/ | https://twitter.com/moneymetals | https://www.pinterest.com/moneymetals/

The French central bank recently sold all of the gold it had stored in New York and replaced it with higher-quality bars that will remain in France. French officials say the move was to increase the quality of its reserves and was not politically motivated.  Mike Maharrey doesn't think that's the entire story, and in this episode of the Midweek Memo, he says the quiet part out loud. This move was almost certainly motivated in part by politics. Mike explains why France (and many other countries) want to minimize their exposure to the U.S. and the potential ramifications for the American economy.  In this episode, he also covers last week's "blockbuster" jobs report and explains why it wasn't probably as great as the headlines indicate. (Hint - it has to do with revisions.)

Today, an interview with one of our favorite guests to talk to about silver Peter Krauth, author of the book The Silver Bull and publisher of the Silver Stock Investor. Peter shares his thoughts on how the war is going to affect the silver market and much more. Don't forget to also follow us on social media for more important precious metals updates! https://www.youtube.com/@Moneymetals | https://www.facebook.com/MoneyMetals | https://instagram.com/moneymetals/ | https://twitter.com/moneymetals | https://www.pinterest.com/moneymetals/

Imagine your buddy makes far less money than he spends every month. He has maxed out all of his credit cards and yet keeps borrowing and spending as if he were a rich man.  Would you loan him more money? By the way, the person in the scenario is Uncle Sam.  In this episode of the Midweek Memo, Mike Maharrey takes a deep dive into the U.S. financial situation and reveals that, despite what many people would like you to believe, everything is not fine. He highlights the extent of the debt and why it matters.  In this episode, Mike also explains just how much gold there is in the world. (It's probably not as much as you think.)

Coming up don't miss our interview with Jeff Clark – founder of TheGoldAdvisor.com newsletter and a globally recognized authority on precious metals. Jeff and Mike Maharrey try to make sense of the recent correction in the gold price and the impacts of the war. Don't forget to also follow us on social media for more important precious metals updates! https://www.youtube.com/@Moneymetals | https://www.facebook.com/MoneyMetals | https://instagram.com/moneymetals/ | https://twitter.com/moneymetals | https://www.pinterest.com/moneymetals/