A very sleep-deprived Axel Merk joins us for this special edition podcast. Axel and his team have pulled late nights over the past few days following the Brexit vote results in real-time and the ensuing aftermath.
Axel, CEO and founder of the Merk Funds, is originally from Europe and one of the best experts we know on the currency markets, as well as monetary policy. In this podcast, he explains why he sees the Brexit as a sea-change in sentiment that will have far-reaching implications for Britain, Europe, and the rest of the world -- though it may take years before they are fully recognized and expressed. He expects the post-Brexit future to more market volatility, more populism as political stability weakens, more (ineffectual) fiscal spending to goose economic growth, and likely more armed conflict around the world.
We are rushing to make this special edition podcast available today given the hunger for informed perspective on this topic. As a result, the written transcript is not available yet -- we will post it here as soon as we received it back from our transcription agency.
Gold in UK pounds neared its post-Brexit high overnight as sterling fell sharply on currency markets due to concerns about rising inflation as shown in data today and the outlook for the UK economy.
Gold is up nearly 4% in sterling terms in August and by a whopping 38% year to date. ‘Sterling silver’ has surged by even more this year and is now 56% higher in sterling terms year to date.
Gold in UK pounds – 10 Year (GoldCore.com)
‘Sterling gold’ rose or to put it more accurately, sterling fell to £1,045/oz in gold terms – not far from its post-Brexit low of £1,057/oz. The currency has lost more than 2 percent this month versus the dollar, the worst performance among major currencies and nearly 4% against gold.
Sterling hit a 6-1/2-year low against a basket of currencies and Monday’s close against the dollar of $1.2880 was the weakest since June 1985.
Gold in UK pounds surged 20% in the immediate aftermath of Brexit and after a needed correction, has consolidated and is moving higher again. ‘Sterling silver’ surged by even more and is now 56% higher in sterling terms this year showing silver’s currency hedging properties. Read More…
