Treasury Buyback Plan Has Rattled Markets; Gold, Silver Rallies Continue; Stocks Approaching Down Week as U.S. Debt Exceeds $40 Trillion

$40,047,425,768,420.22

That is the actual number posted by the U.S. government on Tuesday, August 18, 2026.

U.S. government debt hit $40 trillion on Tuesday, August 18, 2026. On Monday, the 17th, the government added some $53 billion and then lopped another $60 billion on top of that on Tuesday. $113 billion dollars in just two days!

Where did the money go? Who knows. The U.S. government is so vast, so poorly managed, and so free-spending with money it doesn't have that it might take a team of forensic economists a week to figure it out. Needless to say, it's been spent, it's gone, and it's likely never to be repaid. The government’s tally for interest costs so far for 2026 is $1.37 trillion - a 20% increase on the same period a year before.

Seriously, who in their right mind would lend any money to any entity that has a track record such as the U.S. government? They pay back their debts, for sure, but then borrow more to finance the money they just spent and plan on spending in the immediate future. At some point, lenders are going to call in their tickets and demand payment or simply stop lending. Already, many foreign governments have stopped buying U.S. debt. Many of them are selling it, some of it certainly at a loss. 30-year bonds bought during the ZIRP (sero interest rate policy) period have become nearly worthless in just 10-15 years. 30-year bonds between 2010 and 2020 were/are paying 2-4 percent when current rates are above five percent. Nobody will buy them at par, or even close. They don't keep pace with inflation. Those bonds are dead money. If you hold them, you lose to inflation. If you sell them, you lose money on the principal. Ouch!

The reckoning, long overdue, has commenced. Nobody wants to finance the U.S. government, and for good reason... many good reasons. The U.S. government starts wars and seldom finishes them. They U.S. government reneges on most of its treaty obligations. They steal from other countries, confiscate funds, sanction people and countries they don't like and are generally a pain in the ass to the rest of the world. Who needs them?

Well, retirees need them. Social Security recipients, government pensioners, disability survivors and many others all rely on regular payments from the U.S. government to maintain their lifestyle. Stop paying these people and the whole financial structure of the United States collapses.

Or does it?

If, all of a sudden, the U.S. government declared bankruptcy and stopped paying its millions of beneficiaries, stopped sending out SNAP payments (food stamps) and other welfare-related stipends, what really would happen? Would everybody, all of a sudden, be broke, unable to pay their mortgages, rent, utility bills, feed themselves and their families?

Probably not. There would be a reset. The value of the U.S. dollar wouold fall dramatically within weeks, if not days. The stock market would crash. The biggest winners would be those with savings in assets outside the U.S. financial system, like gold, silver, other tangible assets, like high quality stocks, certain real estate holdings, art. Naturally, real estate, stocks, and art would take a hit in U.S. dollar terms. Gold and silver, however, would skyrocket to unimaginable levels. An ounce of gold might be worth $30,000, and it wasn't the gold that appreciated in value, it was the dollar that collapsed causing gold to be much more valuable in dollar terms.

How would people respond?

Though it's highly unlikely that the U.S. government would just one day up and declare bankruptcy and cancel all of their obligations, the politics would generally trend towards austerity in terms of cutting benefits rather than completely curtailing them. People at the high income end of the Social Security spectrum would likely face the most severe cuts. High-income individuals might see SS benefits slashed by 25-40%, the reasoning being that these people are not dependent on their retirement benefits and have enough in personal assets to maintain their lifestyles. Mid-range beneficiaries might experience cuts of 10-15%. The bottom tier may see no cuts at all.

In the end, it becomes an argument of relativity. The rich would still be rich, though not as rich as they thought, the poor still poor, and the middle a little less fortunate than they thought. Life would go on, but in the business world, jobs would be cut, possibly drastically. Some businesses might disappear altogether. Unemployment would be very high and there would be a great deal of economic suffering, some of it due to bad personal choices, some due to government mismanagement, some due to business incompetence.

Life in America, in the face of a financial catastrophe, would experience extreme changes, mostly in groups defined as middle class. As it already stands, there are more than enough people on the fringes, or homeless, or about to be destitute. Many Americans are already at the edge of survival. An economic crisis would throw them over the edge.

Crime, mostly in the form of theft, fraud, and petty offenses, would rise. Crackpots and false prophets would emerge. Under the most extreme conditions, inner cities would experience riots, looting, and general choas from a poor population with nothing to live for and nothing to lose.

As it was during the Great Depression of the 1930s, not everybody would suffer. Many people, especially those with needed skills and positive attitudes, would do well, even prosper. The aim for most people would be to live within one's means and take necessary steps to preserve whatever lifestyle would be available, keep their families fed and safe, and try to carry on as well as possible.

Lots of people, meaning millions, would not be able to adjust. They would suffer not just economic pain, but health issues and possibly death. Suicide would become an option for planty of people.

Overall, it's not a pretty picture, but one which Americans should consider as possible, because all signs are now pointing to a breaking point, one in which the government is unable to sustain itself without even more excessive borrowing, and, without funding, it would lose control over the general public. Perhaps the best outcome from an economic collapse would be a reordering of priorities and a reshuffling of the political class. That may be about as far-fetched as one can imagine, seeing hordes of politicians afraid to be seen in public, vilified by what remains of an open, free press, and rejected as leaders by the public.

One can only hope. Americans are about to come face to face with the destiny designed by their runaway government.

Anticipating the open Friday, there has been the usual bounce in stock futures, though the prices being reflected for the final trading day of the week are simply noise, not signal, and are best disregarded. More and more, futures markets reflect hope rather than analysis.

In any case, an hour prior to the bell, Dow futures are up 290, NASDAQ futures are 182 ahead, and S&P futures are up 31 points. A more accurate understanding of what's happening globally is provided by gold and silver prices. They continue to rally higher and both precious metals have not stopped rallying. Silver has been kicking higher for a month now; gold's rally began in earnest about three weeks ago.

Overnight, silver touched $70 per ounce for the first time since mid-June. Spot gold was quoted as high as $4600, a level not seen since the middle of May.

Perhaps the most alarming market move is in bitcoin. It has moved from $64,000 to $77,000 in less than two days, a jump of more than 20 percent. Most of the other popular crypto issues have been rising along with it. The crypto market wants to tell the world that the U.S. dollar is unstable, unsafe for investment, and that electronic tokens are a better deal, the government unable to affect its price or dilute its value.

That may be a nice story, but the tangle of regulations and tax policies surrounding crypto investments says otherwise. The original premise of bitcoin being a safe, anonymous currency for peer-to-peer transactions has long ago been abandoned. Governments everywhere are involved in it, from ownership to regulation and for profit. Besides, China has banned it. El Salvador has abandoned it.

For the week, through Thursday's close, the Dow is down 973 points, the NASDAQ is off 263, and the S&P 500 has shed 144 points. While this week's decline has been notable, it is not in isolation. Stocks have been chopping around for months. The S&P made a new all-time high last week. Is this the end? Probably not.

Treasury Secretary Bessent has lit the fuse on the time bomb that is the U.S. treasury complex. The question on everybody's mind is, how far away from the blast zone do I want to be when it eventually blows up?

At the Close, Thursday, August 20, 2026:
Dow: 52,759.21, -703.84 (-1.32%)
NASDAQ: 26,067.17, -263.92 (-1.00%)
S&P 500: 7,641.16, -66.82 (-0.87%)
NYSE Composite: 24,548.26, -159.01 (-0.64%)

Bessent's Buyback Bombshell Sends Gold and Silver Soaring; His Short-term Fix for a Long-term Problem Inadequate; Markets About to Reel

As much as the Trump administration and Wall Street's PR team of financial journalists would like everybody to believe, all is not well.

Wednesday's doubling down by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Treasury purchases of its own debt sent shock waves through the global financial system and is an all-too-obvious sign that the U.S. treasury market - the largest funding mechanism in the world - is creaking, cracking, wobbling, and headed for a spectacular crash.

It's been apparent for a long time that very few foreign investors are interested in buying U.S. long-term debt, but now, the market is realizing that even domestic interests are staying away from 10-year notes and 30-year bonds. It's a mass exodus and Secretary Bessent is panicked.

Just a week ago, the U.S. intervened against a collapsing yen, allowing the Bank of Japan to borrow against its treasury holdings rather than selling them outright in order to stabilize their currency. That, and Wednesday's announcement, are nothing more than accounting tricks, parlor games designed to stave off the inevitable, the collapse of the fiat lending scheme that has eroded the value of all currencies not backed by anything other than government credit and thin air.

Bessent's monetary maneuvers are short-term patches on a long-term problem. To illustrate, imagine a business, heavily in debt, purchasing some of their own debt with money they had previously borrowed. Now, they may have bought back their debt at a discount and will receive the proceeds as it winds down, arguably to pay off even more debt. The company would be caught in a vicious trap from which it could only escape with an infusion of capital via increased sales and profits. For the U.S. government, that would be more tax revenue, and raising taxes is not something either party is fond of doing.

Thus, Bessent has signaled that the government, beyond being bankrupt, $40 trillion in debt, and paying north of $1 trillion in annual interest payments, is unable to operate above baord and must resort to somewhat dodgy financial calculus. The federal government will continue to spend until nobody will lend to it except at fire sale rates of interest. Currently, the bogey number is five percent on 30-year bonds and 4.50% on 10-year notes, which have already been exceeded. What will Bessent do when investors - the few of them remaining - insist on six percent or seven on 30-year obligations?

The implications of Bessent's obvious panic are immense and potentially catastrophic. The walls of the structure underpinning the entire global financial system are buckling and nearing collapse.

Deal with that reality when making your next investment decision.

The immediate implications of Bessent's announcement to expand Treasury's "buy-back" program was to halt the rise in yields and send them into reverse, for now, but gold and silver investors smelled blood in the water and rallied extensively throughout the day. Gold shot right through resistance at $4,400 and rose straight through $4,500 before retreating overnight. Silver topped out ay $67.40 and is nestled in a range between $66.20 and $66.80.

Adding to the malaise is the price of oil. Brent crude is well beyond $90 per barrel with WTI crude futures topping $88 Thursday morning. President Trump's choices of action in the Middle East currently run the gamut from bad to disastrous. He can either take a loss and allow Iran and Oman control of the Strait of Hormuz, keep pressure on Iran and keep the strait closed, or escalate further and risk a global recession or worse.

Just minutes before Wall Street's opening bell, stock futures are down significantly. Dow futures are off 417; NASDAQ futures are down 172, and S&P futures are down 33 points.

Whether all of the attendant forces converge within a week, a month, or gradually over time through the midterm elections doesn't really matter other than to short-timers and day-traders. Those with a longer-term investment horizon (anybody with a brain) have to consider the longer implications of a systemic collapse, one which is racing ahead with all the ferocity of a runaway locomotive.

Best prepare.

At the Close, Wednesday, August 19, 2026:
Dow: 53,463.05, +119.65 (+0.22%)
NASDAQ: 26,331.09, +41.38 (+0.16%)
S&P 500: 7,707.98, +16.22 (+0.21%)
NYSE Composite: 24,707.27, +78.13 (+0.32%)

Financial Media Desperate for Narrative News Stories; Bessent Doubles Down; Lowe's, Home Depot, Target Report; Gold, Silver Soaring

Two stories making the rounds this morning demonstrate just how desperate the media and government are for relevant news supporting their narrative.

First, it is being reported that the DOJ has issued an indictment against 17 Iranians (how convenient!) in a cyber theft ring. What the clever Persians are accused of stealing is not money, but information, from university professors. What makes the story unworthy of attention is that the original indictment dates back to February, 2018. So, essentially, this cyber heist has been operating for eight years without the government able to make any arrests. Nice going! Your tax dollars at work.

Fortune and Yahoo! Finance report that Bank of America's chief investment strategist, Michael Hartnet says investors should be wary of long maturity U.S. treasuries, expressing a belief that the government issues too much debt. His rationale is that with government borrowing at record levels and having to roll over maturing bills, notes, and bonds, a vicious cycle of more and more issuance occurs, driving yields higher.

U.S. national debt owed by the federal government stands at $39.942 trillion. The debt will hit $40 trillion within days, likely the middle or end of next week, and it will continue to grow. Eventually, the piper must be paid or the money spigot gets shut off. Guess which option the U.S. government will take.

On the more important side of things, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced that Treasury would be increasing its buybacks of long-term debt (10-20 years and 20-30 years) over the funding period beginning September 9 through November 4. The Secretary contends that this is a liquidity measure, and it very well may be, with demand for longer-dated issues lagging, sending yields higher. Bessent had little choice. Yields on 10s and 30s are about to go ballistic and still may, despite his last-ditch effort to control the market. He can't.

A quick breakdown of companies reporting second quarter earnings:
Tuesday:
Baidu (BIDU) - big miss, stock was sent 12% lower on Tuesday
Home Depot (HD) - top, bottom beat, stock flat on Tuesday.
Lazboy (LZB) - big miss top and bottom, shares down 16% pre-market
Toll Brothers (TOL) - earnings, revenue beat, shares up 1.5% pre-market

Wednesday: (before open)
Target (TGT) - massive 75% earnings beat y-o-y, shares
flat TJX (TJX) - reporting 11:00 am Wed., sha
res flat Lowe's (LOW) - EPS beat, revenue miss, shares
lower by 2% Estee Lauder (EL) - Huge miss, top and bottom, shares up 13%?

10-year treasuries are yielding 4.68%. The yield on a 30-year bond is 5.28%. Nobody, especially foreign holders, wants this debt because they correctly see demand for anything 10-years or longer as extremely risky. Eventually, this ends in a calamitous manner.

Heading toward the cash open, stock futures were flat until President Trump announced that a deal with Canada had been reached, defanging the threat of 50% tariffs over three days, starting Thursday. Players in the futures markets saw this as extremely positive. Dow futures: +283; NASDAQ: +124; S&P: +27.

It seems unlikely to hold over into the general session.

Overnight, gold and silver were smacked down, but are rallying strongly this morning. Spot gold is at $4,458. Spot silver: $65.00.

It's pretty slow out there. The media and government story pumpers are grasping at proverbial straws. Hedge accordingly.

At the Close, Tuesday, August 18, 2026:
Dow: 53,343.40, -116.38 (-0.22%)
NASDAQ: 26,289.71, -355.20 (-1.33%)
S&P 500: 7,691.76, -53.30 (-0.69%)
NYSE Composite: 24,629.14, -88.67 (-0.36%)

World Carnage Begins to Take Its Toll; U.S.-Iran Tensions Escalate; Oil Higher, Gas Prices Rising

President Trump thinks making the Strait of Hormuz a U.S. territory is a good idea. Concerning the idea that Oman might agree to a deal with Iran that the president doesn't like, he responds, "we'll bomb the sh-t out of them."

It is just this kind of Neanderthal, thuggish rhetoric that is fueling distrust and destruction around the world. In just a few short years, the United States has gone from being a beacon of freedom to the most belligerent beastly nation on the planet. Maybe it's always been that way, just now there are no pretenses.

U.S. militarism used to be cloaked in terms appealing to the public. "They hate us for our freedoms," was a rallying cry for invading Iraq, for instance. Now, the messaging is not necessary. When the U.S. struck Venezuela and kidnapped its president and his wife, Mr. and Mrs. Nicolas Maduro, there wasn't any message other than, "we're taking their oil." With Iran, the public is supposed to believe that the country's leaders - most of whom have been assassinated - sponsored terrorism that killed thousands of Americans. It's mostly a lie. If the administration could tie them to something on the scale of 9-11, they surely would.

So it is that the United States has become a fire-breathing dragon that sees conquest and submission as its justifiable aims. The U.S. prefers aggression over diplomacy, and bombs over cooperation. The cabal currently operating in Washington, D.C. has no boundaries, plays by its own rules, and if you don't like it, the military industrial complex will come gunning for you and your family.

It's a shame that what was once a wonderful country committed to the rule of law is now under control of madmen and lunatics. You get what you pay for, and the wealthy political donors have paid handsomely for politicians without conscience, who think nothing of wiping out entire populations if it serves the will of their banking, military, and Big Pharma constituents.

The United States has put the world in a painful vice and there will eventually be a big price to pay. The bill goes to the American people.

Aside from the daily dose of grotesque posturing and threats, there isn't much happening on Wall Street. Monday was about as dull as session as there has been all this year, but, thanks to the boaster-in-chief and his entourage of useful idiots, some investors have awakened to the madness of megalomania and are about to unload scads of stocks upon which they have made outsized profits.

U.S. stock futures are pointing toward a negative open to the cash market. Dow futures are down 54 points, NASDAQ futures are lower by 388, and S&P futures are down 38 with the opening bell a half hour away. WTI crude oil is approaching $85/barrel. Gas prices aren't going down any time soon.

There will be a reckoning. It's likely already begun and Tuesday looks to extend the moribund trading from Monday.

At the Close, Monday, August 17, 2026:
Dow: 53,459.78, -272.63 (-0.51%)
NASDAQ: 26,644.91, -84.25 (-0.32%)
S&P 500: 7,745.06, -40.70 (-0.52%)
NYSE Composite: 24,717.81, -103.87 (-0.42%)

WEEKEND WRAP: Stocks Slow During Summer Doldrums; Gold, Silver Extend Rallies; Mideast Remains Relatively Quiet; It's Summer, Hit the Beach

It's summer. Deal with it. Go shop for back to school stuff or hit the beach.

Stocks

It was a dull week for stocks, with the Dow taking a weekly loss and the NASDAQ and S&P posting marginal gains. As the dog days continue over the next three weeks up to Labor Day, there doesn't appear to be many catalysts pushing stocks one way or another, so three might be some sideways movement overall. Late August and September aren't exactly the best of times for stocks in general. Usually, any summer rally happens through June and July and that appears to have been the case this season.

Overall, second quarter earnings season has been a dud, with more than the usual share of companies meeting or beating targets only to see the stock price sell off upon announcement. It's a sign of an over-extended rally, and this way is well past its use-by date. However, Wall Street being the selling machine that it is and more than an adequate supply of easy money still afloat, there's nothing really stopping stocks from heading even higher. There aren't many obvious signs of slowing, so extra funds will likely find their way into stocks.

Earnings season continues winding down, the week ahead dominated by retailers, which may offer a glimpse into the health of the general economy. Keeping a close eye on the home improvement stores, Home Depot and Lowe's, as well as Walmart, Target, and Estee Lauder in consumer retail.

Monday: (before open) BitFuFu (FUFU); (after close) Fabrinet (FN), Flexsteel (FLXS)

Tuesday: (before open) Baidu (BIDU), Klarna (KLAR), Home Depot (HD); (after close) Lazboy (LZB), Toll Brothers (TOL)

Wednesday: (before open) Viking Cruise lines (VIK), Weibo (WB), Target (TGT), TJX (TJX), Lowe's (LOW), Estee Lauder (EL) Analog Devices (ADI; (after close) COTY (COTY), Nordson (NDSN)

Thursday: (before open) Alibaba (BABA), Walmart (WMT), Advance Auto Parts (AAP), John Deere (DE); (after close) Ross Stores (ROST)

Friday: (before open) BJ's Wholesale (BJ)

Data releases will be few and relatively unimportant in the week ahead. Monday has the NY Manufacturing Index. Tuesday, Capacity Utilization, Industrial Production, and Pening Home Sales. Thursday offers the weekly unemployment claims and the monthly report on economic activity from the Philly Fed. Not much to dive into there.

Relevant data releases can be found at Trading View.

Treasury Yield Curve Rates

Date	1 Mo	1.5 mo	2 Mo	3 Mo	4 Mo	6 Mo	1 Yr
07/10/2026	3.71	3.74	3.81	3.85	3.94	3.99	4.06
07/17/2026	3.73	3.75	3.80	3.85	3.91	3.96	4.01
07/24/2026	3.80	3.88	3.95	3.96	4.04	4.08	4.14
07/31/2026	3.78	3.80	3.85	3.83	3.92	3.98	4.08
08/07/2026	3.79	3.79	3.83	3.87	3.89	3.96	4.01
08/14/2026	3.79	3.80	3.81	3.86	3.88	3.95	3.98

Date	2 Yr	3 Yr	5 Yr	7 Yr	10 Yr	20 Yr	30 Yr
07/10/2026	4.21	4.22	4.30	4.42	4.56	5.08	5.06
07/17/2026	4.18	4.21	4.28	4.40	4.55	5.07	5.06
07/24/2026	4.33	4.36	4.43	4.55	4.69	5.18	5.16
07/31/2026	4.28	4.34	4.45	4.59	4.75	5.28	5.27
08/07/2026	4.19	4.25	4.35	4.49	4.65	5.20	5.19
08/14/2026	4.17	4.24	4.36	4.51	4.68	5.25	5.25

Yield on the 30-year bond bumped higher during the week, to 5.25%, and the 10-year note advanced three basis points to 4.68%, both near the high points of the recent range. The market appears to be scrambling toward short-term issues. The 2-year note dropped to 4.17%, but it can't get much lower, with the 30-day rate stuck at 3.79%. The danger is a preference for bills, with easy money to be made in maturities of two years or shorter, though the levels under four percent barely keep up with real inflation (around 4-6%).

The longer maturities, which should provide the basis for stable funding in the U.S., are being shunned internationally, setting up a scenario that actually favors cutting rates rather than raising them. The market is doing most of the heavy lifting for the Fed, which seems likely to keep the federal funds target rate on hold at least until the midterms, though the September and October FOMC meetings.

The high spreads on 2s-10s and full spectrum are sending warning signs that U.S. credit markets are in danger of being bi-furcated, which poses a big problem for sustained stability, the question being, wo wants to hold U.S. debt for 10 or 30 years at five or six percent when the government has shown no preference to reign in runaway spending?

Treasury has already stepped in to save the yen from further devaluation, mostly in hopes that Japan won't continue selling its U.S. holdings, the largest by one country in the world. While the financial world wants to know how the Fed is going to handle inflation, the real story may be hidden in long term rates. Inflation may seem like a walk in the park if disinflation and devaluation of the currency becomes even more of an issue than it already is. The Fed, holding its cards close, doesn't want to talk about lowering rates in a scenario which may soon become one in which it has no choice. The U.S. economy - unlike the overly-speculative stock market - is limping along at a GDP growth rate between one and two percent, numbers which could easily be construed as negative when factoring in inflation. The U.S. may be able to avoid recession though the end of the year, but by 2027 it may become obvious that there isn't enough breath in the economy across all industries.

Having some sectors (AI infrastructure) growing at the expense of others (small business, consumer-facing industries, manufacturing) is a recipe for failure.

Spreads:

2s-10s
2026
1/2: +72
1/9: +64
1/16: +65
1/23: +64
1/30: +74
2/6: +72
2/13: +64
2/20: +60
2/27: +59
3/6: +59
3/13: +55
3/20: +51
3/27: +56
4/3: +51
4/10: +50
4/17: +55
4/24: +53
5/1: +51
5/8: +48
5/15: +50
5/22: +43
5/29: +47
6/5: +38
6/12: +37
6/18: +27
6/26: +31
7/2: +35
7/10: +35
7/17: +37
7/24: +36
7/31: +47
8/7: +46
8/14: +51

Full Spectrum (30-days - 30-years)
2026
1/2: +114
1/9: +112
1/16: +108
1/23: +104
1/30: +115
2/6: +113
2/13: +97
2/20: +100
2/27: +90
3/6: +102
3/13: +115
3/20: +123
3/27: +124
4/3: +120
4/10: +124
4/17: +119
4/24: +122
5/1: +126
5/8: +124
5/15: +141
5/22: +135
5/29: +127
6/5: +130
6/12: +128
6/18: +121
6/26: +117
7/2: +128
7/10: +135
7/17: +133
7/24: +136
7/31: +149
8/7: +140
8/14: +146

Oil/Gas

The situation in the Middle East continues to cool, with Iran and Oman dictating terms in the Persian Gulf while Yemen continues to strike the Saudis, keeping the war flames burning in the region. To the north, Russia is being continually bombarded by Ukraine drone storms, the four-year-old war escalating into dangerous territory. Considering the carnage brought to oil producers and refiners, it's somewhat surprising that the price of oil and gas at the pump hasn't reached critical levels. WTI crude oil futures closed out the week at $82.40/barrel, which is closer to the low end of the price range since the Middle East conflict began more than six months ago.

Average price for a gallon of unleaded regular gasoline in the U.S. was $3.96 last week and $4.04 this week. Peace prospects in the Middle East are easing fears of higher gas prices, but the threat of war and an unstable situation at the Strait of Hormuz is keeping prices somewhat elevated.

Gas prices in key states:

California (leader): $5.56 (-0.02)
Washington: $5.17 (+0.06)
Indiana: $3.59 (+0.10)
Oklahoma: $3.68 (+0.19)
Louisiana (lowest): $3.52 (-0.12)
Mississippi: $3.58 (+0.02)
Florida: $3.83 (-0.02)
Illinois: $4.30 (+0.08)
Pennsylvania: $4.07 (-0.03)
New York: $4.10 (-0.04)
Maryland: $3.91 (-0.09)
Michigan: $4.26 (+0.14)
Texas: $3.63 (+0.12)
Georgia: $3.77 (+0.06)

On Sunday, April 16th, there are seventeen (17) states with average prices at or above $4.00, with thirty-one (31) below the $4 threshold, not including Hawaii ($5.42) and Alaska ($4.81), with two above $5 (California and Washington). The Southeast has maintained as the lowest region overall over the past 11 weeks as a gallon of unleaded regular is averaging below $4.00 ($3.52-3.77) in places like Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Texas, and Mississippi, with the Midwest region second, prices ranging from $3.80 to $3.98. Exceptions include Florida in the Southeast and Michigan and Illinois in the Midwest. Prices in the Northeast eased slightly over the past two weeks.

Bitcoin

This week: $63,223.08
Last week: $65,185.72
2 weeks ago: $63,049.68
6 months ago: $68,441.63
One year ago: $117,792.09
Five years ago: $48,880.96

Don't buy the hype. Crypto is dead money. Even if you bought some five years ago, you're up 30%, which averages out to six percent per year, just barely beating inflation. It's a poor investment no matter how one sees it.

Precious Metals

Gold:Silver Ratio: 67.64; last week: 68.29

Futures, per COMEX continuous contracts:

Gold price 7/17: $4,023.00
Gold price 7/24: $4,055.70
Gold price 7/31: $4,098.60
Gold price 8/7: $4,401.30
Gold price 8/14: $4,432.00

Silver price 7/17: $56.22
Silver price 7/24: $58.49
Silver price 7/31: $57.78
Silver price 8/7: $63.80
Silver price 8/14: $64.82

SPOT: (stockcharts.com)
Gold 7/17: $4,016.89
Gold 7/24: $4,052.00
Gold 7/31: $4,042.00
Gold 8/7: $4,340.72
Gold 8/14: $4,375.15

Silver 7/17: $55.91
Silver 7/24: $58.19
Silver: 7/31: $57.55
Silver 8/7: $63.56
Silver 8/14: $64.68

Gold and silver held onto gains from the piror week and actually added slightly on those price levels. It wasn't a big week for precious metals, but maybe an important one. With stocks lallygagging through the week and pressure to the downside on interest rates, metals actually emerged as winners in what turned out to be a dull week for traders.

With volatility squeezed out to some degree, there's open space ahead for gold and silver pricing. The present precedent has some of the characteristics of a turnaround in price and sentiment. Gold and silver holders, more than possibly anybody else in the trading universe, are realists who see the longer term trends for the dollar and U.S. economy as severely eroded and continuing to worsen. $40 trillion in federal debt, an annual interest payment of over a trillion dollars a year for as far as the eye can see and GDP operating in a range of one to three percent over decades and inflation higher than that is not what anybody with a realistic view of the situation would call healthy or sustainable.

Eventually, there will come a reckoning. Asset prices, at or near all-time highs will have to adjust to lower levels if the American economy is to survive. The middle class hollowed out into what is now a pay-as-you-go system with no leeway for savings or emergencies has no alternatives unless there is change. The warfare/welfare state has drained the public's wealth and will. Pressure from outside sources, in terms of de-dollarization and rejection of the current neo-capitalist fascist system of a government marriage with industry run by people with no intent other than to enrich themselves, will fail and the pain will be felt across society. Those who have prepared well enough or who already have sufficient assets to ride out the coming economic storm will survive. All others will suffer.

This is not a scenario for the next few months or years, but for decades ahead. America has reached a turning point, one at which the people are not well-served by their government, but rather, abused. That sets in motion an unsustainable level of civil disruption and institutional rot. People may not riot openly in the streets, but people will take measures to protect and enhance their own interests.

Here are the most recent prices for common one ounce gold and silver items sold on eBay (free shipping included, numismatics excluded):

Item/Price	Low	High	Average	Median
1 oz silver coin:	68.63	80.89	74.66	75.00
1 oz silver bar:	71.00	80.56	76.48	75.98
1 oz gold coin:	4521.07	4726.07	4613.51	4593.19
1 oz gold bar:	4546.37	4663.84	4592.70	4583.57

The Single Ounce Silver Market Price Benchmark (SOSMPB) took a quantum leap forward, closing the week at $75.53, an upside move of $1.88 per troy ounce from the August 9 price of $73.65.

WEEKEND WRAP

Enjoy the remaining weeks of summer, even after Labor Day. It's really a quiet period, even for politicians, who are not likley to bother anybody until they come back into session around September 9. What a relief.

At the Close, Friday, August 14, 2026:
Dow: 53,732.41, -107.58 (-0.20%)
NASDAQ: 26,729.16, -73.86 (-0.28%)
S&P 500: 7,785.76, -13.23 (-0.17%)
NYSE Composite: 24,821.68, +12.03 (+0.05%)

For the Week:
Dow: -304.52 (-0.56%)
NASDAQ: +38.54 (+0.14%)
S&P 500: +28.12 (+0.36%)
NYSE Composite: +226.44 (+0.92%)
Dow Transports: +286.30 (+1.33%)

Disclaimer: Information disseminated on this site should not be construed as investment advice. Downtown Magazine Inc., Money Daily and it's owners, affiliates and/or employees are not investment advisors and do not offer specific investment advice. All investments have risk. You should consult a professional investment advisor or stock broker or use your individual judgement when making investment decisions. By viewing this site, you hold harmless Downtown Magazine Inc., Money Daily, its owners, affiliates and employees against any and all liability. Copyright 2026, Downtown Magazine Inc., all rights reserved.