Hawkish Fed surprise could knock down gold price next week

Hawkish Fed surprise could knock down gold price next week

Even though gold is looking to end the week above $1,800 an ounce, there is a high chance for a move lower as the Federal Reserve can still surprise on the hawkish side, according to analysts.

Despite the rally, the precious metal is trading essentially flat on the week, with February Comex gold futures last at $1,815 an ounce.

All eyes are now on the November inflation figure after the Producer Price Index (PPI) rose more than expected.

The CPI print is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, with analysts warning that inflation will likely remain elevated and be slow to decelerate.

"Next week, the CPI is anticipated to trend in the right direction, but it won't come down as quickly as many anticipate. I'm partially bearish on gold next week," OANDA senior market analyst Edward Moya told Kitco News. "Post-Fed, gold could be reeling but then eventually settling higher. Looking at a potential downside for next week, but that will be short-lived."

What to expect from the Fed

The Fed will announce another rate hike on Wednesday, with markets looking for a slower tightening pace of 50 bps versus 75 bps. But a slower pace does not necessarily mean the U.S. central bank is pivoting away from its plan. Fed Chair Jerome Powell has already warned that rates might have to stay higher for longer.

Investors will be paying close attention to the updated dot plot, economic projections, and the language Powell uses during the press conference.

"The new dot plot and new economic forecasts are risk factors for gold. Message from Powell and other Fed speakers has been that the pace of hikes may slow, but we may still see a terminal rate that is somewhat higher," TD Securities commodity strategist Daniel Ghali told Kitco News.

Ghali added that gold has been benefiting from a short-covering rally that is now close to its end. "We've seen a substantial amount of short-covering, which contributed to the rise in gold prices. As the year draws to a close, money managers are reluctant to put on a substantial amount of risk on the table. From this point on, most short covering is now in the rearview, and prices are still at risk of a more hawkish Fed on the horizon," he noted.

How investors interpret the Fed's messaging will also be important, Moya explained. "It will be interesting to see how investors feel about the Fed. Will this be the last hike followed by a pause? You could still make a case that they could go another 50 bps in February. And then, in March, it would be a toss-up. It still seems that more tightening is warranted," he said.

Aside from the macro data, geopolitics might start playing a bigger role for gold again as the war in Ukraine could escalate further, Moya warned.

"That is something we need to stay on top of. Risks of the war escalating further are once again circulating. That is going to give gold some safe haven value," he said.

Russian forces stepped up activity on Friday, shelling the entire front line in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine. Meanwhile, Russia's President Vladimir Putin accused the West of "exploiting" Ukraine and using its people as "cannon fodder."

Gold price levels to watch

For gold to make another significant move higher, it needs to cross its 200-day moving average at $1,821, RJO Futures senior market strategist Frank Cholly told Kitco News. "The $1,821 level is very critical. If the market can close above it, then I get bullish. Right now, gold is struggling to get above the 200-day moving average. This is also where it topped out last week," he said.

The outlook on where rates will be next year is what will give gold its direction next week, Cholly added, noting that he is keeping a close eye on the U.S. dollar as well.

Ghali said that more buying would come in at the $1,830 an ounce level, while a drop to $1,740 an ounce could trigger a selloff.

Moya sees $1,775 as key support for gold and $1,830 as an upper boundary in the current price range.
 

Data to watch next week

Tuesday: U.S. CPI

Wednesday: Fed rate decision with FOMC economic projections

Thursday: ECB rate decision, Bank of England decision, U.S. retail sales, U.S. jobless claims, N.Y. Empire State manufacturing index, Philly Fed Manufacturing index

By Anna Golubova

For Kitco News

Time to Buy Gold and Silver

Tim Moseley

100 a Day Flipping Insanely Simply Sites

$100 a Day Flipping Insanely Simply Sites

flipping sites

Introduction

Site flipping is a great way to make money online. It's not easy and it takes time, but it can be very lucrative once you get the hang of it. In this post, we'll go over what site flipping is and how you can do it yourself!

ecosystem for entrepreneurs

 

What's a site flip?

Site flipping is a way to make money online. You buy a website, make some changes, and sell it for more than you paid. Sounds simple, right? Well, it can be if you know the right tricks. But if you don’t have any experience or don’t know where to start, then this might seem like an impossible task.

Luckily for you, this article has all the information needed to start site flipping as soon as possible with no prior knowledge required!

In this guide we'll cover:

  • What is site flipping?

  • How much money can I make from doing this?

  • Why should I start now instead of later when my skills are better developed?

  • Who should NOT try this method (and why)?

How can you make $100 per day flipping sites?

If you're looking to make $100 per day, or more, flipping sites, the answer is yes. You can do this.

But it's not easy. It takes a lot of work and a lot of studying. And like any other venture that requires hard work and dedication for success—like building an app, or starting a company—you'll have to learn how to navigate through all the information out there on how to make money online with websites before getting anywhere close.

Finding a template

Finding a template that you like is important. Make sure it is something you are interested in and can do. This will be the easiest and most profitable for you, especially if you have no previous experience with website design or eCommerce.

If your goal is to create a blog, then try searching for “blog themes” on Google or any other search engine of your choice. You can also check out ThemeForest which has thousands of great themes with some being free while others cost money (the average theme costs around $20).

Once you find one that catches your eye and fits all the criteria above (i.e., simple layout and design), download the theme then open it up in WordPress by going to Appearance > Themes > Add New > Upload Theme > upload file from computer option at top right corner of browser window).

Creating your site

Once you've decided how your site will look, it's time to start creating it. This section will walk you through the process of finding a great domain name, choosing a good hosting service, setting up your site using WordPress, and using some tools to create your content.

Monetizing your site

Once you have a site online and are getting regular traffic, there are several ways to monetize your website. Some are more lucrative than others.

  • Google Adsense – Adsense ads appear on your site and allow you to earn money every time someone clicks on one of the ads. The amount per click is determined by how much advertisers are willing to pay for each click and the quality of their ad content, but it's usually somewhere between $0.10-$1 per click (this varies depending on your niche). You can use a tool like Adsense Checker to see how much traffic your site generates in order to determine how much money this method will make for you each month.

  • Amazon Affiliate Program – This program allows you to sell other people's products from Amazon through links that direct customers directly back into the seller's account at no extra cost or commission paid out by sellers themselves aside from what they're already paying for each product sold via affiliate link (which amounts typically range between 4-15%) so long as both parties meet certain conditions such as having an active account with adequate funds available balance etc…If all goes well then everyone wins!

Marketing your site (for more money)

When it comes to marketing your site, the first step is to understand the amount of traffic you need. This will determine what type of marketing you should use and how much money you should spend on it.

Next, develop a conversion funnel that helps people buy from you as quickly as possible. A good funnel will also encourage them to come back for repeat purchases once they've bought from you once or twice already.

This is where most people stop when making sites that make $100 a day online but there's still more work to do! You need to get people who are interested in buying from your site onto your mailing list so that they can be sold again later when their product becomes available again (i.e., after shipping delays).

Wrap up/selling your site

Once you've found your buyer, the next step is to finalize the deal.

  • When negotiating for a price, be sure to consider all factors that will impact how much you sell your site for. For example, what's the buyer's budget?

  • Always ask for more than what you want them to pay so that there's room for negotiation. If they don't like what you're asking, they'll come back with their own offer which could end up being less than what they wanted in the first place!

  • If a potential buyer makes an offer on your site and wants it right away, this is probably not good news because it means there are other sites competing with yours and someone else might buy yours before this person does if left unchecked. This could lead them into thinking twice about buying from another seller which means no sale at all!

Sellers should always remember these three key principles when selling their site: The seller needs to stay motivated during negotiations so he or she doesn't end up losing money on his investment; buyers shouldn't panic when faced with new competition since this can help lower prices across all sellers whether they realize it or not; lastly but most importantly (and here comes my favorite quote ever) "Make sure everyone gets paid!"

Site flipping is definitely a great way to make money online. Find the right niche for you and get to work!

Site flipping is definitely a great way to make money online. Find the right niche for you and get to work!

There are many ways to make money online, but site flipping is one of the easiest. If you want to learn more about site flipping in general, check out this article: https://jeangalea.com/beginners-guide-to-website-flipping/

Conclusion

If you’re looking for a way to make money online that doesn’t require any technical knowledge or skills, site flipping can be an awesome option. It’s easy and fast—and the best part is that you don’t have to spend any money on expensive software or equipment! All it takes is some basic HTML knowledge (or access to someone who does) and some time spent learning from other people who have already done this successfully before.

Tim Moseley

Russia’s gold reserves a target in US defense spending bill

Russia's gold reserves a target in U.S. defense spending bill

The U.S. continues to target Russia's massive gold reserves in an effort to sanction the country for its nearly year-long invasion of Ukraine.

Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the annual National Defense Authorization Act, which will boost defense spending to a record $858 billion next year.

However, the spending bill also includes an amendment that makes it difficult for Russia to use its massive horde of gold. The proposed legislation would directly sanction any U.S. entities that transact with or transport gold from Russia's central bank reserves.

The amendment is similar to a bill introduced in March by independent Senator from Main Angus King, Republican Senators John Cornyn of Texas and Bill Hagerty of Tennessee and Democratic Senator from New Hampshire Maggie Hassan.

"Russia's massive gold supply is one of the few remaining assets that Putin can tap to bankroll his country's violent, bloody expansionism," King told CNN in a statement. "By sanctioning these reserves, we can further isolate Russia from the world's economy and increase the difficulty of Putin's increasingly-costly military campaign."

Russia's central bank has the fifth largest gold reserves in the world at 2,298.50 tonnes, currently valued at $133.6 billion.

"Having this national security imperative in a national defense bill is a clear and powerful way to undercut Putin's illegal, amoral acts and make the financial pinch tighter," King added in his statement.

Sentiment in gold evenly split as prices end the week at a four-month high

Russia's gold has been the target of sanction through 2022. In March, just after Russia invaded Ukraine, the London Bullion Market Association suspended six Russian gold and silver refineries from its Good Delivery list, effectively cutting Russia off from the London precious metals market. In June, leaders of the seven largest economies in the world banned imports of Russian gold.

However, some analysts have said that the western sanctions on Russia have had a negligible effect on the gold market. Russia can still sell its gold to China and Middle Eastern nations.

After passing the House, the legislation will now move to the Senate for a vote.

By Neils Christensen

For Kitco News

Time to Buy Gold and Silver

Tim Moseley

Boost Your Website Traffic with High Quality DAPA 40 Backlinks

https://gainrock.com

Who doesn’t dream of getting a side income? Especially when it takes almost zero effort but just a few clicks. GainRock, an affiliate marketing platform, pushes back income-generating limits and lets you earn $10,000/mo.

 

Why become an affiliate marketer?
 

  • Since 2015 affiliate profits have been growing by +10% annually
  • In the past year revenue from affiliate marketing comprised 15% of all digital income
  • The affiliate marketing sector is now worth of $12 billion
  • Together with email marketing, affiliate marketing is one of the largest sources of online income
  • With this in mind, years ahead of affiliate marketing are on the track to be even better
Become an affiliate marketer
Join GainRock
Why join GainRock?
 

  • Preset creatives to distribute through any social media
  • In the past year revenue from affiliate marketing comprised 15% of all digital income
  • Fair and square earning – no crafty terms of payments, you get paid as soon as your referrals become our customer and earn their first money
  • Boundless income generating options – you can refer as many people as you wish, and boost your profit accordingly
  • Additional profit – you have to take just 3 steps to start earning extra profit: share your referral link, make your referrals our customers, get income!

 

Take the first steps to earning up to $1000+/mo by referring people to GainRock today!

 

Refer People to GainRock & Get $1000+/mo

Tim Moseley

10 Money-Mindset Hacks for Entrepreneurs

10 Money-Mindset Hacks for Entrepreneurs

self

Introduction

In this article, we'll cover ten money-mindset hacks that can help you stop sabotaging your own business dreams.

ecosystem for entrepreneurs

Make a decision about your relationship with money.

  • Make a decision about your relationship with money.

  • Decide what is most important to you and how you want to spend the time, people, and resources that are available to you.

Make lists of your physical and emotional triggers regarding money.

If the phrase “money mindset hack” sounds like a buzzword to you, it might be time for an educational course in self-awareness. One of the best ways to start this process is by taking a look at your physical and emotional triggers around money.

>What are your physical and emotional triggers? Take note of any patterns that emerge as you think about them. How do they make you feel? Do they bring up anger, shame, guilt or another emotion? What causes these feelings?

One common trigger is the sense that someone else has more than you do—and often when someone else has more than us, it's because we're not doing enough with our own money (even if it's just a perception). Another common trigger is fear: fear of missing out on a lucrative opportunity or fear around investing in yourself (and therefore increasing your earning potential) at all costs.

Get clear about what you want to use your money for.

The first thing you need to do is figure out what your goals are. Before you start saving and investing money, it's important to define exactly what you want to use the money for. Do you want it for a new car? A house? To start a family? Or something else entirely? Writing down these goals will help keep your mind focused on how much time and energy they require when making decisions about spending or saving money.

Setting specific goals is an essential part of developing good financial habits, but don't worry if those goals seem incredibly ambitious! Your goal shouldn't be "I want $100 million." Instead, think about what tangible fitness goals could achieve in 3-6 months: maybe running two miles without stopping, or getting up early every day by 6am; or doing 500 pushups by next month. These smaller achievements will help keep your motivation high during times when it might otherwise dwindle away because of setbacks or challenges along the way (like losing weight).

Collect the stories you tell yourself about money (and finances).

This is a very simple exercise that you can do in one afternoon.

  • Write down your inner dialogue about money and finances as it currently stands. The more honest, the better. If this feels like a challenging task, start with something easy: What do I tell myself when I'm buying groceries? Or when my credit card bill arrives?

  • Once you've written down everything, look for patterns and themes in your stories about money (and finances). Are there any common threads between them? Why are these stories important to me? How does each story help me get what I want from life or how does it hold me back from what I want to accomplish?

  • Finally, ask yourself why these particular stories are so important to you; after all, they're just thoughts—they don't have control over our actions or reactions (unless they're really strong ones!).

ecosystem for entrepreneurs

Set beliefs that are aligned with what you truly want in your life and business.

It's important to understand the power of your beliefs. They're the foundation of your mindset, and they determine how you perceive reality. When you believe something is true, it affects everything in your life—from the way you see yourself and treat others to how successful (or not) your business will be.

For example, let's say that one of your core values is compassion for others. If someone mistreats you or doesn't value what you do for them, it might not bother or upset you personally; instead, it may just make sense that they don't understand how valuable their actions are as an opportunity for growth. On the other hand, if someone gets frustrated with themselves because they aren't doing well enough at something in their lives or business—even though everyone makes mistakes—that person might get angry because there's no easy solution available to fix the situation immediately!

If this sounds like a familiar scenario for some reason…it probably is! In both examples above (the first being compassionate vs non-complacent), both parties have different beliefs about what's happening around them in terms of other people's behavior versus their own performance as individuals/entrepreneurs respectively within those circumstances."

Give yourself permission to receive even more abundance.

Giving yourself permission to receive more abundance is a powerful way to get your mind aligned with what truly matters most: your dreams. When you start thinking about all the good things in life, you build up an inner momentum that makes it easier for everything else—money included—to flow into your life.

This practice can be applied in many ways, including through gratitude and visualization exercises.

First, write down 10 things you're grateful for right now. Do this immediately if possible; otherwise, do it today before bedtime. This exercise helps remind us of the abundance we already have in our lives and helps us focus on what really matters instead of fretting over money problems or daydreaming about leaving town and starting a new life somewhere else (which would only distract from paying off debt).

Choose options that align with your new money beliefs.

If you have money beliefs that are outdated, it's time to let go of them. It's not easy, but it can be done.

The first step is to create a list of all the money beliefs that are holding you back from having the career/relationship/money situation that you want. Then, take this list and look for ways to align your current behaviors with these new beliefs. For example, if one of your top values includes "making more money," then select an option that will help get there:

For instance:

If one of my goals is making more money this month than last month (which it is), then I could start another side hustle or ask for a raise at work!

ecosystem for entrepreneurs

Work on your relationship with time.

  • Time is a commodity. It's finite, and you can only do so much in a day. So, if you want to become more financially successful, it's important to work on managing your time well.

  • Being more conscious of how you spend your time will help both with personal goals and business endeavors. If you want to be able to go on vacation or take long lunches every once in a while, then make sure that this happens by setting aside blocks of “me time” in your calendar or blocking off specific periods when you won't be available for work emails or calls (or texts).

If your goal is making money as an entrepreneur or freelancer, then remember that there are only 24 hours in a day—and some days those hours are shorter than others depending on what other commitments come up during the week. If something unexpected comes up during business hours like an urgent email from clients requesting changes to their website design before it goes live tomorrow morning at 10 AM PST; don't panic! Instead, focus on prioritizing tasks based on their importance rather than worrying about whether there's enough available time left over after dealing with everything else later; just make sure everything gets done without sacrificing quality just because deadlines have been moved up unexpectedly due!

Stop comparing yourself to others and their success.

  • Stop comparing yourself to others and their success.

  • This is one of the biggest obstacles for entrepreneurs but is also one of the easiest to overcome. There’s no doubt that it can be natural and even helpful to compare yourself with others, especially when you feel like you’re struggling or not getting what you want from your business. But constantly looking at other people’s success stories can be a huge distraction from your own goals, and will leave you feeling bad about yourself instead of empowered by your vision for what’s possible. It also doesn't help if someone else has done something similar in their business before or better than yours—you have no control over what they do (or don't do), so why waste time worrying about it?

Declutter and organize your home and office space.

Declutter and organize your home and office space. Clean, clean, clean. If you have a messy desk or piles of papers on the floor, it is time to get rid of them. The same goes for your home office: clear out all the unnecessary things in your workspace, keep it organized and clean up after yourself. This will help prevent distractions while you're working so that you can focus on the task at hand instead of worrying about other things around you (or feeling guilt because there are too many things on your desk).

It is possible to have a supportive mindset about money

Your money mindset is a choice. You can have a supportive mindset about your business and life, and you can change it if you want to.

Money is a tool. It is not the enemy, but it's also not the solution. One of my favorite quotes about money comes from author Robert Kiyosaki: “Money amplifies your goodness or your badness."

If you're doing something that makes other people happy—like helping them with their problems—and you charge for that service, then there's nothing wrong with charging someone for what they've paid for! To me this feels like an honest transaction where both parties are getting what they need from each other (and maybe even some extra benefit).

Conclusion

Money is a tool that we can use to create the most amazing life for ourselves. The more we are able to move past our limiting beliefs about money and abundance, the more we will be able to focus on what is truly important in life. This will help us live up to our full potential as entrepreneurs.

Tim Moseley

Gold trades sideways as investors wait for next week’s FOMC and CPI report

Gold trades sideways as investors wait for next week’s FOMC and CPI report

Unlike yesterday’s double-digit gain in gold prices, today we see gold once again consolidating as it did on Tuesday. Tuesday’s price consolidation in gold indicated that the dramatic decline that occurred on Monday was more akin to a one-and-done scenario than the beginning of a correction. It was the equal or slightly higher low on Tuesday that was just as important as the fractional gains. It indicated solid short-term support for gold futures at around $1780.

Yesterday gold had a respectable price advance recovering roughly half of the decline traders witnessed on Monday. But I believe the key takeaway from the fractional gains on Tuesday and today is that market participants are waiting for the latest information on inflation when the CPI (Consumer Price Index) is released next Tuesday and the Federal Reserve’s last FOMC meeting of the year concludes on the following day.

The most important factor in recent and upcoming price changes in gold is that it has been and will continue to be driven by headlines.

Market participants are by large anticipating that the Federal Reserve will announce a 50-basis point rate hike rather than 75-basis points. According to the CME’s FedWatch tool, there is a 79.4% probability of a 50-BP rate hike, with only a 20.6% probability of a 75-BP rate hike by the Fed next week. This would break the 75-BP rate hike cycle set by the Federal Reserve beginning in June. This means that a rate hike of ½ a percent next week has been largely factored or baked into the pricing.

Gold futures basis the most active February 2023 contract opened in New York at $1799.50 and traded to a high of $1806. As of 4:35 PM EST, the February contract of gold futures is currently fixed at $1801.20 after factoring in today’s net gain of $3.30. This is just above the 200-day MA which is at $1800.20.

Today’s gains in gold pricing were based upon dollar weakness combined with fractional selling pressure in gold. The dollar is currently trading lower by 0.28% and gold futures are currently up 0.18% higher which confirms that today’s price change in gold is a net result of that combination.

By Gary Wagner

Contributing to kitco.com

Time to Buy Gold and Silver

Tim Moseley

Gold breaks above its 200-day moving average then moves back below it

Gold breaks above its 200-day moving average then moves back below it

Gold futures basis the most active February 2023 contract opened in New York at $1783.30 and traded to a high of $1803.20 just above its 200-day moving average which is currently fixed at $1800.70. The price point of this long-term moving average at least for the short term became a technical level of resistance moving gold back below it. As of 4:19 PM EST, the February contract of gold futures is currently fixed at $1798.90 after factoring in today’s net gain of $16.50 or 0.93%.

Today’s double-digit gains came out of a combination of dollar weakness and traders bidding the precious yellow metal higher. Currently, the dollar is down 0.41% with the dollar index fixed at 105.105. Gold’s gain of 0.92% indicates that market participants were not only active buyers but provided just over 50% of the gains realized in gold futures.

That same ratio can be seen in today’s pricing of physical gold. According to the Kitco Gold Index (KGX), spot gold as of 4:23 PM EST was fixed at $1786.70 after factoring in a net gain today of $15.50. Dollar weakness accounted for $6.55 of the $15.50 gain with the rest attributable to buyers bidding gold prices higher by $8.95.

Market participants move gold prices higher today as continued concerns focus on the Federal Reserve’s last FOMC meeting of the year next week and the next inflation report, the CPI. This report will be released during the first day of the two-day FOMC meeting. This will allow the Federal Reserve to see if the fractional decline in inflation reported for October 2022 in November is a continuation of declines in the CPI index after hitting the highest level this year in June when the CPI came in at a scorching 9.1%. From July to October, the CPI has had consecutive declines coming in at 8.5% in July, 8.3% in August, 8.2% in September, and 7.7% in October.

Traders and investors have largely priced in the high likelihood that the Fed will raise rates by 50 basis points, or a ½ %. This will take the current target rate of 375 – 400 basis points to 425 – 450 basis points by the end of the year. According to the CME’s FedWatch tool, there is a 74.7% probability of a 50-basis point rate hike and a 25.3% probability of a 75-basis point rate hike. It is the possibility, although remote, of a fifth consecutive rate hike of 75 basis points that continues to give market participants angst about the upcoming meeting.

Technical levels to watch with gold futures

Our technical studies indicate that the first level of resistance still occurs at $1802 based on gold’s current 200-day moving average. The next level of resistance above that is $1825 based upon the double top that occurred in both August and December.

Minor support first occurs at $1775 which corresponds to the 23.6% Fibonacci retracement. Major support occurs between $1720 the 50% retracement and $1745 the 38.2% Fibonacci retracement level.

By Gary Wagner

Contributing to kitco.com

Time to Buy Gold and Silver

Tim Moseley

Crypto Adoption Increasing Regardless: Self-Custody Is Key: Markethive’s Next Move

Crypto Adoption Increasing Regardless: Self-Custody Is Key: Markethive’s Next Move: Checkmate. 


It’s been a disturbing year for the crypto community and institutional investors alike as we’ve witnessed the collapse of Celsius, BlockFi, and now FTX. Billions of dollars of client funds have been lost and, in the case of FTX, one of the world’s largest crypto exchanges, are quite possibly unrecoverable. It’s become increasingly clear that relying on centralized entities to hold your crypto is foolish and purported to be a rookie mistake. But it wasn’t only newbies or retail investors affected by FTX’s demise. Very few predicted the depravity and criminality of FTX cohorts led by Sam Bankman-Fried

Hedge funds, venture capitalists, investment managers, and high-net-worth individuals were all caught off guard. Who would’ve thought a company praised by politicians, regulators, VCs, and the mainstream media would collapse so quickly and spectacularly? Until you realize that fraud and ill-intent are rife in many so-called respected sectors. Some say FTX was worse than Mount Gox and Quadriga, and others say it’s worse than Enron. 


Image source: Cointelegraph

Crypto Adoption Increases

Contrary to the FUD about crypto acceptance diminishing due to recent events, crypto adoption is still increasing. As a store of value, Bitcoin is alive and well, and the decentralized public blockchain of Bitcoin remains as secure as ever. The confidence in the protocol is helping assert its role as a store of value and can reinforce its position as the gold standard of crypto. 

Bitcoin has proven to be an effective form of decentralized non-government money. TechCrunch reveals that consumers are utilizing BTC for international remittances for many reasons. Its ability to transcend the traditional financial system is valuable and, in some cases, critical to many potential users. The collapse of FTX or any token doesn't change that. 

Many are starting to see that FTX and the like are just stories based on misbehavior and lack of compliance, if not lining one’s pockets under the guise of effective altruism, turned moral vanity. There have been many failures in 2022, and the real losers are the ecosystem of centralized actors and cryptocurrency altcoins that have failed to deliver on their hype. 

Questionable Alt-coins

Although FTX and its FTT token are the latest to fail, others have fallen this year alone. The Celsius Network exposed the risk of "stablecoins" as the TerraUSD coin and LUNA token crashed. There was also the collapse of crypto lender Voyager Digital, which FTX subsequently purchased for a mere $51 million, down from a peak valuation of $1.5 billion. Hacks and marketing scams have also plagued the broader sector.

Considering there are over 13,000 cryptocurrencies, only a handful of altcoins have legitimacy and a place in the crypto ecosystem with well-defined utility or unique applications. Altcoins like Ethereum, Litecoin, Cardano, Elrond, and Solana have a reason for being, but there are many with questionable structures with no utility created for speculation purposes only. Some are just coin gimmicks with almost unlimited supply caps, which contradicts the supply and demand theory. 

The critical distinction is that these questionable alts are not related to Bitcoin or legitimate altcoins with purpose, especially benevolent ones, that are working towards an alternative future monetary system, just like Satoshi envisioned. There will always be nefarious actors in our midst, and with all that’s been happening, the crypto community is much more discerning. 

With Markethive about to appear on the global scene as the first blockchain-driven decentralized social media integrated with broadcasting and inbound marketing platforms and its sovereign monetary system using its native crypto, Hivecoin, security, and privacy are paramount. There are various ecosystems in the crypto space, and a parallel economy is on the rise. Markethive is creating an ecosystem for everyone with an entrepreneurial spirit looking for a sanctuary away from the escalating evil in the world. 

Security in centralized exchanges will always be a concern, as is the rollout of CBDCs and digital IDs that are making headlines. In a recent interview, Aman Jabbi, a computer scientist, says that if the population accepts these factors of control, it’ll be game over for humanity. He states the easiest way to push against the system is to “starve the beast” by refusing to use technologies that collect and share your data. Notably, in this case, the beast is AI and is used for evil against humanity, not for good. 

As with many other factions rejecting the global elite’s plans, Markethive is building an impenetrable fortress to protect its growing community. Cryptocurrency is the key to freedom and financial sovereignty, so how do we protect ourselves and keep control of our crypto? 

With the impending release of the Markethive internal wallet and its official listing of Hivecoin, you will need an external wallet connected to the blockchain for transactions. Unlike keeping your crypto on an exchange, there is only one way you can know for sure that your crypto is under your control: to self-custody your funds. 

What Is Self-Custody? 

Self-custody is when you hold the private keys to your cryptocurrency wallet, so you can only sign transactions from that wallet. Hence, you are the only person who effectively controls your crypto. There is a well-known phrase in the crypto world; not your keys, not your crypto. 

Conversely, when you place your funds on an exchange or any centralized platform, you use a wallet to which the platform has the private key, not you. It's a communal wallet; you have to hope and trust that the exchange won't lend or send those funds to anyone else. So what you essentially have from the exchange is an IOU, which is worth nothing if that exchange goes bust. It’s the same with a traditional bank account in that cash only exists as a database entry. 

It’s important to note that there is a distinct difference between self-custody and custody services. Companies like Coinbase, Gemini, Bitgo, and the like, operate custody services. Their primary modus operandi is to hold those coins and tokens for you in a supposedly safe manner. They're much safer than an exchange but are still not the gold standard when controlling your crypto. What you need is a self-hosted wallet. 

There are various self-hosted wallets, so the wallet you choose will depend on what you want to use it for and the coins and tokens you want to store. 


Image source: Exodus

Non-custodial Wallets

Desktop or software wallets are software programs that you install on your PC and to which you can send your crypto. The private keys themselves are stored on your device in an encrypted fashion, and whenever you want to send a transaction out, they are used to decrypt and sign that transaction.

A reputable wallet, and the one I use is the Exodus Wallet. Exodus has wide-ranging coin support and an intuitive, easy-to-use AI. It’s important to note that no exchange integration in any of the self-custody crypto wallets would ever allow an exchange to hold your private keys. 

Exodus also has a mobile wallet for smartphone users and a Web3 wallet that connects you to dApps, DeFi, and all of Web3. The Exodus Web3 Wallet is also a self-custody crypto wallet. It allows you to send, receive, and swap crypto and interact with NFTs on all supported networks.

Other multi-coin wallets to consider are the Atomic wallet or Jaxx wallet. Because of the Markethive and Solana Integration, as long as any of these wallets recognize Solana, they will accept Hivecoin going forward. 

Forewarned is Forearmed 

It’s also notable that Exodus has never been hacked. If you’ve heard of any reports about Exodus users getting hacked, it stems from where they downloaded the software. When downloading these desktop wallets, check that you download them from the official site. There are thousands of phishing sites that try to impersonate official wallet websites. 

Sometimes they'll have a dodgy domain that’s easily overlooked. There have been instances of phishing sites paying for Google ads to have their sites placed above those of the official sites. Once you go on these phishing sites, you may accidentally download a wallet jammed with malware that could be used to steal your private keys.

As with desktop wallets, ensure you download the correct mobile wallet app from the Apple or Google Play store. There have been examples where hackers have uploaded malicious apps and wallets with predictably unpleasant results. It’s also critical to keep your crypto wallet a secret, especially if you have any on your phone. The more people know about your holdings, the more of a target you are for the $5 wrench attack

It’s also essential to distinguish between crypto company mobile apps and mobile wallets. Smartphone apps like Coinbase, Binance, Nexo, and Crypto.com are just mobile versions of exchanges allowing you to access your crypto accounts. You don't hold the keys; the exchange does. 

Once you've downloaded and installed any of these wallets, you'll be asked to generate a collection of seed words. These words are the keys to your crypto kingdom, so be sure to keep them in a safe and secure place and make backups. Remember, anyone with the seed words can regenerate your wallet and exfiltrate your crypto. 

All the self-custody wallet solutions mentioned above are free to download and use. The next level option is hardware wallets, like Trezor or Ledger. They store your private keys in a cold environment, which means they are never exposed to the internet as they're always kept on the device itself.


Image source: Exodus

In terms of functionality, hardware wallets will be connected to your computer and operated with software that the device manufacturer has produced. Therefore from a simplicity perspective, they should be relatively easy to use as the software wallet. Furthermore, Exodus has a Trezor integration on its desktop wallet, which adds an advanced layer of security. 

Not only is your crypto much more secure with self-custody, but you also have complete control of what you do with that crypto. No permission is needed to withdraw, no limits, and no KYC. It's your wallet, keys, crypto, and your financial freedom. 

Moving Forward

2022 will arguably go down as one of the worst years in the crypto ecosystem; however, it is a turning point for the industry as we adapt to weed out bad actors. It'll also be the year where nearly everyone, from big money to average retail users, truly appreciates the importance of decentralization and having total control of their crypto assets.  

As we enter 2023 and witness the storm of catastrophic events worldwide and the unveiling of unscrupulous entities, the crypto industry is evolving, realizing and addressing issues borne from a nascent technology. 

Markethive is in the eye of the storm, where it’s calm and peaceful, diligently working to bring a blockchain-driven multi-media network to the crypto space. People worldwide who have suffered the tyranny of big tech and social media elite or been displaced or scammed by bad actors are being enlightened. 

We can consider all these adverse occurrences as blessings in disguise. The time is right for Markethive to distinguish itself and bring to light its purpose of delivering a broadcasting platform, marketing systems, and communication interface foundational to God’s law, the universal spiritual law where truth, freedom, and liberty are upheld for all of humanity. 

Come to our Sunday meetings at 10 am MST as we approach massive significant upgrades and the wallet launch. See and hear explanations, ask questions, and witness the ever-evolving technology and concepts of Markethive. The link to the meeting room is located in the Markethive Calendar

 

 

Editor and Chief Markethive: Deb Williams. (Australia) I thrive on progress and champion freedom of speech. I embrace "Change" with a passion, and my purpose in life is to enlighten people to accept and move forward with enthusiasm. Find me at my Markethive Profile Page | My Twitter Account | and my LinkedIn Profile.

 

 

 

 

Tim Moseley

Gold consolidates after trading to a double top near 1825 yesterday

Gold consolidates after trading to a double top near $1825 yesterday

Market participants are acutely aware of next week’s FOMC meeting which begins on Tuesday, December 13, and concludes the following day. Following the conclusion of the last FOMC meeting of the year, the Federal Reserve will release a statement which will be followed by Chairman Powell’s press conference. It is highly anticipated that the Federal Reserve will raise its benchmark Fed funds rate as it has at every consecutive FOMC meeting since March.

Traders and investors have largely priced in the high likelihood that the Fed will raise rates by 50 basis points, or a ½ %. This will take the current target rate of 375 – 400 basis points to 425 – 450 basis points by the end of the year. According to the CME’s FedWatch tool, there is a 77% probability of a 50-basis point rate hike and a 23% probability of a 75-basis point rate hike. It is the possibility, although remote, of a fifth consecutive rate hike of 75 basis points that has given market participants angst about the upcoming meeting.

Gold had fractional gains with the most active February 2023 Comex contract gaining $2.30 or 0.13%. As of 4:55 PM, EST gold futures are fixed at $1783.80. Gold futures opened today at $1780.80 and traded to a high of $1793.20, and a low of $1779.10. The dollar gained 0.26% in trading today with the dollar index currently fixed at 105.515. This means that traders were able to bid gold prices higher while overcoming mild dollar strength.

This can also be seen in the pricing of physical gold today. According to the Kitco Gold Index spot gold is currently fixed at $1771.40. Traders bid physical gold higher by $6.40 and dollar strength took away $4.10 of that gain which resulted in today’s net gain of $2.30.

Today’s fractional gain in gold indicates that market participants have paused the selling pressure seen in yesterday’s technical selling that moved gold prices sharply lower.

Important technical levels in gold futures

Our technical studies indicate that the first level of resistance occurs at $1802 based on gold’s current 200-day moving average. The next level of resistance above that is $1825 based upon the top that occurred in August. Major resistance can be seen at $1883; this is based upon the top that occurred in mid-June.

Minor support first occurs at $1775 which corresponds to the 23.6% Fibonacci retracement. Major support occurs between $1720 the 50% retracement and $1745 the 38.2% Fibonacci retracement level.

By Gary Wagner

Contributing to kitco.com

Time to Buy Gold and Silver

Tim Moseley

Everything That’s Wrong With the Mainstream Media and Finance in One Picture

Everything That's Wrong With the Mainstream Media and Finance in One Picture

by Nick Giambruno, contributor, International Man Communique

 

Everything That's Wrong With the Mainstream Media and Finance in One Picture

 

It’s hard to recall a more despicable and widespread public-relations effort to transform the image of an obvious villain.

Of course, I'm referring to the mainstream media's treatment of Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF).

It’s reminiscent of the movie Batman Returns, where a corrupt media tries to polish the image of the repugnant criminal Oswald Cobblepot—better known as the Penguin.

SBF founded FTX in 2019. The company seemed to come out of nowhere to become one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges in mere months.

How did this strange newcomer—who didn't know much about Bitcoin—suddenly become the so-called "JP Morgan of Crypto?"

Powerful people in finance, the media, and the government all had a hand in FTX's meteoric rise. So the company was clearly at the nexus of something important—though the whole picture is not exactly clear at this point.

Simply put, FTX was a cesspool.

The company allegedly mishandled customer deposits, was involved in shady activities in Ukraine, sold Bitcoin it didn’t have and had suspicious connections with prominent politicians and regulators.

For example, SBF was the second-largest donor to the Democratic Party, behind only George Soros.

FTX also lobbied the government for special treatment and to suffocate its competitors with regulations.

Tom Brady, Larry David, and other celebrities lent their image to FTX. The company even aired a commercial during the Super Bowl. In addition, FTX acquired the naming rights to the stadium where the Miami Heat basketball team plays.

As a result of all this mainstream publicity, countless ordinary people were suckered into FTX and lost many billions of dollars in minutes as this crooked institution went bankrupt recently.

Instead of treating SBF like a criminal, the media launched a bizarre PR blitz to paint him as some selfless altruist out to save the planet.

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It's not uncommon to see the mainstream media bend over backward to gloss over any of SBF's alleged wrongdoing and instead highlight what might make you think he's not such a bad guy.

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SBF also appeared on Good Morning America. He denied he knew about the improper use of customer funds—it wasn't convincing. Host George Stephanopoulos was either unwilling or not sufficiently informed to challenge the assertions.

Perhaps the most ridiculous display in this coordinated PR campaign was SBF’s remote appearance from the Bahamas—he hasn’t returned to the US since FTX’s collapse—at the New York Times Dealbook Summit.

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Andrew Ross Sorkin, an establishment darling and event host, asked fake hard questions. Clearly, his goal was to do damage control, not discover the truth. In the end, a sympathetic audience gave SBF enthusiastic applause.

When you take a step back and look at the big picture, powerful people and institutions are clearly protecting SBF.

The mainstream media, which already has a well-deserved dismal reputation, is destroying what little credibility it has left with these endless SBF puff pieces. It’s a desperate and foolish move, and I don’t think it will work.

Whatever was really going on with FTX could be exposed soon. And since the media has been working so hard to cover it up, it could be explosive.

The fallout could devastate other cryptocurrency exchanges and companies.

That’s why it’s crucial to hold Bitcoin properly.

If you hold your Bitcoin on Coinbase or some other platform, you don’t really own your Bitcoin and are taking on significant counterparty risk. Instead, you own a Bitcoin IOU, which is something very different—as FTX clients are finding out.

These custodians can freeze and seize your funds for any pretext they find convenient. You need to ask for their permission to use your funds.

Custodians can also go bankrupt, and you can lose all your funds, which has happened countless times. They also know your entire transaction history, so you have no privacy.

The whole point of Bitcoin is for you to totally control your money. Relying on a third party defeats the entire purpose.

It’s much more secure to hold your Bitcoin off the exchange’s website in your own self-custody wallet, where you control the private keys to eliminate this dangerous counterparty risk.

As Bitcoiners like to say, "not your keys, not your Bitcoin."

 


New Opportunities Are Emerging For Citizens of The World.

Freedom and democracy may appear to be struggling to stay alive in America, but there may be a knock-out punch ready to be released. The evolution of the blockchain-enabled metaverse is going to enable the 'Citizens of the World' to gain their own Freedom by democratizing power and creating a new world with new rules, new players, and new opportunities. For 99.99% of us, the metaverse will improve our real-world lives by democratizing power and opportunity.

Along with the major long-term trend of society towards decentralization and smaller-scale organizations, there are new opportunities developing to help 'Preparers' in the cryptocurrency sector. Businesses are beginning to issue their own Crypto Coins that can be traded on Cryptocoin Exchanges.

Markethive.com will release its HiveCoin (HIV) in the coming weeks. It has tremendous upside potential that is outlined in a Video by Founder Tom Prendergast, "Entrepreneur Advantage…".

Not only that, if you go to their website and register as a FREE Member, you will be given 500 HiveCoins for "FREE" along with access to several Earning Opportunities and online tools to increase your HiveCoin balance.

Be sure to check it out today – Markethive.com

Markethive

Tim Moseley

The Artist that came out of the Winter