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Gold’s tepid response to dollar weakness and geopolitical uncertainty

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Gold’s tepid response to dollar weakness and geopolitical uncertainty

One might think that with the increased geopolitical uncertainty and recent dollar weakness that gold would have strong gains. However, that is absolutely not true in trading today. As of 5:15 PM EDT, the most active December contract of gold futures is currently up only $3.30 or +0.20% and fixed at $1657.40.

Fractional gains in gold today have occurred with extreme dollar weakness. The U.S. dollar index is currently down -1.02% and fixed at 110.77. To illustrate gold’s weakness in light of dollar weakness we simply need to compare spot gold pricing and dollar weakness through the eyes of the Kitco Gold Index (KGX). Currently, spot gold is fixed at $1653.10 which is a net gain of $3.40. On closer inspection, we can see that dollar weakness has added +$16.80, and normal trading has resulted in a decline of -$13.40 resulting in today’s tepid gains.

Geopolitical uncertainty escalates to an exceedingly high level

On top of today’s weak U.S. dollar which has added significant value to gold, the world is facing an escalating level of geopolitical uncertainty in both North Korea as well as the war in Ukraine.

On Tuesday the President of South Korea Yoon Suk-Yeol said that North Korea has completed its initial preparations for its seventh nuclear test. As reported by Bloomberg News the president of South Korea told his Parliament on Tuesday, “We assess that it has already completed preparations for a seventh nuclear test”.

The threat of nuclear tests by North Korea is only part of a much more complex geopolitical framework. The article in Bloomberg News articulated the complexities of the current geopolitical environment saying, “The US push to isolate Russia over Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine, coupled with increasing animosity toward China, has allowed Kim to strengthen his nuclear deterrent without fear of facing more sanctions at the UN Security Council”.

There are also reports that Russia is planning a false flag attack. On Monday Putin and the Kremlin claimed that Ukraine was planning to use a radioactive “dirty bomb” against Russian forces. Putin has used “false flags” before as a rationale to escalate

Russia’s military operations. This has raised concern that the Russian president is creating a narrative in which he will escalate the war in Ukraine to include tactical nuclear weapons or a dirty bomb to preempt Ukraine from using a “dirty bomb”.

On Tuesday Air Force Brigadier General Patrick Ryder said, “From a US standpoint, the allegations that Ukraine is building a dirty bomb are false.”

Today President Biden said that Russia would be making a “serious mistake” by launching a “false flag” nuclear attack in Ukraine and that it’s unclear if such an operation was underway.

With today’s backdrop of extreme dollar weakness giving up more than 1%. As well as an extreme escalation of geopolitical uncertainty from North Korea and the fact that gold is only up $3 clearly illustrate that gold is currently not reacting as a safe haven asset.

By Gary Wagner

Contributing to kitco.com

Time to buy Gold and Silver on the dips

 

Tim Moseley

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What Is An Autoresponder How It Works

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What Is An Autoresponder How It Works

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Introduction

An autoresponder is a tool used to automatically send emails when you're not available to respond to inquiries. It's used for marketing, sales and customer service. These automated emails can be sent out at specific times or triggered by actions that customers take on your website. You can also use an autoresponder to deliver content such as monthly newsletters or discounts—or even post updates about your business on social media channels like Facebook and Instagram. An autoresponder allows you to build relationships with customers and helps them become more informed about your business offerings without having to devote time from other priorities in order to do so yourself. That's why it's important for businesses not only large but small as well

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What Is An Autoresponder?

An autoresponder is a tool that allows you to send a series of emails to your subscribers. It's like an email assistant that helps you build relationships with your customers, and it's used by many businesses to send out marketing emails or other messages.

Autoresponders are also commonly called "auto-responders" or "auto-responders," which is why you might sometimes see them abbreviated as such (e.g., AARs).

What Can An Autoresponder Do For Your Business?

An autoresponder is a program that allows you to send out a series of emails to your leads or customers. The emails are sent automatically, so they can be used as a marketing tool.

The most common use for an autoresponder is when you have collected the emails of potential buyers and need to keep in touch with them. This could be an offer for something like freebies or services, which will be delivered at a later date. A product launch would also benefit from this kind of system because it allows you to build lists and promote new products on them without having any human interaction involved in the process (other than when you first set up the list).

How Does An Autoresponder Work?

An autoresponder is a system that sends emails to your subscribers automatically.

You can use autoresponders to:

  • Build relationships with your customers. Autoresponders are used to send out newsletters, promotions, and other info related to your business. These messages often include a link back to the site or landing page where users can purchase products or services that you offer. The idea here is that people receive these emails when they're most likely interested in what you have to say and when they're most likely going to be ready to buy from you (i.e., if they've just signed up for something).

  • Generate leads from potential customers who don't know about your product yet but would be interested in it if given the chance (i.e., if someone signs up for one of the things mentioned in an email).

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The Benefits of Autoresponders

Here’s what you need to know about autoresponders and why they can help your business:

  • They can help you build trust with your customers by giving them a feeling of “being in the loop.”

  • They can help build relationships with your customers over time, which makes them feel more comfortable doing business with you.

  • They can increase sales by providing a consistent message that goes out every time someone signs up or buys something from you, without any additional work on your part.

  • They also improve customer retention by increasing engagement and providing value to each customer, so they feel like they got their money's worth when working with you."

You can convert more leads into customers with this tool.

An autoresponder is a tool that helps you to send emails in a sequential manner. You can use this tool to send an email to your customer on a regular basis, and it will also help you to convert more leads into customers. For example, if you want to promote your product or service, then the autoresponder will be useful for you because it allows users to send emails regularly without being distracted by other tasks or activities.

However, if you want to improve the effectiveness of your marketing campaign using an autoresponder service then it's important that you understand how this tool works and how it can help generate more revenue for your business

Conclusion

Now you know what an autoresponder is and how it works. As you can see, this tool is a great way to grow your business and convert more leads into customers. If you’re ready to take advantage of its many benefits, then sign up for Markethive.com for a free autoresponder and many other free marketing tools free today!

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Tim Moseley

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Market participants continue to be headlined driven as seen in gold on Friday

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Market participants continue to be headlined driven as seen in gold on Friday

Gold investors and traders are reacting strongly to any shift in the Federal Reserve’s narrative concerning upcoming interest rate hikes. This was seen on Friday when a single article published by the Wall Street Journal resulted in strong gains for gold. On Friday Mary Daly the president of the San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank said, “I think the time is now to start talking about stepping down – the time is now to start planning for stepping down,”.

While the consensus amongst investors and economists is that the Federal Reserve will raise rates by 75 basis points at the FOMC meeting in November, we saw a dramatic shift in market sentiment for the December rate hike as seen through the eyes of the CME the FedWatch tool.

On Friday the FedWatch tool predicted that there is a 46.3% probability that the Fed funds rate will be between 450 and 475 basis points by the end of 2022. This greatly differs from last Thursday’s prediction which indicated a probability of 75.4 %. Today the FedWatch tool is predicting that there is a 53.7% probability that the Fed’s benchmark by year-end will be between 450 and 475 basis points.

What caused the dramatic shift in Fed funds futures contract pricing on Friday was speculation amongst Federal Reserve officials as to whether or not to begin to decrease the size of the rate hike in December.

It is quite plausible that market participants looked closer at statements by Mary Daly who qualified her statements “that slowing down was not the same as stopping rate hikes” and that the Federal Reserve benchmark rate will ultimately rise to “4 ½ or 5%” which is “a very reasonable estimate of where we’ll need to go”.

Today gold futures pricing is down slightly after trading to its highest value since the beginning of October. Gold futures traded to a high of $1675.50 today before moving lower on the day. As of 5:40 PM EDT, the most active December contract is currently fixed at $1654.10 after factoring in today’s decline of $2.20 or 0.13%.

On Friday gold traded to its lowest value this month matching the lows achieved during the last week of September at $1622. However, following the release of the Wall Street Journal article on Friday which highlighted Mary Daly’s comments about upcoming rate hikes gold rallied strongly closing at $1656. Today’s fractional decline of $2.20 is impressive considering that Friday’s gains were based on a single Federal Reserve member's narrative. Earlier in the week two Federal Reserve presidents

Bullard & Kashkari said and confirmed that the Fed can’t pause hikes. It seems as though market participants want to react to any Fed statements that are more dovish than the recent extremely strong hawkish statements made earlier. What can be construed from this is that markets are pricing in more the more hawkish scenario of two more 75 point hikes this year.
 

By Gary Wagner

Contributing to kitco.com

Time to buy Gold and Silver on the dips

Tim Moseley

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Why is Quality Content so Important for your Website and Blog

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Why is Quality Content so Important for your Website and Blog

Tip

Introduction

Content is the fuel that powers your website and blog. However, it can also be a double-edged sword if it's not "quality" content. If you want to attract new visitors and keep them engaged with your brand, then you need to provide high-quality content that keeps readers coming back for more. Here are some reasons why good content matters

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Before you can provide content that attracts and retains the attention of your audience, you need to know what they are looking for.

Before you can provide content that attracts and retains the attention of your audience, you need to know what they are looking for.

Research is a critical part of creating high-quality digital content. You will need to understand who your target audience is, what their interests and preferences are, and how best to reach them. You should also be sure to keep up with changes in technology or trends that might affect your ability to attract readers in the future.

When you know why your audience want to buy your products and services, then it's up to you to provide it.

It's not enough to know that your audience wants to buy your products and services. It's up to you to provide the information they need in order for them to make a smart decision. It's up to you to give them the information they need in order for them to solve their problems. You can't just tell them what you have and expect them to buy on impulse—you have an obligation as a business owner or marketer (or both) is providing value and helping people solve their issues in an understandable way.

It's all about providing value with content that solves problems, so when someone lands on your website or blog, they are immediately able to see how it could help them with something specific from themselves or from someone else who has read it before.*

The right content will tell them how your product or service satisfies their needs.

The right content will tell them how your product or service satisfies their needs. In other words, it will help them answer the question: “What problem does my product or service solve?”

But if you don’t know what your target audience’s needs are, how can you create content that addresses those needs? That's where keyword research comes in handy.

Quality content also provides buyers with everything they need to make a decision.

Quality content is key to providing your users with all of the necessary information they need to make a decision. If you have good, relevant content on your website, then visitors will be more likely to buy from you.

This is especially true when it comes to buying products and services online. If a customer visits your site and finds that there are no in-depth reviews of the product or service he wants or if there aren't any helpful videos showing how the product works, he may assume that there is something wrong with it or that you're hiding something from him.

The right information will help buyers make smart decisions.

If you want to attract new buyers and keep them coming back, you need to provide them with the information they need to make smart decisions.

When people are buying a product or service, they want to know:

  • The benefits of your product or service over other similar ones available on the market

  • The drawbacks of your product or service compared to others in its class

  • What they're actually getting for their money—what does it do? how does it work? what are the specifications? etc.

Your content should educate your audience and help them solve their problems.

The most important thing to remember is that your content should be helpful and informative. If you can provide information that helps your audience solve their problems, make decisions, understand your product or service, or better understand your brand, then you’re doing great!

Providing high-quality content that is relevant to their interests is a great way to keep your customers engaged with your brand.

In order to keep your customers engaged with your brand and increase conversions, providing high-quality content that is relevant to their interests is a great way to do so. High-quality content can help them solve their problems, educate them on topics they are interested in, or just make them feel good about the company they do business with.

By providing more than just the basics of information (i.e., a short description of what you do), but rather providing helpful information (i.e., tips on how to use our product), you show that you care about your customers and want to provide them with valuable information. This will often lead consumers towards making purchases from you instead of another competitor because they know that this company cares about its customers and has their best interests in mind when producing products or services for sale on their website/blog/social media page

Good content helps convert audiences into buyers, and high-quality content helps retain those buyers for the long term

Good content helps convert audiences into buyers, and high-quality content helps retain those buyers for the long term.

Why is quality content so important? It’s simple: quality information is a great way to keep customers engaged with your brand. When you provide it in an interesting, engaging format (like video), it can even help buyers make smart decisions that lead them to becoming loyal customers.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we hope that this blog has helped you gain a better understanding of why quality content is so important for your website and blog. We've covered some of the most common reasons why people turn away from poorly written content and how to avoid them by creating better-quality content. If you're looking for more tips on how to create quality content, then be sure to check out our other articles!

Tim Moseley

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Gold price erosion continues amid strong US dollar higher bond yields

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Gold price erosion continues amid strong U.S. dollar, higher bond yields

Gold and silver prices are again lower in early U.S. trading Friday, with gold hitting a three-week low. The seemingly relentless appreciation of the U.S. dollar on the foreign exchange market and the resulting rise in U.S. Treasury yields continue to undermine the precious metals markets. December gold was last down $11.50 at $1,625.20 and December silver was down $0.434 at $18.255.

Global stock markets were mixed to lower overnight. U.S. stock indexes are pointed to lower openings when the New York day session begins. The marketplace late this week is more risk averse and focused on the march higher in U.S. Treasury yields. The U.S. 10-year note yield is presently fetching 4.278%, which is the highest level since 2008. The Federal Reserve is hellbent on taming problematic inflation and is willing to let the U.S. economy stall out to get the job done more quickly. This scenario is bearish for stocks, bonds and commodity markets, but bullish for the U.S. dollar.

Goldman Sachs sees a scenario where gold rally's sharply to $2,250 by 2025

The key outside markets today see the U.S. dollar index solidly higher. Nymex crude oil prices are near steady and trading around $84.50 a barrel.

There is no major U.S. economic data due for release Friday.

Technically, the December gold futures bears have the solid overall near-term technical advantage. Bulls’ next upside price objective is to produce a close above solid resistance at $1,700.00. Bears' next near-term downside price objective is pushing futures prices below solid technical support at $1,600.00. First resistance is seen at $1,650.00 and then at Wednesday’s high of $1,659.80. First support is seen at $1,615.00 and then at $1,600.00. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 1.0

September silver futures bears have the solid overall near-term technical advantage and have momentum. Silver bulls' next upside price objective is closing prices above solid technical resistance at $20.00. The next downside price objective for the bears is closing prices below solid support at the September low of $17.40. First resistance is seen at today’s high of $18.625 and then at $19.00. Next support is seen at $18.00 and then at $17.40. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 2.0.

By Jim Wyckoff

For Kitco News

Time to buy Gold and Silver on the dips

Tim Moseley

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Cryptocurrency Decentralization: What Does It Take To Become Fully Decentralized? Which Crypto Projects Meet The Criteria?

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Cryptocurrency Decentralization: What Does It Take To Become Fully Decentralized?  Which Crypto Projects Meet The Criteria? 

 
 

What differentiates cryptocurrency from traditional finance technologies? Crypto is decentralized, whereas the financial system we have been locked into is centralized. It has undoubtedly been a hot topic since the first bitcoin block was mined in 2009, and now with regulators worldwide converging on the crypto industry, decentralization is more critical than ever. This article explains what decentralization means and looks at the different layers of decentralization in cryptocurrency and which cryptos are the most decentralized.

Decentralization Defined

What is decentralization, and why is it so important? According to this dictionary,  decentralization is the process of shifting control from one main group to several smaller ones. In business, decentralization describes a structure that distributes control among many smaller groups or locations rather than giving that power to a single, central organization. In government, decentralization is often thought of as a way to move power into the hands of individual citizens.


Image by: Markethive.com

As it happens, decentralization is a political philosophy that emerged in the aftermath of the French Revolution. Decentralization fits under the broader umbrella of Libertarianism, another political philosophy associated with the French Revolution, which puts Liberty Above All Else. Liberty is what cryptocurrency is all about; hence, the blockchain networks underpinning crypto are often designed with decentralization as a focal point.

However, it's not just decentralization at the blockchain level that matters. In many cases, being centralized at other levels makes decentralization at the blockchain level irrelevant. Complete decentralization is of the utmost importance, primarily for two reasons. 

  1. Security: When a cryptocurrency is decentralized from top to bottom, it’s almost always highly secure because there's no single point of failure. It also creates censorship resistance, as no central authority can decide what you can and can't do with your digital property. 
  2. Crypto Regulations: A genuinely decentralized cryptocurrency is next to impossible to regulate as there's no identifiable individual or institution that can be coerced or sanctioned. In other words, if a cryptocurrency is truly decentralized, it's challenging, if not impossible, for a central authority to shut it down.

Regulations will destroy crypto projects that are not truly decentralized, and they are the ones that are really not all that different from existing financial technologies. Below, we look at the five layers of cryptocurrency and how important decentralization is at each layer. CoinBureau.com coined the names depicting the various layers for simplicity.


Image source: Coin Bureau

Layer 1: Decentralization At The Developer Layer

The developer layer involves the individuals and institutions that create the crypto project. Arguably, decentralization at this level means the more unaffiliated individuals and institutions a cryptocurrency has, the more decentralized this layer is. Decentralization is vital at the developer layer for a few reasons. The first is regulation; you may know that the SEC uses the Howey Test to determine what cryptos to track. 

In short, this means that if the SEC can identify an individual or institution creating the expectation of profit you have when you invest in a particular coin or token, then that cryptocurrency is a security subject to strict regulations. 

So, what does the SEC think about cryptocurrencies with multiple individuals and institutions creating profit expectations for a particular coin or token? According to the now-famous 2018 speech by SEC director Bill Hinman, he stated that Ethereum wasn't a security because it's “sufficiently decentralized.” 

The second reason why decentralization is essential at this layer is longevity. Simply relying on a small group of individuals or institutions for development means there’s a high risk a crypto project will sink if the core team disbands. One example is the recent departure of the DeFi star developer Andre Cronje, with many of the crypto projects he left behind now facing severe uncertainty. 

The security of the cryptocurrency is the third reason decentralization is important at the developer layer. This is simply because relying on a small group of individuals or institutions for security is much more likely to be compromised by either internal or external actors. A recent example is the hack of Axie Infinity’s Ronin side chain, where the hacker managed to take control of the private keys belonging to Ronin's validators by hacking Sky Mavis, the company behind Axie Infinity and Ronin. 

Layer 2: Decentralization Of A Coin Or Token

The second layer, which is coin or token decentralization, ties in with the first, specifically the distribution of a particular coin or token. The coin or token layer is where the definition of decentralization becomes exceptionally nuanced. It varies from crypto to crypto, along with the effects of centralization at this layer on a cryptocurrency’s market cap, governance structure, and blockchain security.

For all cryptocurrencies, the distribution of a coin or token must be decentralized. In other words, evenly spread out because if a handful of whales hold most of the supply, they can easily manipulate the price. For coins or tokens used in voting for changes to a cryptocurrency’s project, blockchain, or protocol, centralization at the coin or token level means that a handful of token holders can easily monopolize significant decisions about the project. 

For coins belonging to a proof-of-stake cryptocurrency blockchain, if a handful of wallets hold most of that coin supply, they pose a security threat to that cryptocurrency’s blockchain. Although many have come close, there’s yet to be a proof-of-stake cryptocurrency subject to this type of corruption. That’s why Solana actively monitors how much its largest validators are staking to ensure their blockchains remain secure. 

Note that decentralization at the coin or token layer is also essential for proof-of-work cryptocurrency coins because of the price manipulation factors. If too much of the supply of a proof-of-work coin is held by a handful of whales, they could crash the price below the point where it would still be profitable for miners to process transactions on its blockchain. 

Layer 3: Infrastructure 

The third layer of decentralization in cryptocurrency is the infrastructure layer. This refers to the different technologies you use to interact with or access cryptocurrency blockchains. Although many may think crypto wallets, cryptocurrency exchanges are arguably first on the list in any cryptocurrency infrastructure. That’s because it's challenging and sometimes impossible to acquire a coin or token without using a centralized exchange. 

It may seem a bit of a paradox, but for quite a while, centralized cryptocurrency exchanges were surprisingly decentralized as many didn't have an official headquarters. Sometimes, even the company running the exchange didn't even exist. It was just a series of subsidiaries registered in countries with little to no regulation. 

Often, these subsidiaries were established by various individuals or institutions where the people and the physical infrastructure were spread out worldwide in mostly unknown locations. However, this isn’t the case today, as most cryptocurrency exchanges have been forced to register with regulators and impose KYC on their users. The KYC aspect isn’t necessarily bad but leads to centralization as the non-compliant exchanges are shut down. 

Decentralization at the infrastructure layer has also been problematic for some of the most significant crypto projects. It’s an issue for Ethereum because many of Ethereum’s applications rely on Infura for infrastructure to interact with the Ethereum blockchain, including the Meta Mask browser extension wallet. 

As a result, many of Ethereum's services go offline whenever Infura has an outage. It’s only happened twice in the last few years, but it continues to be a wake-up call for the Ethereum community.  Another big wake-up call has been in Infura’s recent decision to begin blocking access to any services using its technology where the end user lives in a sanctioned country. 

Layer 4: The Blockchain Layer 

The fourth layer of decentralization in cryptocurrency is the Blockchain layer. It’s often the layer that's referred to when you hear or see anything related to decentralization in cryptocurrency. Similarly to the coin or token layer, decentralization at the blockchain layer can look very different depending on the cryptocurrency in question; in some cases, the number of nodes doesn't necessarily matter.

Algorand is an excellent example of this, as its blockchain has thousands of participation nodes involved in consensus. However, all transactions on Algorand are processed by a smaller group of 120 relay nodes, most run by the entities behind Algorand and its affiliates. Some would argue that Algorand is technically decentralized because its relay nodes don't participate in consensus, but others disagree. 

Solana, whose mandate is to support its blockchain's decentralization, security, resilience, and adoption, has over 3,400 validator nodes across six continents, including over 1900 consensus nodes, according to its first-ever “Validator Health Report.” Furthermore, an average of 95 consensus nodes and 99 RPC nodes have joined the network every month since June 2021. A large, diverse set of validator operators are essential to maintain a resilient, distributed and credibly neutral network for global usability.


Image source: Solana

There are 1,900 block-producing nodes on the Solana network, but that doesn’t mean all 1,900 are separate entities running each of these nodes. Several companies have built businesses off of running multiple validators on multiple chains. However, it’s critical for the health of the blockchain that no single entity builds up too much control over the validator network of the chain, even if their running multiple validators.

The Solana Foundation has verified that of 1,915 consensus-producing validators, at least 1,688 (88.14%) are run by independent entities. The remainder may also be independent of each other, but it has yet to be verified. 

The other critical issue is centralized Cloud Computing Services, and almost every cryptocurrency uses servers like Amazon Web Services (AWS) for their Blockchain operations.  The decentralized exchange (DEX) protocol, dYdX, went down during the AWS outage last December, and a handful of other cryptocurrencies were also affected. 

Some crypto projects took the AWS outage as a sign that they must ensure all their validator nodes aren't all relying on the same centralized infrastructure. Others have gone as far as integrating with decentralized cloud providers, like Akash Network.

On another note, AWS and Azure have been guilty of banning or suspending newly established free-speech platforms from their hosting services, leading to some forward-thinking crypto social network platforms building their own independent cloud servers. 

Another centralization issue at the blockchain layer for many crypto projects is the storage of their complete transaction histories. You could have a blockchain with thousands of validators leveraging all kinds of computing services, but if only a handful of them have access to the entire transaction history, it’s possible it may result in transaction manipulation, so it would be difficult to determine that the Blockchain is decentralized. 

Only a few crypto projects have been transparent about how their full transaction history is being stored. One of them is Bitcoin, whose full nodes store its full transaction history. There are currently around 15,000 Bitcoin nodes worldwide, arguably making it the most decentralized at the blockchain layer. 


Image source: https://bitnodes.io/

Layer 5: The External Layer 

The fifth and final layer of cryptocurrency decentralization is the external layer. As the name suggests, the external layer is everything cryptocurrencies rely on that isn't necessarily exclusive to cryptocurrency. This is where the definition of decentralization gets complicated because the external layer includes websites, internet service providers, and in some cases, financial institutions. 

Websites for almost every crypto project are hosted on a centralized service. Although some crypto projects are okay with it, it creates a real problem for decentralized applications and other interactive Web3 technologies. The world’s leading decentralized exchange, Uniswap, was forced to delist 100 tokens from its interface, which calls its purported decentralization into question. This has prompted other DeFi protocols like Aave to migrate their front ends to decentralized storage solutions, like the Interplanetary File System. (IPFS)

It gets interesting with internet service providers (ISPs) mainly because banning ISPs from allowing their users to access cryptocurrency-related websites, albeit limited to select countries, has proven that it’s possible. Although it’s presumably unlikely to be enforced elsewhere, the worst-case scenario is that we could see governments dictate that ISPs stop serving cryptocurrency miners and validators. Fortunately, Blockchain projects are hoping to decentralize the internet itself using peer-to-peer signals on open-source infrastructure.

Banks also fit into the external layer with their defacto digital dollars. These are the Stablecoins like USDT, USDC, and BUSD and have some of the largest market caps in cryptocurrency. This is because there's always demand for stablecoins, regardless of market conditions. Also, most of the crypto market's trading volume involves stablecoins. And that means they are one of the core technologies that make most of the cryptocurrencies possible in their current form.

This is why a stablecoin crackdown is one of the biggest threats to the crypto industry. All regulators would have to do is restrict access to the reserves backing the stablecoins in circulation, which centralized financial institutions hold. In fact, most of the reserves backing the USDC stablecoin are in the custody of the world's largest asset manager, Blackrock. More about that in a forthcoming article. 


Image by: Markethive.com

Which Cryptos Are The Most Decentralized?

According to a survey conducted by Cointelegraph of various experts in the crypto industry, there aren’t any cryptocurrencies that come close to Bitcoin's overall decentralization. Bitcoin is leading the charge because dozens of individuals and institutions are building on Bitcoin. Also, BTC supply is broadly distributed, there's no shortage of infrastructure available to interact with the Bitcoin blockchain, and the Bitcoin blockchain has over 15,000 full reachable nodes. 

Considering the five layers explained above, no cryptocurrency has yet scored ideally on all criteria. Even Bitcoin falls short at the external layer. Also, some believe Ethereum’s decentralized applications are more critical as users can participate in fully-fledged economies, whereas that’s not possible with Bitcoin. 

So we could say Ethereum is a runner-up, along with Monero, but as mentioned above, Ethereum decentralization still seems to be lacking on some layers. As for Monero (XMR), it’s constantly at risk of getting delisted from centralized exchanges due to unreasonable crypto regulations.

It’s evident that most of the more decentralized cryptocurrencies have been around for a long time, and many believe that it’s ultimately ‘time’ that has allowed Bitcoin to decentralize so much. However, technology is evolving at a much faster pace today, and it looks like Solana and Cardano may well be the next runners-up. 

A Lifeline For Emerging Decentralized Social Media and Marketing Platforms.  

This is good news for other sectors like social media, marketing, and digital broadcasting. With all the events and censorship issues around social media and tech giants, given their propensity to ban or suspend their services to individuals and companies that go against their narrative, a decentralized blockchain that can handle large crypto-based communities and be part of a parallel economy is of the utmost importance. 

The crypto and blockchain projects that uphold the interests of entrepreneurs and advocate for free and critical thinking are paving the way. They will ensure that individuals and the developing ecosystems will have the financial freedom, liberty, and sovereignty that is fundamentally our right of passage, which seems to be all but forgotten by the monopolies and so-called authorities and their over-zealous regulations. 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

 

 

Also published @ BeforeIt’sNews.com; Steemit.

 

Tim Moseley

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Gold investors still need to be patient

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Gold investors still need to be patient

After falling to a new two-year low, the gold market was thrown another lifeline after the Wall Street Journal reported that the Federal Reserve could start to slow the pace of interest rates after its November monetary policy meeting.

Gold prices have managed to end the week back above $1,650, which has been an important short-term psychological level for many investors and technical analysts.

Unfortunately, gold investors have been burned by false hope before. Every time markets start whispering about a potential pivot, gold investors jump into the market and spark a short-term buying frenzy.

So far this year, Rallies have proven to be short-lived because the reality is that with persistently high inflation, the Federal Reserve and other global central banks aren't finished tightening monetary policies.

Although the Fed may slow down its rate hikes into 2023, expectations of a terminal rate above 5% remain in place. According to many market analysts, until that changes, the U.S. dollar will continue to see significant bullish momentum.

And it's not just the U.S. dollar. The Federal Reserve's tightening cycle has pushed the yield on 10-year notes to its highest level since 2008 and is above 4%. Real yields, measured by Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS), are trading at 1.7%, a 13-year high. No matter how you look at it, this is a challenging environment for gold and precious metals.

For now, it appears that patients remains the keyword for gold investors. This was a central theme during the London Bullion Market Association's Global Precious Metals Conference. While gold remains an attractive asset in the long term, many analysts have said that now is not the time to buy as the U.S. dollar and rising interest rates will keep prices contained.

Although the market is challenging, many analysts have said that solid physical demand highlights the explosive potential in gold and silver once the Fed Funds rate tops.

Of course, what could make this new rally in gold a little different and sustainable is that consumers are starting to feel the effects of rising interest rates and tighter market conditions are roiling financial markets.

LBMA delegates see silver prices rallying 54% in the next 12 months

Massive uncertainty in the British bond market, followed by the collapse of the Truss government after only 44 days in power, shows how much turmoil there is in the global economy. At the same time, the Bank of Japan is now consistently intervening in currency markets to protect its economy from the unprecedented strength of the U.S. dollar.

Even some major economists are warning about the growing threat of a severe recession looming on the horizon. Dr. Doom himself, Nouriel Roubini, CEO of Roubini Macro Associate and professor at the NYU Stern School of Business, wrote in a recent commentary that the U.S. could fall into a recession by the end of the year. He warned investors that in the decade ahead, the world may face a "Stagflationary Debt Crisis the likes of which we've never seen before."

Roubini also said that in this environment, consumers need to invest in assets that will protect them against inflation, geopolitical risk and environmental damage.

"These include short-term government bonds and inflation-indexed bonds, gold and other precious metals, and real estate that is resilient to environmental damage," Roubini said.

Although the latest rally in gold may be short-lived, the sentiment is that investors should be focused on the long-term potential.

By Neils Christensen

For Kitco News

Time to buy Gold and Silver on the dips

Tim Moseley

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We first make our habits and then our habits make us

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We first make our habits, and then our habits make us.

The road to success is always under construction

Introduction

You want to achieve a certain thing, or you want to stop doing a certain thing. But after several months of trying, you're still not making any progress. What's wrong?

Your new habit is hard to maintain every day, and so you stop doing it after a month or two. How do you make the new habit stick? Not by giving up! No matter how many times we fail or slip back into old behaviors, we must persist in our efforts if we ever hope to succeed at anything important. The key is to make our habits first—then our habits will make us better people who can accomplish more than we ever could have hoped for before this moment in time!

ecosystem for entrepreneurs

You want to achieve a certain thing, or you want to stop doing a certain thing.

You want to achieve a certain thing, or you want to stop doing a certain thing. Maybe it’s something like:

  • You want to write a book

  • You want to run your first marathon (or finish one)

  • You want to learn how to do stand-up comedy

You have a bad habit.

You have a bad habit. It affects your life in a negative way, negatively affecting others as well. It may be a physical or mental habit, but whatever it is, it's taking up room in your brain and making you less of the person you want to be.

You feel like this habit is slowly killing you—but why? Why would anyone continue with something that hurts them so much? What would make someone continue with such self-destructive behavior?

You made a change in your life and you've been doing it for months. But then you slip back into old behaviors.

You made a change in your life and you've been doing it for months. But then you slip back into old behaviors.

And now you're frustrated because you feel like all that work was for nothing.

It's not for nothing—it's just that the brain likes to tell itself stories about what happened, and sometimes it gives in to temptation or distraction more easily than we'd like it to. The first trick is recognizing when this is happening so that you can start again with a clear mind from the beginning of your habit-forming process: "This is my plan." And as long as we know what our goal is, we can set up our environment around us so that every action has us moving towards where we want to be instead of away from where we don't want to be.

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Your new habit is hard to maintain every day, and so you stop doing it after a month or two.

If you want to make a new habit, you’ll need to do it every day for at least 30 days. That’s how long it takes for your brain to begin associating the new behavior with something positive, and stop responding to it as if it were harmful. After that, though? The process becomes much easier: by this point, you have made the activity into an old friend—and one that is infinitely more likely to stick around than when they first started hanging out together.

You may think that this means all habits are born equal, but they aren’t: some are harder than others. For example: I used to consider myself an avid runner who would happily take on any challenge presented by Mother Nature (or my own body). But then came along four years of severe depression and anxiety disorder in my life; suddenly running became impossible because of physical ailments related to both conditions (and there were many).

How do you make the new habit stick?

"How do we make the new habit stick?”

Makes sense, right? It's a question worth asking.

In this chapter, we'll look at how to make sure your new habits stick. I'm going to share with you some of my favorite ways. But first, let me tell you what it's like when they don't stick: it's not pretty! This can lead to frustration and disappointment in yourself—and probably also in others who are trying hard with their own habits as well!

It's important for us all know how important persistence is in forming and maintaining good habits. When we give up easily or get discouraged by failure (which happens quite often), our chances of success go down significantly:

Stick with your plan! Persist! Don't give up!

We can't control everything that happens to us, but we do have control over how we respond to it. The same principle applies to our habits: while they can be difficult to build, they're also hard to break. When you've planned out your habit and are doing it regularly, stick with your plan! Persist and don't give up!

Like any other skill, willpower is a muscle that needs to be trained. You might not feel like you want to go for a run right now—or read this book—but if you keep pushing through those initial feelings of resistance until the habit becomes automatic (and enjoyable), then success will follow. Remember: "The difference between winners and losers is that winners do what losers don’t want."

Conclusion

Your new habit is hard to maintain every day, and so you stop doing it after a month or two. But don't give up! Stick with your plan! Persist! Don't give up!

Tim Moseley

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Gold is an ‘unexpected loser’ but silver price is the one stuck with the downgrade from SampP Global

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Gold is an 'unexpected loser,' but silver price is the one stuck with the downgrade from S&P Global

Fundamentals no longer matter as much for the precious metals outlook, with rate hike expectations and concerns around energy having a bigger impact on all metals prices, said S&P Global.

"Metals prices face macroeconomic headwinds. September was characterized by more significant interest rate hikes to combat inflation in major economies as central banks became increasingly concerned by the possibility of a global economic recession in 2023," said Aude Marjolin, associate commodity analyst at S&P Global Commodity Insight.

Next year's gloomy macroeconomic picture is the one weighing on metals, not the fundamentals. And persistently higher inflation is not giving the Federal Reserve any room in the short term to change or pause its tightening course.

"On the cards is the possibility of further interest rate hikes in November, should the Fed strive to meet its 2% inflation target rate," Marjolin wrote in the latest price forecast from S&P Global. "The European Central Bank and the central banks of Norway, Sweden and Switzerland also raised rates in September, as inflation in the eurozone reached 10% — the highest since the inception of the euro."

In the gold outlook, S&P Global introduced a slight update to its consensus price forecasts, with an average upgrade of 0.4% annually through 2026. Marjolin mentioned gold's role in an investment portfolio during economic uncertainty and rising geopolitical risks.

S&P Global sees gold averaging this year at $1,842 an ounce, next year at $1,800, 2024 at $1,769, 2025 at $1,757, and 2026 at $1,753. "Gold has been the unexpected loser of the current macroeconomic environment, with its safe-haven status in direct competition with the U.S. dollar," Marjolin noted.

In its silver outlook, S&P Global has downgraded its prices for the next two years but upgraded its longer-term projection. The latest consensus forecast is now down by an average of 2.3% annually through 2026. "Despite the expected near-term weakness, the silver price is expected to remain broadly stable through to 2026, averaging $22.34/oz," Marjolin said.

S&P Global looks for silver to average this year at $22.50, next year at $22.20, 2024 at $22.31, 2025 at $22.21, and 2026 at $22.47. "With most industrial activity pressured by the weakening economy, demand for silver will likely remain subdued, and so will the price," Marjolin added.

Price forecasts for palladium and platinum were downgraded by about 3% annually through 2026, with S&P Global citing the current macroeconomic environment as weighing on price expectations for palladium and platinum. The outlook sees platinum averaging $1,282 an ounce and palladium at $1,436 in 2026.

By Anna Golubova

For Kitco News

Time to buy Gold and Silver on the dips

Tim Moseley

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18 unusual split tests that increase sales

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18 unusual split tests that increase sales

split tests

Introduction

No matter what you sell, you can make a small change to your site and increase your sales. Split testing is one of the best ways to learn which changes work and which don't. It's easy to test out small changes at first but as you get more comfortable with it, you can move on up to bigger tests like A/B testing.

 

 

1. Color of the button

  • The color of the button can affect the click-through rate (CTR).

  • The color of the button can affect the conversion rate.

  • The color of the button can affect the bounce rate—if you increase this metric, then users are more likely to leave your site without completing any action.

  • Additionally, if your time on site increases as a result of changing your button color, then this means that users are spending more time engaged with your product or service; this is another positive indicator for increasing sales.

2. Appealing to the visitor's brain

If you want to increase your sales, use brain science to your advantage. The brain is the most powerful tool we have, so use it!

Brain science is a great way to improve conversion rates because when someone is exposed to something new, their brain will create an association between that object and whatever emotion they’re experiencing at the moment. This concept can be used in many ways:

  • If a visitor sees a picture of food on a landing page or website, they will associate hunger with whatever product they're looking at and be more likely to buy it.

  • Visitors who see a picture of money are more likely to purchase items than those who don't see any money images.

3. E-book cover

Just as the cover of a book is an important part of the overall impression, so is a split test. If you have decided to create or redesign your e-book cover, then it's time for a split test.

The most successful covers are eye-catching and relevant to their content; they also have a relevant title and good description.

4. Movement of elements on the page

  • Animation. You can use animation to attract the user’s attention, make it easier for them to read content and make it more appealing in general. A simple example would be a bouncing ball at the end of a text block or a logo that moves every few seconds; more complex animations can also be used here.

  • Movement of elements on the page. Moving elements on your website can positively influence users by making them feel like they are part of the action and helping them better understand what is going on with your brand. This can be done by moving an element across your site (such as an arrow), rotating another element (like an arrow), or simply animating an image so it appears to move around in 3D space as if coming toward or away from a user when they hover over certain areas of your website.

5. Background image on the page

This is a popular technique that can be used to create a mood or atmosphere, emphasize important elements on the page, and even highlight specific products. The background image should be relevant to the product or service you are selling. For example, if you're selling clothes for children then choose an image of kids playing with each other or having fun in the park. You can also use this method as an attention-grabber by using images that stand out from everything else on your site.

 

6. Headline of a page

One of the most important parts of any website is the headline. Headlines should be short and attention-grabbing, but they also need to relate to what you're trying to sell. Make sure that your headline is relevant and easy to read—grammatical errors are a major turnoff for visitors. If it can't be easily understood by someone who doesn't know anything about your product or service, then it's not worth using!

7. Visuals and text in a headline about results

Headlines are important, and you should use them to their full capacity. When writing a headline that includes visuals and text, it's important to keep the following in mind:

  • Make your headline interesting. Your audience will be looking at this first thing on the page, so make sure it catches their attention!

  • Make it relevant to the product or service being advertised. This is where some creativity can come into play—you'll want to tailor each ad toward its specific audience.

  • Include a call-to-action (CTA). This ensures that customers know what they need to do next in order for them get started with your product or service. The CTA should also be relevant to what you're advertising—so if you're selling dog food through Facebook ads, don't include "Buy Now" as your CTA unless it's something else like "Try It Free." You might also consider including "Learn More" instead of just directing people straight from the ad into buying something; this gives them more information about what they'd be purchasing first before making such an important decision.

  • Focus on results rather than features!

8. Simplifying a sales page for a product considered complex

When you're selling a complex product or service, you'll want to simplify your sales page. This can be done in several ways:

  • Make it easier to understand by using fewer words, less jargon and more visuals. If a customer has questions about what they're buying, they should be able to find answers quickly on the website rather than calling or emailing.

  • Make the site load faster. Nothing will frustrate visitors more than waiting for pages to load—they'll get bored, distracted and leave without buying anything (or worse yet, never come back).

  • Take out unnecessary elements like videos that don't help explain what your business does well enough already (and might even confuse customers).

9. Direction of the video play button

When it comes to video marketing, the direction you place your play button can have a big impact on conversions. The first thing you should ask yourself is: "What direction is my video moving?" If your content is going up and down or left to right, then make sure your play button is placed in those directions as well. It doesn't matter if this isn't intuitive—it just needs to look natural.

Next, think about what kind of sound (if any) you hear throughout the video. If there's no sound at all and/or nothing important happening visually (i.e., no action), then maybe a clickable area would be distracting from what's actually happening on screen—especially if it's flashing red like an emergency warning sign that says "Click me!" In these cases, consider putting text above or below the visual element instead of making it into a button that people would want to click on by itself.

Finally, think about how viewers feel while watching your content; do they feel relaxed? Excited? Motivated? This will help determine where exactly within the frame you should place your call-to-action so that it doesn't distract from their emotional experience with what they're watching but still gives them an opportunity for interaction after viewing (e., purchasing).

 

10. Landing page type (single step vs multi-step)

The landing page type (single step vs multi-step) can have a big impact on your conversions.

  • Multi-Step Landing Pages: As the name indicates, these are more complex and require more time for the user to complete the conversion process. The multi-step process also requires additional information from the user, which could be confusing and may lead them to abandon their purchase.

  • Single Step Landing Pages: Single step pages are simpler to convert and easier for users to remember. They only require one action from you, making it more persuasive and actionable than a multi-step page would be.

11. Split payment into smaller chunks

One way to increase sales is by splitting the payment into smaller chunks. This is particularly useful if you're selling a product that costs more than $500, or if you have customers with low credit scores who may not be able to afford the full price at once.

The idea behind this technique is that it breaks up the cost of your product or service into smaller payments over time, which can make it easier for customers to purchase what you're offering them.

Why does this work? It's all about psychology: when people pay in installments, they feel less stressed about spending so much money at once, which encourages them to buy more products from your store than they would otherwise (and less stress means higher customer satisfaction).

12. Changing the color of text explaining the reason behind a statement

If you're trying to motivate customers, highlight the benefits of your service or product. Use color to draw attention to these statements in order to emphasize them.

In a study conducted by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and Singapore Management University, 1,000 participants were asked to look at two versions of a web page for an online watch retailer: one with green text on a white background and another with black text on a yellow background. In the first version, green was used as an indicator for bargains while in the second one it indicated newly added products. After browsing through each version of the website, participants were asked how much they would be willing to pay for either version of these watches if they were actually interested in buying one. Those who saw green-colored text were willing to pay more than those who saw black text—even though both versions contained exactly same information (and had no images or visuals).

13. Changing the positioning of a form field within a signup form (higher on the page, lower on the page)

When a user has to scroll down to find a form field, it can be difficult for them to know what they're supposed to enter. (e.g., does "Full Name" go in the first box or the second?)

To avoid this confusion, you should position your form fields so that users don't have to scroll down at all. Instead, place them at the top of your page or just below your header image so they're easy for visitors to find and see what they need to enter into each box.

14. Adding social proof to a landing page

  • Social proof is a psychological phenomenon where people are influenced by the actions of others. We tend to make decisions based on what other people have done or said, and we often assume that if something is popular, it must be good.

  • Social proof can be used to increase trust in a sales page. Have you ever seen how many people liked a Facebook post? Or how many followers someone has? This kind of information makes you feel like your purchase was made at the right time because there’s no doubt about it—a lot of other people bought this before you did!

  • Here are some examples:

15. Removing extraneous color from an interface (like changing neutrals to black-and-white)

Removing extraneous color from an interface can help with usability.

Color is a powerful design element, but sometimes too much of it can be distracting. However, removing all color would be an extreme solution; without the right colors in place, many interfaces will look bland and unprofessional. To keep your site's branding intact while also simplifying the visual experience for users, you should consider reducing the number of colors used throughout your website or app by at least half—if not more!

You may also want to consider using a monochromatic theme for certain pages or components where extra contrast isn't necessary. For example: instead of red buttons on white backgrounds (which create quite a bit of contrast), try black-and-white buttons instead. They're easier on the eyes and allow other elements like text and images stand out more clearly."

16. The look and feel of a signup form and its copy

A good signup form should match the look and feel of the rest of your website. It should have a clear call-to-action that's placed prominently on the page, and persuasive copy that explains why customers should sign up.

 

The copy on your signup form should be persuasive in tone, not just informative. Don't tell people what you do in an uninspiring way—instead, show them how it will make their lives better.

17. Proving that more information is better? Not always!

You should also be wary of providing too much information. If a page has too many options, it's easy for users to get overwhelmed and abandon the site altogether.

The ideal amount of choice depends on your product and audience—but consider how often someone will go back to use your site again after making a decision. If they'll rarely come back, more choice isn't necessarily better: You’ll just end up driving them away by overwhelming them with options and information that isn't relevant to their purchase decision.

18. The "next step" button at checkout – should it be big or small?  red or gray?  blue? Or green? 😉 It depends on what you're selling! 😉

The "next step" button at checkout – should it be big or small? And red or gray? and blue? Or green? 😉 It depends on what you're selling! 😉

In a test by ExactTarget, they found that the size of a button affects how many people click on it. The bigger the button, the more people clicked:

  • Bigger buttons achieve higher click-through rates and conversions than smaller ones.

Testing can increase sales

Split testing is a great way to increase sales. It can be done in many ways, and with many different variables. Test your pricing page!  your landing page!  the color of your logo! Test the layout of your store!

Testing can be done in many ways, and with many different variables.

Conclusion

If you've read this far, it's safe to say that you know there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Every business operates in a unique environment and context. And when it comes down to it, there are so many different ways to split test that the possibilities are endless. We've only covered some of our favorites here but we'd love for you to get creative with your own experiments! The most important part is just getting started—and finding a way that works within your budget, time constraints, and resources available at this moment in time.

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Tim Moseley

The Artist that came out of the Winter