The Fed's made its move and now it's gold's turn
The gold market appears to be taking the Federal Reserve’s hawkish stance in stride as the precious metal’s price continues to hold on to support around $1,800 an ounce.
This week the Federal Reserve signaled it will continue to raise interest rates in 2023 even if the pace of its rate hikes slows. Last week we warned that an adjustment to the Fed’s interest rate expectations presented a risk to gold. But the meeting has come and gone and gold investors are shrugging off the Fed’s new forecast that their key interest rate will peak above 5% in 2023. Heading into the weekend, February gold futures are down only 0.5% since last Friday.
According to market analysts, there could be a few reasons why gold has remained reasonably resilient following the Federal Reserve’s hawkish stance. One scenario is that investors are now becoming less concerned about inflation and more worried about a recession.
Economic data, from disappointing holiday retail sales to slowing activity in the manufacturing and service sectors, are highlighting a slowing U.S. economy. The concern is that the more hawkish the Fed is, the deeper the impending recession will be.
Many analysts have noted that a recession is a positive environment for gold as investors look for assets, which preserve their wealth. George Milling-Stanley, chief gold strategist at State Street Global Advisors, noted in an interview with Kitco News this week that in the last seven recessions, gold has seen an average return of roughly 20%. The deeper the recession, the better gold does, he said.
The second scenario that could be bolstering gold is that as hawkish as the Fed is, a lot of that is now already priced into the market. Some analysts believe that the U.S. dollar has peaked as the Fed starts to slow the pace of its rate hikes. At the same time, the European Central Bank has just started its hawkish long game, according to ECB President Christine Lagarde.
On Thursday, less than 24 hours after the Fed’s monetary policy announcement, Lagarde came out and said that the ECB will have to raise interest rates by 50 basis points for a prolonged period to bring inflation down. A narrowing of the monetary policy gap between the two major central banks should weigh on the U.S. dollar, which in turn should support gold prices. Hawkish central banks will test gold bulls' resolve into year-end
There is also a third theory floating around: that the market and investors just don’t believe the Fed. It’s easy to talk tough when the economy and the labor market are still relatively healthy, but what happens when the Fed’s monetary policy action really starts to bite?
Some market analysts have said that if the U.S. enters a deep recession, the Fed will quickly loosen its monetary policies, which will be good for gold.
If you want to find out what’s in store for gold, silver, cryptocurrencies, financial markets and the global economy in 2023, don’t forget to check out Kitco News’ annual outlook coverage. Investors will continue to navigate a world of extreme uncertainty, an ongoing energy crisis, the continuous inflation threat and the potential for a deep recession, and we’ll be looking at how all of these factors impact key markets.
This is also Kitco News’ final newsletter of 2022, so on behalf of the new team, we would like to wish everyone a wonderful holiday season and a prosperous and safe new year.
By Neils Christensen
For Kitco News
Time to Buy Gold and Silver
Proven Ways to Kick Your Social Media Marketing Up a Notch
Introduction
If you're reading this, chances are that you're a social media marketer. Whether you work for a small business or a large corporation, your role is to lead the way in getting people talking about your company and its products in their social media feeds. While it's true that these days every company needs a "social presence" (or at least thinks they do), social media marketing still requires more than just posting on Facebook or Twitter—though certainly those are two essential tools. Just as important is knowing how to use all the other social tools out there and putting together an effective strategy that makes sense for your organization's needs and goals.
Create a strategy.
When you're creating a social media marketing strategy, the first thing you should do is define who your target audience is. There are many factors that go into this, but one of the most important things to consider is what kind of content they like to consume. Once you've defined your target audience and know what kind of content they like, it makes it easier for you to create posts that speak directly to them.
Another important aspect of creating a social media marketing strategy is defining your goals for each channel. What do you want people to do after reading or seeing your post? Do they need more information about services offered? Are they interested in learning more about who works at the company? Once again, having clear goals makes it easier for everyone involved in creating the content because then everyone knows what needs to happen next (and how).
Next up on our list: channels! Defining which platforms we'll use helps us narrow down our focus and make sure that everything we create will be relevant to those particular audiences — especially when creating content across different mediums means having different approaches depending on which channel we're using (for example, videos might work well on Facebook while images might work better on Twitter). This step also helps us determine how often each platform should be updated with new posts since some platforms require more frequent updates than others (like Instagram!).
Take advantage of paid advertising.
There are many ways to market your business online, but one of the most effective ways is through paid advertising. This can be a great way to reach new customers and test new products or services before investing in them. Paid advertising helps you reach a specific audience with targeted messaging that is relevant to their interests and geographic location. It can also help you target specific demographics by age range, gender, or household income level.
It's important to note that paid marketing is not free—you'll pay for each click on your content—but this cost-per-click (CPC) model can be worth it if it leads users to buy something from you or sign up for an email newsletter subscription
Don't forget inbound marketing.
We've previously discussed why inbound marketing can be very effective in building your brand and establishing yourself as an authority, but it also has a number of other benefits. For example, when done right, it can help with lead generation and customer retention. It's also great for increasing brand awareness (which goes hand-in-hand with boosting your SEO).
The important thing to remember is that all of these methods are mutually beneficial: if you do them right, they will reinforce each other and work together to create a healthy growth cycle that strengthens your business over time.
Automate everthing you can.
Automate everything you can.
Automate everything you can.
Automate everything you can.
If there’s one thing that all marketers agree on, it’s this: automation is your best friend. With the right tools and a little finesse, automation can help you save time and money, get better results from your social media efforts (and less stress), and land more clients—all while sleeping in on Saturday mornings or taking an extra long lunch break during the work week!
Here are some specific ways to automate social media marketing tasks:
Don't forget SEO and SEM.
Social media marketing can be a great way to reach your target audience, but it's important not to neglect SEO (search engine optimization) or SEM (search engine marketing). SEO is the process of getting your website to show up in search results. SEM is advertising on social media like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Both are important because they allow you access to people who have already expressed interest in your product or service. If you're already spending time creating content for your website and blog, why not invest some more time into making sure that content pops up when someone searches for something related?
Use content curation to fill gaps in your content.
Content curation is the process of finding and sharing relevant information. In other words, it’s what you do when you see something cool online and share it with your audience.
A lot of social media marketers use content curation as a way to fill the gaps in their content strategies, especially when they don't have any time or budget for creating original content.
It's good to remember that there are two types of people on social media: those who create content and those who share it (and sometimes both). If you're part of the latter group—that is, if you mainly just want to share links—then this strategy is perfect for helping you find relevant content that your followers will love!
Use social media to do market research.
You can use social media to find out what your customers want, who they are and how they're marketing their products. You can also see what your competitors are doing, and even take a look at the company that's selling against you.
Learn more about your audience by looking at the social media accounts of people who have interacted with you on these platforms before. If they've left reviews or comments, read them to find out what kind of information is helpful or helpful enough for someone to provide feedback in this way.
Observe how other brands are using Twitter's live video feature as an effective tool for engaging consumers and building brand loyalty.
Keep tabs on how many followers each competitor has on Twitter as well as other social media platforms like Facebook (and Instagram). This will help shed light on which ones may be performing better than others when it comes time for marketing campaigns!
Social media is an essential part of every B2B company's marketing arsenal
Social media is an essential part of every B2B company's marketing arsenal. While it may not be the most traditional marketing channel, social media can help you connect with potential customers, collect data about your target audience and engage with your customers.
Social Media as a Research Tool: Social media is a great way to conduct research on your target market before you create any content for them.
Social Media as a Customer Service Platform: Customers expect businesses to be active on social media channels—and in many cases it's the first place they go if they have questions about something you sell. It's important that you make yourself available to them by responding quickly and effectively if there are any issues.
Conclusion
Social media is an essential part of every B2B company's marketing arsenal. It provides a way for businesses to engage with customers and prospects in a personalized way, as well as providing many other benefits that help you reach your audience effectively. We hope this post has given you some ideas on how to improve your social media marketing efforts, whether it be hiring an agency or simply adopting some new practices!
Gold, silver hit hard by hawkish Fed, surge in greenback
Gold and silver prices are sharply lower in midday U.S. trading Thursday. The precious metals bulls were running for cover today amid sharp gains in the U.S. dollar index and in the aftermath the FOMC meeting that sees the Federal Reserve still leaning hawkish on U.S. monetary policy. February gold was last down $32.00 at $1,786.00 and March silver was down $0.836 at $23.305.
A still-hawkish Federal Reserve had traders and investors in a "risk-off" stance Thursday. Two months of better-than-expected U.S. inflation data were not enough to convince the Fed to let its foot off the monetary-policy-tightening gas. "Higher for longer" is the marketplace takeaway from this week's FOMC meeting—meaning higher interest rates for a longer period of time—to ensure the Fed tamps down hard on inflation.
Global stock markets were lower overnight. U.S. stock indexes are lower at midday.
The European Central Bank and the Bank of England monetary policy meetings on Thursday saw both the BOE and ECB raise their main interest rate by 0.5%. That follows the U.S. Federal Reserve's half-point rate hike. The central banks of Switzerland and Norway also raised their interest rates Thursday but also in smaller increments of policy tightening.
China and its fight against Covid remains near the front burner of the marketplace. Broker SP Angel this morning said in an email dispatch there is increasing evidence that China is now "allowing Covid to rip through the population." There is relatively little vaccination and almost no effective vaccination against Omicron in China. "That means the virus will bypass most of the Covid controls left in place." The Wall Street Journal said today that "China's economy took a big hit in November" due to strict Covid lockdown policies.
The ECB's aggressive monetary policy stance gives gold a lifeline as euro makes a move against U.S. dollar
The key outside markets today see the U.S. dollar index sharply higher. Nymex crude oil prices are weaker and trading around $76.75 a barrel. Meantime, the yield on the benchmark U.S. 10-year Treasury note is presently around 3.45%.
Technically, February gold futures bulls are fading late this week but still have the overall near-term technical advantage. However, a five-week-old uptrend on the daily bar chart is in jeopardy. Bulls' next upside price objective is to produce a close above solid resistance at this week's high of $1,836.90. Bears' next near-term downside price objective is pushing futures prices below solid technical support at $1,750.00. First resistance is seen at $1,800.00 and then at today's high of $1,819.70. First support is seen at today's low of $1,782.00 and then at $1,778.10. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 6.0
March silver futures bulls have the firm overall near-term technical advantage. Prices are in a choppy 3.5-month-old uptrend on the daily bar chart. Silver bulls' next upside price objective is closing prices above solid technical resistance at $25.00. The next downside price objective for the bears is closing prices below solid support at $22.00. First resistance is seen at $24.00 and then at this week's high of $24.39. Next support is seen at today's low of $23.155 and then at $23.00. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 6.5.
March N.Y. copper closed down 1,125 points at 376.55 cents today. Prices closed nearer the session low today. The copper bulls have the slight overall near-term technical advantage. Copper bulls' next upside price objective is pushing and closing prices above solid technical resistance at 400.00 cents. The next downside price objective for the bears is closing prices below solid technical support at 354.70 cents. First resistance is seen at today's high of 386.75 cents and then at this week's high of 392.90 cents. First support is seen at 370.00 cents and then at 360.00 cents. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 5.5.
Tough talk by Chairman Powell signaling more rate hikes over a longer time span
As expected, the Fed announced its decision to raise its benchmark rate by 50-bps. This takes the central bank’s “Fed funds” rate to between 425 – 450 bps (4 ¼% – 4 ½%). However, it was Chairman Powell’s comments regarding his policy outlook during the press conference that garnered the most attention. Market participants and analysts were looking for insight into the forward guidance of the Federal Reserve as it pertains to their monetary policy, inflation, and future rate hikes. Which revealed that the Federal Reserve will continue its policy of monetary tightening by continuing to raise rates in 2023.
The Federal Reserve released a statement as well as its summary of economic projections for 2023 through 2025 after today’s FOMC meeting. One component of their economic projections was the most current “dot plot” which reveals assessments made by each Fed official. When the Fed is fully staffed the dot plot will contain 19 individual projections.
2023 – All of the 19 Federal Reserve members who added their “dot” to the Fed’s projections reflected higher interest rates in 2023. The majority of members (10 votes) anticipate rates to be at 5 ¼%, with four members anticipating rates to go to 5 ½%, two members anticipating rates at 5 ¾% and two members anticipating rates at 4 ¾%.
2024 -seven members anticipate that interest rates will remain elevated above the current rate of 4 ½%, with the remaining 12 members anticipating rate reductions from ¼% to 1 ½%.
2025 – all Federal Reserve members anticipate that fed funds rates will be 4 ½% to 3% by the end of 2025.
Chairman Powell delivered a strong message reinforcing the information contained in their economic outlook and the Fed’s policy outlook saying, “Fed policymaker projections are best assessment of where Fed policy rates will be.”
Chairman Powell’s press conference
Chairman Powell acknowledged that the last two CPI reports were promising but incomplete. “Data we have received so far on inflation for October and November do show a welcome reduction in price pressures; need substantially more evidence though to be confident inflation coming down.” He also said that “recent data gives us greater confidence in our forecast.”
His statements supported the Federal Reserve’s resolve and commitment to keep interest rates at their current level and higher until the Fed reaches its inflation target of 2%. Addressing the possibility of a recession he simply said “no one knows if we are going to have a recession or not.”
Today’s FOMC meeting statement, economic projections, and press conference resulted in declines in the dollar, US equities, and precious metals. As of 5:20 PM EST gold futures basis, the most active February 2023 contract is currently fixed at $1818.80 after factoring in today’s decline of $6.70 or 0.37%. Concurrently the dollar declined by 0.33% and is currently fixed at 103.595. Dollar weakness added $6.70 to the price of spot gold and normal trading indicated that traders moved gold pricing lower by $9.40, according to the Kitco gold index.
It was clear that Chairman Powell's statements today delivered a hard-hitting truth to Americans that inflation will remain persistent for longer than anticipated and interest rates will follow the same course.
The Fourth Industrial Revolution, Business as Usual Moving Forward?
The world as we know it is going through a significant shift. In this article, I look at some key themes and what that means for the future of business.
It is challenging to think of 2020 and not think of Covid 19 and lockdowns due to the relentless media coverage of it and the political messages from leaders worldwide.
The fallout is that massive change is deemed necessary by governments worldwide in the name of health, and now with a heavy emphasis on the environment.
With the passage of time and the pushback coming from protests, declassified documents, and civil lawsuits, more and more people are waking up to the possibility that things have not added up and maybe another agenda is at play.
A central figure during this period has been Klaus Schwab. For a long time before 2020, he has been talking about a much-needed Fourth Industrial Revolution. He wrote a book with that title published in 2016/17.
What was he referring to, and how does it connect with everything that has played out so far? The philosophy revolves around how we live, work, and relate to each other; a central piece of this is technology.
We can now see the emergence of themes such as artificial intelligence, the internet of things, virtual reality, and the move to introduce programmable money called Central Bank Digital Currencies. The underpinning layer to this is a new world order where control is from a central base in a top-down, authoritarian approach.
The combination of a New World Order with CBDC as a core component would put a final nail in the coffin of democracy, even though the governmental systems of ‘rules for thee but not me’ have continually demonstrated that democracy has existed in theory for the most part.
In case you think that CBDC is a relatively new idea that has gathered speed in the wake of the last two years, you would be mistaken.
Many who claimed that the last two years were all about an orchestrated effort to bring about vaccine passports, a social credit system based on the government’s version of a digital currency, were considered conspiracy theorists. Now it seems their call was accurate.
Look at the CBDC tracker in this diagram to see how far the groundwork has progressed. You can see how many countries are in the research, proof of concept, or pilot stage.
Currency Wars
It seems ironic and convenient that FTX recently collapsed in the way it did, followed by swift proclamations from all corners of the political sphere that more regulation is needed.
Growing evidence of involvement in the FTX scandal from across the political spectrum has emerged, leaving many considering whether certain powers created this problem, so they could provide further false justification to usher in their solution.
Were SBF and FTX used in the war between centralization and decentralization to swing things in favor of the WEF agenda and remove cryptocurrency as a competitor?
James Murphy, an SEC attorney and securities lawyer, alluded to fraud and political entanglement at the very minimum in this Coindesk article, in which he lists questions that still need proper answers. He is also predicting an even greater cryptocurrency crash in the wake of recent events.
The domino effect is being felt with BlockFi, for example, recently filing for chapter 11 bankruptcy. Gemini and Genesis appear to be in trouble too. Certain coins are getting delisted from Coinbase due to low usage.
No sooner has the covid narrative started to fall apart than the emphasis has quickly shifted to emergency climate change, with carbon being the focus and reports of climate lockdowns emerging in certain areas, on top of airport travel disruptions.
The intended fourth industrial revolution, directed by the globalists, emphasizes a technocracy designed to control the masses and crush businesses threatening their agenda.
The farmers in the Netherlands are the latest example of being victimized and monopolized by government officials through asset stripping of their land. Asset stripping of this nature has nothing to do with restoring personal well-being and economic freedom.
The Future of Business
The populace is being ushered into a small zone of mobility. In that zone, working from home is more prevalent. More energy is given to the online world due to further digitalization in place of customer service. The line between the physical world and the virtual world is becoming blurred through Artificial Intelligence. Tracking devices are becoming an inherent part of everyday technology.
Consider the mind-boggling possibilities of today’s technology, particularly with Artificial Intelligence. It is one thing to be able to diagnose disease quicker, yet quite something else to find you have lost your job to a robot.
I recall watching a clip on artificial intelligence applied to a picture of Barack Obama to create a video clip that looked and sounded like him but was not him. I could not tell the difference. I also recall watching a clip about voice-to-text speech in which an internet marketer had paid a lot of money to several individuals to use their photos in technology and change their appearance.
This documentary expands on Artificial Intelligence and its nature as a double-edged sword. The implications depend on who is wielding that sword and to what end.
You can also see how this could connect to a social credit score system, where you are penalized should you not comply with the establishment. Since CBDCs are controlled by the Central Banks, they can turn off your access to money with the click of a button.
There is also a difference between suggested changes and those imposed on you. People are looking at alternative payments, such as gold and bitcoin, to free themselves of this system. Looking at practical alternatives that support the decentralization of power is essential.
The key for entrepreneurs is maintaining integrity around core values where they are genuinely helping clients through their offerings. It is vital to return to or keep fundamental principles rather than to sell your soul and take the path of least resistance for business to survive and thrive.
As Robert Kennedy junior says, "you cannot comply your way out of tyranny.’" One thing is for sure. It is not business as usual anymore, as the walls of globalization intrude further into business. The farmers in the Netherlands experienced this firsthand.
Three Considerations
Here are three things to encourage you to defer from participating in the dangerous game they are playing while adding strategies in your favor as you seek to serve your clients with dignity, honor, and respect.
Power vs. Force
It is essential to realize that using so-called status and related power to enforce a new world order where the few control the masses is not true power in the real sense.
It is about force, based on manipulating information and people to suit an agenda rather than encouraging progress through discussion and democracy. Their version of the truth revolves around their say-so rather than education and transparency in a debate.
Those who rely on force and its weapon of fear and propaganda cover up a truly disempowered state based on separation and scarcity perspectives. They fear that people will awaken to their deceptive and manipulative agenda and bring it to an end through a cooperative way of being.
Therefore, it seems ironic that ‘we the people’ comply en masse out of fear arising from the abuse of status and referent power as if we are powerless.
This short video expands on the theme of power. It follows the rise of Vaclav Havel, a blacklisted playwright in Czechoslovakia who became President in the 80s. He wrote an essay on what he learned about power.
Most importantly, he talks about what it means to operate outside a totalitarian system and live in truth and the practical ways people can realize this.
Another resource worth mentioning is a book called Power v Force by David Hawkins, which goes into more depth on this subject. When you grasp the distinction between force and power in your heart and not just your head, it may awaken you to rise above the fear with a greater appreciation of your power when used as a force for good.
This is the way of empowerment. Be willing to rise above your fear and live in truth for the sake of humanity and future generations.
The Network Effect
Network Effects has a ‘bible’ dedicated to the network effect, which addresses the technical aspects of networks and the fundamental underpinning layer of people, value, and communication.
They conducted a sizable study in which they surveyed no less than 1000 unicorn companies and concluded that ‘Network Effects are still responsible for 70% of the total value in tech in 2022.’
Let that sink in. When a group gathers in community fashion around something they believe in, and the numbers increase to a critical mass, there is no turning back, a little like the 100th Monkey Effect.
The network effect of businesses creating communities of people who know, like, and trust them because their products and services embody the vision to serve their clients is a winner. Apply yourself diligently with a dedication to this principle.
The entrepreneur has an opportunity to take a stand and hold a mirror up to how businesses can serve and enable people to thrive and achieve economic prosperity.
Nature has inherent intelligence and is excellent for regeneration, clarity, and perspective because it aligns with the Natural Laws.
So, take time away from your computer to be in nature where and when you can. Now more than ever, the entrepreneur needs a clear and strong mind with a well-balanced perspective and creative spirit for present and future challenges.
Connect with your true power and potential. Reinforce your basic principles for life and business through journaling. Reflect on what functional structures will give your business more independent operational freedom.
Connect with people of principle for encouragement and strength. In the British Isles, more communities of people assemble to support lives and businesses while developing international networks of friends.
Markethive is another example of a parallel business ecosystem and community built outside the walls of totalitarianism in politics. It has a community membership of at least 200 thousand. You are welcome to join us.
It creates the perfect storm, a safe harbor, and a platform where entrepreneurs can operate freely to build such communities. Empowerment and the community effect will rise above anything else.
We have the opportunity to be proactive in shaping the Fourth Industrial Revolution and restore humanity to its rightful state, where well-being and economic prosperity can reign once more. It is time for the entrepreneur to rise and deliver a new economic vision.
About: Anita Narayan. (United Kingdom) My life's work is about helping individuals to greater freedom through joy and purpose without self-sabotage, so that inspirational legacy can serve generations to come. Find me at my Markethive Profile Page | My Twitter Account | and my LinkedIn Profile.
Keys To Massive Profits Through Affiliate Marketing
Introduction
Affiliate marketing is one of the most effective ways for you to make money online. It allows you to leverage your existing audience, website, and social media accounts to earn commissions on products that you promote. The more clicks or sales that you generate through your affiliate links, the more money you can make in return. If done correctly, affiliate marketing can be an incredibly lucrative way to build passive income without having to rely on SEO or other tactics that take a lot of time and effort. However, before jumping into any affiliate programs out there, it's vital that you first learn how they work and what steps need to be taken in order for them to be profitable for everyone involved—including yourself! In this article we'll cover everything from how to choose the right program(s) for your needs (and budget), setting up an account with them effectively so as not spend too much money per sale generated by these links…
Looking For Ways To Earn Money Through Affiliate Marketing? Try These Tips!
Affiliate marketing is a great way to earn money online. Affiliates are rewarded for promoting products or services. This can be done through social media, email marketing, and other online channels.
The following tips will help you succeed in affiliate marketing:
Choose a niche that interests you (or the type of product) and has good potential for making money.
Write content about the niche on your blog site or elsewhere on the web where it can be found by people interested in that topic. You can also write articles for websites related to your niche topic(s). The more traffic these sites receive, the more money they will make from advertisers who pay them to display ads on their website pages as an incentive for visitors to click on those ads which lead them right back into affiliate links which send new customers over to whatever sales page might be set up just waiting patiently there ready and willing (hopefully!) awaiting their arrival!
The Best Way To Approach Affiliate Marketing If You Are Just Starting Out
`The best way to approach affiliate marketing if you are just starting out is to start small.`
Start with a small amount of money, and focus on building relationships with your customers. Once you've figured out how to do this, it is time for step two: finding the best affiliate program for your business. Once you have found the right one, stick with it until your results prove that there are better options available. Then move on again! Be patient and don't give up!
The Essentials Of A Profitable Affiliate Marketing Program
There are a number of factors that you need to take into consideration when starting an affiliate marketing program. These factors will all play a part in the success of your program and can go a long way toward helping you earn more money. If you’re looking for some insight on how to get started with affiliate marketing, here are some tips:
Find Your Niche
The first thing you need to do is find your niche. You want to make sure that whatever industry or topic interests you also happens to be profitable as well, because this will determine whether or not it is worth investing time and energy into learning about the industry in question. You should start by narrowing down the topic even further—for example, if “dogs” was one of your interests, then narrowing it down further would mean choosing between “small dogs” vs “large dogs” vs “American Bulldogs” vs “Jack Russell Terriers”—and so on until there's only one option left standing! After choosing which niche category fits best within
Making Your Affiliate Marketing Efforts Pay Off
Choose affiliate programs that are relevant to your business. A good choice is one that matches your site users' interests and needs, or at least has a large number of potential customers interested in the product or service you're promoting. Choose an affiliate program based on its size and reach, but also consider how much traffic it generates to avoid wasting time on sites with too few visitors.
Look for affiliate programs that offer high commission rates, especially if you're new to affiliate marketing and aren't sure what kind of results are possible from such programs. It's best if the program offers flat rates rather than tiered commission structures (which can make it difficult for newcomers), though even tiered commissions can work well as long as there's room for growth later on.
Look for affiliate programs with low payout thresholds—this means you'll get paid sooner rather than later! If there isn't a minimum payout threshold set by the company selling products via affiliates, look instead at what their merchant processor requires; this latter option can vary from merchant processor to merchant processor depending upon their policies regarding payment processing fees.* Consider signing up with multiple companies so as not to rely too heavily on any one company offering services through affiliates; this will help diversify your income stream so that if something happens with any individual company (e.,g., they go out of business) then only some portion thereof will be impacted while other sources remain unaffected.* You should always keep track of how many leads generated by each company representing which types of products/services in order
to see how effective each type will be overall –
The Most Effective Ways To Use Affiliate Marketing For Your Business
The most effective way to use affiliate marketing is to do it on your blog. Think of the blog as your launch pad for these strategies:
Use social media to promote products. You can post links to affiliate products on Twitter, Facebook and any other social media platform you use to connect with potential customers.
Add an email list sign-up form where it's easy for people to see it (like at the top of your website). When people sign up for your newsletter, they'll be signing up for more information about you or whatever topic you're writing about (in this case, affiliate marketing). Make sure that when they sign up they also get access to free resources like bonus content or free guides related indirectly related through an offer code that gets them a discount off their next purchase … which means more money in your pocket!
This is where things get really fun because now that we know what makes someone want something (because we gave them a reason), how do we get them interested without just throwing out "buy this" every five seconds?" You guessed it — video! Video is all over social media these days so if nothing else becomes clear from all this talk about video then let me tell
you one thing: use video! You can do live videos on Facebook using something like Periscope or Meerkat; upload recorded videos onto YouTube; create animated explainer videos using PowToon and many other tools available today. Then share those videos wherever people go online such as social channels like Facebook & Twitter etc., but don't forget email too since there's still lots of people who prefer getting emails rather than checking out websites etc."
Your biggest challenge will be finding what niche to go after and what affiliate programs will be the most profitable for you.
Your biggest challenge will be finding what niche to go after and what affiliate programs will be the most profitable for you.
If you have a passion for something, then that is where your niche should lie. For example, if you love fishing and know everything about fishing lures, then it would make sense for you to start an ecommerce website selling fishing lures. You could then join an affiliate program which would give you commissions from every sale made through your website or blog by using their links on social media sites like Facebook or Twitter.
Conclusion
I hope this article has helped you learn more about what affiliate marketing is, how to use it to your advantage, and the best ways to make your affiliate marketing efforts pay off.
Slightly cooler U.S. inflation report boosts gold, silver
Gold and silver prices are solidly higher in midday U.S. trading Tuesday, but down from daily highs, following a slightly tamer-than-expected U.S. inflation report. Gold surged to a five-month high and silver a seven-month high right after the report’s release. February gold was last up $26.70 at $1,818.90 and March silver was up $0.407 at $23.81.
The U.S. consumer price index report for November showed a rise of 0.1% from October and was up 7.1%, year-on-year. CPI was forecast to come in up 0.3% from October and up 7.3%, year-on-year. The slightly cooler-than-expected inflation data was enough to rally the stock and financial markets, and the metals, while tanking the U.S. dollar index. The CPI report lands in the camp of the U.S. monetary policy doves, who want to see the Federal Reserve back off the accelerator on its aggressive monetary policy tightening path.
U.S. stock indexes are mixed at midday and have lost early strong gains in the aftermath of the CPI report. After the initial euphoria from the CPI report, traders and investors realized the Federal Reserve still has some tightening of monetary policy in their sights. The Fed’s Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting began Tuesday morning and ends Wednesday afternoon with a statement and press conference from Fed Chair Powell. The FOMC is very likely to raise U.S. interest rates by 0.5%. The European Central Bank and the Bank of England meet on Thursday and are likely to follow the U.S. Federal Reserve with half-point rate hikes.
Deutsche Bank wants back in the gold market after eight-year absence
The key outside markets today see the U.S. dollar index sharply down and hitting a 5.5-month low. Nymex crude oil prices are sharply higher and trading around $75.85 a barrel. A major oil pipeline in the U.S. has been shut due to a leak, and that’s supporting Nymex crude oil prices this week. Meantime, the yield on the benchmark U.S. 10-year Treasury note is presently 3.492% and fell after the cooler CPI report.
Technically, February gold futures prices hit a five-month high today. The gold futures bulls have the firm overall near-term technical advantage. Prices are in a five-week-old uptrend on the daily bar chart. Bulls’ next upside price objective is to produce a close above solid resistance at $1,900.00. Bears' next near-term downside price objective is pushing futures prices below solid technical support at $1,775.00. First resistance is seen at $1,822.90 and then at today’s high of $1,836.90. First support is seen at $1,800.00 and then at this week’s low of $1,789.00. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 7.0
March silver futures prices hit a seven-month high today. The silver bulls have the firm overall near-term technical advantage. Prices are in a choppy 3.5-month-old uptrend on the daily bar chart. Silver bulls' next upside price objective is closing prices above solid technical resistance at $25.00. The next downside price objective for the bears is closing prices below solid support at $22.00. First resistance is seen at today’s high of $24.39 and then at $25.00. Next support is seen at this week’s low of $23.32 and then at $23.00. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 7.0.
March N.Y. copper closed up 425 points at 364.25 cents today. Prices closed nearer the session low today. The copper bulls have the overall near-term technical advantage. Copper bulls' next upside price objective is pushing and closing prices above solid technical resistance at 400.00 cents. The next downside price objective for the bears is closing prices below solid technical support at 354.70 cents. First resistance is seen at today’s high of 392.90 cents and then at the November high of 394.70 cents. First support is seen at this week’s low of 378.60 cents and then at 370.00 cents. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 6.0.
Consider the Advantages of Developing Delayed Satisfaction as a Habit for Better Results in All Areas of Life
Introduction
Delayed gratification is the ability to resist the temptation of an immediate reward in exchange for a larger benefit later on. When we choose to wait for something, whether it's a treat or another type of reward, we're able to better appreciate what we receive when we finally get it. We also learn how to manage our time wisely and make better decisions about what things are worth waiting for.
Everyday Examples of Delayed Gratification
This is especially true with money. You may think that it's smarter to buy something now, but the truth is that if you can wait and save up your money, the reward will be much greater in the future. For example, buying an expensive video game today might sound tempting because it looks cool and has all kinds of new features. But buying a used copy for half the price could mean having enough money to buy two more games down the road instead of just one brand new one!
Delayed gratification also applies to time. If you're busy working on something at work today but know that taking tomorrow off would be better for your health or mental well-being, delaying gratification means putting in extra effort so that later on in life (or even right away) when you do take time off from work or school—say during summer break—you'll feel like it's worth enjoying yourself without feeling guilty about skipping out earlier than necessary because of how much work there was left undone before leaving early!
The Marshmallow Experiment
In the 1960s, Stanford researchers conducted a series of studies to test whether children who had better self-control were more likely to succeed in life. The experiment was simple: give them a marshmallow and tell them they can eat it now, or wait 15 minutes and get two.
The results were astounding: those who delayed gratification went on to have higher SAT scores, better performance at work and greater social adjustment as adults. Kids who could delay gratification also scored higher on measures of empathy and self-esteem—and even turned out to be less likely to become obese later in life!
Why Delayed Gratification Is Important in Life
Why is delayed gratification such an important life skill?
You can achieve long-term goals.
You can increase your self-worth.
You can increase your self-control.
Short Term vs. Long-Term Needs
In order to make the best choices, you'll want to think about your short-term and long-term needs. This is important because your short-term needs are more important than your long-term needs.
Short term needs include things like food, shelter, and safety. You can't live without these things. You may have heard the phrase "starve a cold—feed a fever," which means that if you don't eat when you're sick with a stomach virus (or any other illness), then it's likely that you will die from starvation before the flu or whatever else has made its way into your body runs its course.
Long term needs are things like education and career—things that aren't immediately necessary for survival but will be vital in providing you with happiness and fulfillment in life as well as financial stability in case those pesky short-terms get out of hand (which they often do).
Many people today have problems with delayed gratification and it can often lead to failures in many areas of life.
Many people today have problems with delayed gratification and it can often lead to failures in many areas of life. A person who experiences difficulty delaying gratification may struggle to stay focused on the task at hand, or may feel the need for instant gratification when faced with difficult situations.
The employee who doesn't learn how to delay gratification will find it difficult to work well on tasks that require attention for a longer period of time. He or she may be easily distracted by coworkers or other things happening around them, making it hard for him or her to focus on the task at hand. The employee who has learned how to practice delayed gratification will feel more confident during projects that take longer than expected because he/she knows they can finish them if they just stick with it!
Delaying gratification is also important in relationships because we all know that relationships take work! If you want your relationship with someone else – whether a friend, relative or partner – then you'll need some patience if things don't go exactly as planned…and this might mean delaying your desires until later so that everyone can be happy now rather than later!
Conclusion
The benefits of delayed gratification are numerous and it is a skill that all of us need to master. The ability to delay immediate rewards in favor of long-term goals is crucial for success in life. It can help you reach your goals faster, avoid unnecessary stress caused by impulsive behavior, save money and so much more!
Gold and silver prices are solidly lower in midday U.S. trading Monday. Normal corrective pullbacks and some profit taking by the shorter-term futures traders were featured to start the trading week, following recent good price gains for both metals. A firmer U.S. dollar index on this day also worked against the metals market bulls. February gold was last down $17.70 at $1,792.90 and March silver was down $0.287 at $23.435.
Traders await a major U.S. data point on Tuesday–the consumer price index report for November, out at 8:30 a.m. EST. The CPI is seen coming in up 7.3%, year-on-year.
Major central banks will this week complete the most aggressive year for interest-rate hikes in four decades with their fight against inflation still not over even as their economies slow. The Federal Reserve’s Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting begins Tuesday morning and ends Wednesday afternoon with a statement and press conference from Fed Chair Powell. The FOMC is mostly likely to raise U.S. interest rates by 0.5%. Then, the European Central Bank and the Bank of England meet on Thursday and are likely to follow the U.S. Federal Reserve with half-point rate hikes.
Outlook 2023 LIVE with Gareth Soloway
The key outside markets today see the U.S. dollar index modestly up. Nymex crude oil prices are higher and trading around $72.75 a barrel. Prices last Friday hit an 11-month low. Meantime, the yield on the benchmark U.S. 10-year Treasury note is presently 3.593%.
Technically, February gold futures bulls still have the overall near-term technical advantage. Prices are in a five-week-old uptrend on the daily bar chart. Bulls’ next upside price objective is to produce a close above solid resistance at the December high of $1,822.90. Bears' next near-term downside price objective is pushing futures prices below solid technical support at $1,750.00. First resistance is seen at $1,800.00 and then at today’s high of $1,809.30. First support is seen at last week’s low of $1,778.10 and then at $1,770.00. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 6.0
March silver futures bulls have the overall near-term technical advantage. Prices are in a choppy 3.5-month-old uptrend on the daily bar chart. Silver bulls' next upside price objective is closing prices above solid technical resistance at $25.00. The next downside price objective for the bears is closing prices below solid support at $22.00. First resistance is seen at the December high of $23.90 and then at $24.00. Next support is seen at $23.00 and then at $22.50. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 6.5.
March N.Y. copper closed down 830 points at 379.55 cents today. Prices closed nearer the session low today. The copper bulls have the overall near-term technical advantage. Copper bulls' next upside price objective is pushing and closing prices above solid technical resistance at 400.00 cents. The next downside price objective for the bears is closing prices below solid technical support at 354.70 cents. First resistance is seen at today’s high of 385.95 cents and then at 390.00 cents. First support is seen at last week’s low of 377.30 cents and then at 370.00 cents. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 6.0.
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
Hawkish central banks will test gold bulls' resolve into year-end
The ECB's aggressive monetary policy stance gives gold a lifeline as euro makes a move against U.S. dollar
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Deutsche Bank wants back in the gold market after eight-year absence.gif)
Outlook 2023 LIVE with Gareth Soloway
