There seems to be a stalemate with Iran about war or peace.   The U.S. now has blocked the Strait of Hormuz, with the WTI price of petroleum stabilizing at around $93/barrel.   The Dow Jones Industrial Average shot up past 50,000 in February, but had already settled to around 49,000 just as the war began, dropped further to 46,500 at the beginning of April, but rose to 48,218 yesterday, and seems to be settling at around that number, awaiting further news. Gold hit an all-time high of $5,589/oz on January 28, dropped to $5,200/oz as the Iran war began, and has settled to $4,800/oz this month. Iran offered to delay nuclear development for five years, but the U.S. is demanding 20 years, I've long felt that invasion of Kharg Island was the key to disabling Iran into the future,   Watch this video ,  Why here?  Read  Wikipedia. The Marriott Marquis charges a lot because of its location at Times Square,  However, we are provided free se...

But first, something more about  gold,  a metal I featured yesterday in this blog.  Well, after hitting an all-time high of $5,594.82/ounce, settled at $5,149.99/oz, 4% lower today.  However, spot prices still up 19% for January and 3.6% this week. I should add that silver is also jumping high, then similarly dropping 6% to $108.84/ounce, after reaching $121.64/oz.  This metal has surged more than 50% this year.  Finally, platinum, too, is following the same path, hitting a record high of $2,918.80/oz on Monday, then falling 1.7% to $2,650/oz. We are 10 days to the start of the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics in Italy.  Everything you need to know about these Olympics : Will run from February 6 through 22. Venues will include Milan, Cortina d'Ampezzo, Valtellina, Val di Fiemme and Anterselva. Remember that Italy is 6 hours ahead of New York, 9 hours from Los Angeles and 11 hours from Honolulu. Opening Ceremony. February 6. Milano San Siro Olympic Stadiu...

The local  Star-Advertiser  today carried an article that headlined: Gold hits record $5,311 as dollar falls ahead of Fed decision First of all, the  Federal Reserve today held interest rates steady for the first time since July .  Fed Chair Jerome Powell ( will stay on as governor until the end of 2028 ) said that economic activity and business fixed investment have been expanding at a solid pace, while consumer spending has been resilient.   However, even though the housing market continues to show weakness, it has begun to show signs of recent life.   Mortgage rates have been at a three-year low. Yet, 6% for 30-year fixed is not exactly low. 15-year fixed is around 5%, also not so good. On the other hand, it was 7% last year. A good low interest rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage is anything below 4%. In January 2021, a record low of 2.65% was reached. This rate hovered between 3% and 4% in the 2010s. However, and this surprising to me, the hist...