Odds and Ends: January 2026

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Dear Reader, as you know from our pieces, at times we refer to our unpublished book that we feel will help America, and possibly the world. You see that we do not clutter our page with ads. Money is a means and not a goal. We seek to make life better. With that said, our founder, John Lipareli has his first book published - to make a name for himself that could help get his political and economic work a reality. You can buy at Amazon Books. It is called, "The Legend of the Afghan hound." It is general and family reading. Kids 9 to 15 will love the action adventure as well as pet lovers and history buffs. The sweeping saga begins in ancient Egypt in a time of anxiety and war and ends in Bethlehem with hope and love. Adults will be attracted by the theme of "love in action." By that I mean the sacrifices that we make. It is a Christmas classic and makes an excellent gift. Please, support his work. Thank you.  

Just One Month

Yes. That is how long it took for our precious metals outlook to reach its target as well as the three miners that we recommended. Yay! Hey, if you made some dough, please spend $12 to buy the founders book. Thank you. With that said, we have an ALERT!

Goldman Sachs & JP Morgan have announced that they see the rally in gold hitting $5400. They also are recommending to their investors to buy the precious metals. There is a reason for the backers of fiat to change face. Why, you ask? They are taking big losses because they are the chief short sellers. They know that TD Bank just covered its silver short, but only after losing $600,000. We believe that an attack will happen. We figure after they see their clients buying and the rally continuing, at some point, they will advise their clients to sell and even short. At the same time, they will sell and short. They are covering their behind with their clients. This is the type of people that they are. Nevertheless, market forces are behind the rally. The dollar broke a long time channel line last Friday. It fell below 98 and it is pointing to 96. News: It fell below 96 on Tuesday. The rate cuts is not the only reason. Our national deficit hit 100% of GDP last week. This is a line in the sand. If debt keeps rising at the current pace, a financial crisis will definitely come and that would crush the dollar.

In a related aspect, Bank of America even forecast gold hitting $6,000 by spring. One strong aspect is what Goldman noticed. They see new buyers of gold like the stablecoin firm, Tether. They are the largest gold backed coin. They purchased 27 tons of gold in the fourth quarter and 26 tons of gold in the third quarter. In fact, they are among the top 30 holders of the metal. They have more gold than Greece, Qatar and Australia. This puts a new floor in gold at $4200 and soon, $5,000. We also see silver pushing $125. This will only raise the price of the three miners that we suggested. One last data on silver. Did you know that solar uses 200 million ounces of silver annually? Industrial demand for the metal in 2024 was 680 million ounces. Miners have not increased production in the last 25 years. Recycle has covered the shortfall, but that supply is shrinking. In addition, China, the second largest exporter has restricted exports. Higher prices are coming. 

Trade Deficit

It was only $29.4 billlion last month. It was the smallest since 2009. We like the decline, but we take little joy in the math. The deficit equates to over $350 billion yearly. The real positive is a target. We need to cut $30 billion a month and then, we reach nuetral. Sadly, we read that almost 1,000 US firms are filing lawsuits against the tariffs. As usual, they put profits ahead of the best interests for America, its citizens and workers. 

Bank of Ireland

released a report that has some worries in it. They see two aspects that put certain banks at risk. The first is transition risk. These are loans tied to buildings and construction being built in extreme weather locations. These banks have not worked to reduce their carbon footprint in policy. The second risk is the physical risk in liquidity. Because they have so much debt in this area, their book value will not match the assets after say a flood or other climate disaster. In a related aspect...

Davos

did not talk about climate change at their forum. Why, you ask? President Trump asked this as a favor to attend. 

Batteries & Electricity

Brazil is holding its first auction to use batteries as a backup to the electrical grid. China is the front runner. Why, you ask? Because they have invested $35 billion already in Brazil in their grid. However, the battle is not over. Tesla and a Brazilian firm, Petrolas are bidding too. We will know the answer in March. In the US, President Trump is pushing Northeast and Mid-West utilities to build new power plants with auctions. He wants the builders of data centers to back the auction.

Fed

has its meeting end today. The concensus is no rate change. Trump will not be happy. In the future world of the Fed, President Trump will appoint his chosen and this person will first appear in the June meeting. 

Speaking of June

There will be a FIFA World Cup game in Seattle there that month. The city is adding 116 rail miles. The transit lines are to help the crowds. What is so special about that, you ask? Well, Seattle has many waterways and a lake that makes travel a little slow. They have designed a water bridge to cut time and move people. I'd like to see it and ride over the water. A nice way to go to a game... Peace.