It’s Like Buying Gold For $1,000 An Ounce
It’s Like Buying Gold For $1,000 An Ounce
Notes From the Field By James Hickman (Simon Black) September 25, 2025
Gold just hit another all-time high this week, briefly touching $3,800 per ounce... which means it has more than doubled in the last two years.
When any asset continues hitting all-time highs, most people who haven’t bought it yet naturally believe that they missed out... or that they should wait for a pullback.
Of course, many people believed that when gold hit $2,400 in spring of 2024... and then $2,800 early this year... and $3,400 in April.
The Fed Just Became the World’s #1 Gold Salesman..
The Fed Just Became the World’s #1 Gold Salesman...
Notes From the Field By James Hickman (Simon Black) September 18, 2025
To the surprise of absolutely no one, the Federal Reserve announced its decision yesterday to cut interest rates… and kept the door open to further rate cuts in the future.
The funny thing is that we’ll never truly know why.
Sure, it’s possible that Fed officials honestly felt that the economy needs lower rates (despite obviously persistent inflation risks).
Is It Time To Ring The Bell On Gold?
Is It Time To Ring The Bell On Gold?
Notes From the Field By James Hickman (Simon Black) September 4, 2025
In our April edition of our premium investment research service, we told subscribers about a highly promising precious metals company— one that we thought was deeply undervalued.
The company had rapidly grown its production nearly 20x in just a few years, not to mention they had also paid off ALL of their debt. Yet they were still trading at just a few times earnings.
Foreigners Own Less US Government Debt—Is That a Good Thing? [Podcast]
Foreigners Own Less US Government Debt—Is That a Good Thing? [Podcast]
Notes From the Field By James Hickman (Simon black)
The US owes a LOT less money to China today than it did a few years ago. As recently as three years ago, for example, China held $1.3 trillion worth of US government bonds. Today they’re down to around $750 billion.
In other words, China’s government has decided to cut back on its US dollar Treasury holdings by more than 40% over the past three years.
Gold Just Hit Another All-Time High—What’s Next?
Podcast: Gold Just Hit Another All-Time High—What’s Next?
Notes From the Field By James Hickman (Simon Black) September 3, 2025
You might be surprised to know that the government is facing yet another shutdown at the stroke of midnight on September 30.
A lot of people might be thinking two things: First— “again?” And second— what about the “One Big Beautiful Bill”?
The One Big Beautiful Bill, signed into law on July 4, did not, in fact, contain all the necessary resolutions to fund the government for the next fiscal year (which starts on October 1).
Dollar ALERT: Foreign Central Banks Now Own More Gold Than USD
Dollar ALERT: Foreign Central Banks Now Own More Gold Than USD
Notes From the Field By James Hickman (Simon Black) September 2, 2025
For centuries, the Byzantine Empire’s gold coin, known as the solidus, had been the backbone of global trade in the medieval world; nearly pure gold, the solidus was trusted by merchants from Baghdad to London.
But by the 11th century, multiple emperors had chipped away at its gold content—watering it down to pay for wars, bureaucracy, and the costs of an empire in decline.
Podcast: The Rise of National Capitalism
Podcast: The Rise of National Capitalism
Notes From the Field By James Hickman (Simon Black) August 19, 2025
Few people understand how the Federal Reserve actually works— and frankly, I’m not sure the President or Treasury Secretary are among them.
That’s not an insult, just based on what they say. Let me explain.
At Least Social Security Will Go Bankrupt With Good Customer Service
At Least Social Security Will Go Bankrupt With Good Customer Service
Notes From the Field By James Hickman (Simon Black) August 18, 2025
I know it’s cliche, but one of the happiest days of my life was a bit more than four years ago when my daughter was born in Cancún, Mexico. My wife and I chose Mexico deliberately— given all the COVID craziness that was going on (especially in the US), we wanted to be in a place where the pandemic wasn’t going to factor into our lives at all. And Cancun was perfect.
Add in world-class healthcare at affordable prices, and it was an easy call. Plus babies born in Mexico automatically become citizens, and both parents and grandparents receive permanent residency.
The Debt Problem Was Actually Scarier In The 90’s Here’s How They Solved It Podcast
The Debt Problem Was Actually Scarier In The 90s. Here’s How They Solved It. Podcast
Notes From the Field By James Hickman (Simon Black ) August 12, 2025
I was still just a kid as the US headed into the 1992 US Presidential election, but I remember the excitement around my home town as Ross Perot entered the race as an independent candidate.
Perot was from Dallas, where I grew up. And he was one of the first tech billionaires, long before the dot-com boom. Like Elon today, Perot knew that America was heading down a dangerous fiscal path. At the time, the US government was spending about 28% of its annual tax revenue just to pay interest on the national debt.
37 Trillion Reasons To Have A Plan B
37 Trillion Reasons To Have A Plan B
Notes From the Field By James Hickman (Simon Black) August 11, 2025
On Friday afternoon last week, the US national debt hit another ignominious milestone: $37 trillion. And there’s absolutely no end in sight.
Perhaps the wildest part is how quickly the debt is rising. Just before the One Big Beautiful Bill was passed on July 4th-- barely a month ago-- the national debt was ‘only’ $36.2 trillion. So, the debt increased a whopping $800 billion in a mere 36 days.
Foreigners Own Less US Government Debt—Is That a Good Thing? [Podcast]
Foreigners Own Less US Government Debt—Is That a Good Thing? [Podcast]
Notes From the Field By James Hickman (Simon black) July 23, 2025
The US owes a LOT less money to China today than it did a few years ago. As recently as three years ago, for example, China held $1.3 trillion worth of US government bonds. Today they’re down to around $750 billion.
In other words, China’s government has decided to cut back on its US dollar Treasury holdings by more than 40% over the past three years.