Identifying weakness in markets can be a difficult task. Metrics like gross domestic product (GDP), equity market gains, and unemployment paint in broad strokes. Lenders often try to identify risk at a granular level. This might include tracking payments arriving late, higher credit card balances, increases in line of credit usage, or non-payment of insurance […]

Once left for dead, gold speculators can sleep easily in 2025 as the yellow metal sits at all-time highs once again. Despite the shift to Bitcoin and other digital assets, the enduring nature of gold as an inflation hedge continues. What is driving this surge, and will cryptocurrencies still win the battle? Reasons for optimism […]

New investors to the futures world often ask, “How does opening an account work?” It is a good question. Unlike traditional brokerage accounts, the rules of margin, how trades clear, and the counterparties involved operate differently. A Futures Commission Merchant, typically called by its FCM acronym, is a key player working between all the various […]