Top 12 Posts to Celebrate 12 Years of Frank Talk

2019 marks the twelfth year of my Frank Talk blog. I launched the blog as a platform to share my experiences traveling the world and the investment insights I pick up along the way. After thousands of articles, I continue to cover the latest market news and educate investors. Flip through 12 of the most popular posts!
Top 10 Countries with Largest Gold Reserves
After initial publication in 2014, this became the most viewed Frank Talk post for several years in a row. Now updated with 2018 data, I outline which countries have the largest gold reserves in both tonnes, and as a percent of total holdings. The U.S. has the largest reserves by far with over 8,000 tonnes. China and Russia, which are both top gold producers, have stood out as some of the biggest buyers of the metal in 2018 and so far in the first quarter of 2019.
These Emerging Markets Could Soar If the Dollar Falls
At the beginning of each year I like to share my forecast for emerging markets. After a rough 2018, the investment case has vastly improved for these markets due to expectations that the U.S. dollar will ease on less aggressive monetary tightening. A weaker dollar would relieve some pressure on emerging economies, which pay higher prices on U.S. imports when the dollar is strong. Learn more about the correlation between emerging markets and the U.S. dollar in the top post of 2019 so far.
Gold Was Chemically Destined to Be Money All Along
Another one of my top gold posts, this one details why exactly the yellow metal is the best possible candidate to be physical money out of all the elements on the periodic table. Gold is rare, it doesn’t tarnish and it’s nonreactive to both air and water. “I view gold as the primary global currency.” Those are the words of former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan to the World Gold Council in 2017.
11 Reasons Why Everyone Wants to Move to Texas
I was born in Canada then moved to the great State of Texas 28 years ago when I bought a controlling stake in U.S. Global Investors. As a “Tex-Can,” I’m so proud of my adoptive state and grateful for all that it’s done to help our company flourish. Many people are moving to the Lone Star State and in this post I share 11 of the biggest reasons why people are choosing Texas as their home.
What Does It Take to Be in the Top 1 Percent? Not As Much As You Think
I originally wrote about this in 2014 then went back to update the data in 2018 since it was such a widely-visited post with data that surprises many readers. To be considered in the top 1 percent of taxpayers nationally, you’d need an income of $480,930. This figure varies by both city and state – in Los Angeles you’d need around $600,000 per year, while in San Jose you’d need closer to $1.2 million per year to make that 1 percent level.
Notes from a Global Investor
I’m a global traveler and enjoy sharing my experiences with my followers. In late 2013 I took a trip to India right before speaking at a conference in London. While in India I was able to see firsthand just how rapidly the nation’s population and economy are expanding. India’s rising GDP per capita is a big driver of gold demand. The world’s second most populous nation, India, is also the second largest gold consumer.
Visiting a West African Gold Mine
In 2011 I had the opportunity to travel 17 hours across the world to visit gold mining operations in a small West African nation with analysts from several investment firms. Mauritania, a small country of about 3.3 million people, was relatively new to gold mining at the time. As an active investor in the gold space, it’s critical to get boots on the ground and actually see companies’ projects in the field.
5 World Currencies That Are Closely Tied to Commodities
This is another all-time favorite post that I update every few years. It’s incredible to see how some countries’ currencies are closely linked to prices of a commodity it produces. The Russian ruble tracks crude oil prices, since it’s a top exporter, while the Australian dollar tracks the price of iron ore as it’s the world’s largest producer of the metal.
The World Is Running out of Gold Mines – Here’s How Investors Can Play It
Has the world reached peak gold supply? In this post I shared the thoughts of my good friend Peter Lassonde who notes the significant slowdown in the number of large gold deposits being discovered due to shrinking exploration budgets of mining companies. As I’ve written about numerous times, peak gold is the idea that the low-hanging fruit has likely already been picked and that miners now have to dig deeper and venture farther to find economically viable deposits. Supply is receding while demand continues to grow.
China Wants to Conduct the World’s High-Speed Rail Market
I first wrote about this topic in 2012 then again in 2014 and several times since then. In only ten years’ time, China has amassed an impressive network of rails that helps citizens from all corners of the nation—from rural to urban—stay connected. Modern rail makes the nation more energy- and time-efficient, and concentrates real estate development. I’ve traveled to China several times and am always fascinated by its high-speed trains.
A Tale of Two Economies: Singapore and Cuba
I often say that government policy is a precursor to change. One great example of the difference in policies can be seen in comparing Singapore to Cuba from 1950 to present. One country took a communist approach, the other implemented free market capitalism policies. As a result, Singapore is now incredibly prosperous while Cuba has deteriorated significantly.
Commodities Halftime Report 2018
Every January we update our Periodic Table of Commodity Returns that shows the performance of major commodities over the past 10 years. Midway through the year we publish a halftime report, since top performers in the first two quarters can turn to the worst performers in the last two quarters. For example in 2018, crude oil was the top performer from January to June, up 23 percent. Then it took a turn for the worse and ended up as the worst performer for the entire year, down almost 25 percent.
Subscribe to Frank Talk!

All opinions expressed and data provided are subject to change without notice. Some of these opinions may not be appropriate to every investor.