You know I have clients in the gun business. They tell me the last couple of months were record-breakers for their business.
Typically booming gun sales are a sign gun control supporters are making another push to ban Americans’ firearms. This time though, it’s a sign that more Americans have jobs and have more money in their pockets to spend on hobbies.
The quality of jobs is getting better as well. U6 unemployment, the measure of unemployment that includes temporary and part-time workers, is near all-time lows at 6.9%. If Americans want full-time work, they are having a much easier time finding it.
Risk awareness is showing up in the slowly rising price of gold. Gold today is selling for around $1,575 per ounce. Its price range today is the highest since about 2013. That’s troubling, but it’s possible the risk driving up gold prices is coming from overseas. Prices spiked on the death of Qassem Soleimani and have remained elevated in the face of the Wuhan coronavirus.
Overall though, risk perception is way down and my RAGE Gauge points to a neutral rating of 60.
