Gold futures (GC=F) neared $4,000 per troy ounce on Monday to touch a fresh record, while silver futures (SI=F) also jumped to $48.50 per ounce, less than two dollars away from a 1980 intraday high. Meanwhile, bitcoin jumped about 2% to touch a fresh record north of $125,790 per token. The market action highlighted the so-called "debasement trade," which refers to investors shifting into assets to guard against what they see as the erosion of fiat currencies' value from inflation, heavy government spending, and mounting debt financed by money creation. Over the weekend, JPMorgan analysts noted the rise in precious ... (full story)