In a surprising turn of events, Costco has struck gold with online shoppers, raking in more than $100 million in sales of the precious metal during its fiscal first quarter, which concluded on November 26. This revelation was shared by Costco’s Chief Financial Officer, Richard Galanti, during the company’s recent earnings call.
The sought-after 1-ounce gold bars have become a hot commodity, consistently selling out within hours of being listed on Costco’s website. In September, Galanti noted that the gold bars, priced at $2,069.99 per ounce on the website, were in high demand, often disappearing swiftly despite their premium cost compared to the latest spot price of $2,020.58.
To manage demand, Costco has implemented a two-bar limit per membership, making it challenging for customers to amass a significant position in the precious metal. Despite this limitation, customer satisfaction appears high, evident in the product’s impressive 4.9-star rating on Costco’s website, backed by nearly 800 reviews. However, a few customers expressed dissatisfaction with the imposition of stiff state sales taxes.
The surge in gold prices, up by approximately 12% this year, has undoubtedly contributed to the popularity of these gold bars. JPMorgan, in its commodities outlook, predicts a potential breakout rally for gold in 2024, with an anticipated peak price of $2,300 per ounce, driven by expected decreases in interest rates.
While JPMorgan acknowledges the possibility of gold retracing to $1,900 per ounce in the coming months, the bank suggests that this could set the stage for investors positioning themselves for a midyear rally in 2024.
Recent market dynamics, including a weakened U.S. dollar and lowered Treasury yields following the Federal Reserve’s announcement of three rate cuts in 2024, have further propelled gold’s weekly gains.
However, it’s important to note a distinctive feature of Costco’s gold bars—they are nonrefundable. This characteristic adds an intriguing element to the investment, emphasizing the commitment required by those venturing into the world of precious metals through this unconventional retail channel. As Costco continues to make waves in unexpected markets, the success of its gold sales underscores the evolving landscape of online retail and consumer investment preferences.
Independent Journalism Is Dying
Ever since President Trump’s miraculous victory, we’ve heard an incessant drumbeat about how legacy media is dying. This is true. The people have awakened to the reality that they’re being lied to by the self-proclaimed “Arbiters of Truth” for the sake of political expediency, corporate self-protection, and globalist ambitions.
But even as independent journalism rises to fill the void left by legacy media, there is still a huge challenge. Those at the top of independent media like Joe Rogan, Dan Bongino, and Tucker Carlson are thriving and rightly so. They have earned their audience and the financial rewards that come from it. They’ve taken risks and worked hard to get to where they are.
For “the rest of us,” legacy media and their proxies are making it exceptionally difficult to survive, let alone thrive. They still have a stranglehold over the “fact checkers” who have a dramatic impact on readership and viewership. YouTube, Facebook, and Google still stifle us. The freer speech platforms like Rumble and 𝕏 can only reward so many of their popular content creators. For independent journalists on the outside looking in, our only recourse is to rely on affiliates and sponsors.
But even as it seems nearly impossible to make a living, there are blessings that should not be disregarded. By highlighting strong sponsors who share our America First worldview, we have been able to make lifelong connections and even a bit of revenue to help us along. This is why we enjoy symbiotic relationships with companies like MyPillow, Jase Medical, and Promised Grounds. We help them with our recommendations and they reward us with money when our audience buys from them.
The same can be said about our preparedness sponsor, Prepper All-Naturals. Their long-term storage beef has a 25-year shelf life and is made with one ingredient: All-American Beef.
Even our faith-driven precious metals sponsor helps us tremendously while also helping Americans protect their life’s savings. We are blessed to work with them.
Independent media is the future. In many ways, that future is already here. While the phrase, “the more the merrier,” does not apply to this business because there are still some bad actors in the independent media field, there are many great ones that do not get nearly enough attention. We hope to change that one content creator at a time.
Thank you and God Bless,
JD Rucker
