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U.S. Stocks Slip as Inflation Rises and Iran Tensions Push Treasury Yields Higher

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Wall Street finished lower on Thursday as investors worked through the newest round of inflation data. All three major indexes slipped, with the Dow and Nasdaq each losing about six‑tenths of a percent and the S&P 500 falling roughly half a percent. Only two of the market’s eleven sectors managed to end the day higher, led by communication services, while materials stocks were the weakest group. The latest Producer Price Index for August showed wholesale inflation rising 0.4% from the prior month, matching expectations but coming in noticeably hotter than July’s revised figure. Weekly jobless claims also declined, though not as much as economists had anticipated. Clark Bellin of Bellwether Wealth noted that the PPI reading was largely in line with forecasts, which may give the Federal Reserve room to hold off on raising rates at next week’s meeting if Friday’s consumer inflation report also comes in tame. Geopolitical tensions added another layer of uncertainty. U.S. Central Comman...

The $100 Million Traveller Collection: A Buried Coin Hoard That Survived War and Time

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2025 Coins have been part of human life since the first Croesus staters appeared in ancient Lydia in the sixth century BC. Over the centuries, nations have minted coins to honor leaders, victories, beliefs, and turning points in history. With so many designs and stories pressed into metal, it was inevitable that coin collecting would grow into a global passion. On May 20, one of the most extraordinary private collections ever assembled will go to auction in Zürich. Known as the Traveller Collection, it is expected to bring in more than $100 million. Its arrival on the market comes with a story that sounds almost cinematic: a treasure buried for more than half a century, hidden from war, forgotten by time, and rediscovered only because of one man’s meticulous notes. The Traveller Collection began with an anonymous European collector living in the 1930s. After the 1929 stock market crash, he turned his attention to coins, selecting pieces from different eras and countries with a careful ...

The Tonopah Belmont Mine: Boomtown Promise, Desert Silence, and the Legends That Refuse to Die

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 September 12, 2026 The Tonopah Belmont Mine sits today as a sun‑bleached ruin on public land in central Arizona — a cluster of crumbling foundations, rusted steel, and a dark haulage tunnel that breathes cold air even in summer. To most travelers passing on the nearby interstate, it is just another abandoned mine. But to those who know its story, the Tonopah Belmont is one of the most unusual mines in the Osborn Mining District: a place of early promise, wartime revival, geological rarity, bureaucratic intervention, and persistent rumors of tragedy that have given the site an eerie afterlife. Discovery and Early Ambition (1907–1926) The story begins in 1907, when three prospectors — George Dillard, Dan McNeil, and Charles Wilcot — staked claims on a promising patch of ground they called the Belmont‑McNeal Mine. For nearly two decades, they dutifully completed assessment work, holding the claims through lean years and fluctuating metal prices. Their persistence paid off when the To...

Pancho Villa’s Lost Treasures: Uncovering the Legend and Hidden Gold of Mexico’s Outlaw General

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  Pancho Villa (center) surrounded by soldiers  Mexico: 19th and 20th Century The history of 19th and early 20th-century Mexico is packed with revolutions and counter-revolutions. Since a tradition of viable democracy had no precedence in Mexico, strong men developed throughout the country who were beholden to a president and from whom military and political power were granted. Allegiances seemed to be held as long as the powerful were made comfortable. When movements to free peons from subjugation by these large landed estate owners arose, leadership frequently came from the less entitled classes, even gangs. When revolutionary leadership needed to raise large amounts of money for a local community or army, there was always the risk of mischief and thievery. To understand the sums of gold, silver, and resources moving about Mexico during revolutionary times, a bit of history is required. Pancho Villa, Mexican Revolutionary general wearing bandoliers in front of an insurgent c...

Sulphur Springs, Arkansas Spanish Treasure Site - A Few Pieces of Plundered Gold Found

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  Text and image taken from Wikipedia:    Roesler, F.E. (April 1908). "The Spanish Treasure Cave Near Sulphur Springs, Ark" . KCS Current Events: An Industrial and Agricultural Magazine . 7 (2): 148–153 . Retrieved 26 April 2024 . Old Spanish Treasure Cave - Wikipedia Allsopp, Fred W. (1931). "Legends of Lost Mines and Hidden Treasures". Folklore of Romantic Arkansas, Vol. I . USA: The Grolier Society. pp. 282–298 . Retrieved 26 April 2024 . Skalicky, Michele (17 December 2018). "Along the Missouri-Arkansas Line, a Tale of Buried Spanish Treasure" . KSMU Public Radio from Missouri State University . Archived from the original on 4 December 2023 . Retrieved 26 April 2024 .   Harrison, David L. (1970). The World of American Caves . USA: Reilly & Lee Books. pp. 68–70 . Retrieved 26 April 2024 "Field Trip: Old Spanish Treasure Cave" . PBS Learning Media for Teachers . Houston PBS . Retrieved 26 April 2024 . The Old Spanish Treasure Cave ...

A Tiny Story: Romance and Savagery in 19th Century Southwestern Arizona - August 20,2026

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   Updated on November 17, 2024 John reads about the Old West, lost treasure, lost gold mines, and amateur gold prospecting. He prospects in Arizona and photographs mines. A Serial For the second installment, please see Apache-Land-Travels-and-Surprises Prelude Jack had just ridden into town for his long-awaited reunion with his betrothed. Her name was Nell, and as his buddies were apt to say, she was easy-on-the-eyes. Heading across the dirt street, the general store to the right and the saloon on the left, he saw dust in the distance. As he looked down the alley between the two businesses, he saw dust on the crest of the hills of Patagonia, Arizona. It rose like a light brown vapor. Too far to make out the nature of the disturbance, he continued. The hills were sparsely spotted with brush and cholla, the walls and blue sky framed the scene. It was a gorgeous day, and he took note. Nell's Concord stagecoach with burgeoning rear boot arrived in front of the saloon. Jack was al...

Why the Stock Market Keeps Surging Despite Rising Rates, High Oil and A.I. Spending Fears

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Investors in the stock market are navigating a difficult backdrop that includes a prolonged conflict in Iran, rising oil prices and a sell-off in government bonds that threatens to push borrowing costs higher across the economy. Despite all of this, they remain remarkably calm. The S&P 500 has climbed nearly 13 percent this year, and many analysts still believe the market could finish even stronger by year’s end. A major reason for this optimism is a strong corporate earnings season combined with continued enthusiasm for artificial intelligence. These forces have helped investors look past concerns about inflation and the impact of higher interest rates. Still, the rally may face challenges as the market moves into September, a month that has historically been difficult for stocks. Rising interest rates and growing worries about the enormous spending required for A.I. data centers also pose risks. The excitement around A.I. has been a powerful driver of the market for more than a y...