We live in turbulent times. Truism? Obviously. But see for yourself how much has changed since the last edition of the Market Overview. The 2-year Treasury yields jumped above 2.5 percent. The broad U.S. dollar index surged above 120, while the index against major currencies above 89. The euro declined below 1.175 against the greenback. The price of gold dived under $1,300. Are there more declines in gold prices ahead of us?

In this edition of the Market Overview, we will answer this key question. To achieve this ambitious goal, we will carefully examine the recent macroeconomic developments, such as the rising interest rates and rapidly appreciating U.S. dollar – and their likely effects on the gold market. Given the enormous global pile of debt, which is sensitive to changes in rates and greenback’s strength, we will analyze whether, or how strongly, the debt crisis threatens us.

Last but not least, we will go on a journey to sunny Italy to inspect the country’s not-so-sunny political and economic outlook. As it is one of the biggest economies in the world, we will investigate what could be the possible consequences of recent populist breakthrough in Italy for gold.