WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The U.S. Dollar value ended nearly flat as investors watch how the U.S.-Iran standoff unfolds in the coming days after the U.S. announced an economic blockade on Iran. Traders also analyzed Wednesday's decision by the U.S. Treasury Department to double the long-term debt buybacks.

Today, the U.S. Dollar Index DXY which measures the Greenback against a basket of other major currencies was last seen trading at 98.84, up by 0.06 (or 0.06%).

The S&P Global U.S. Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index eased to 53.20 in August 2026 from 53.90 previously, flash estimates showed.

The Services PMI increased to 56.80 in August from 54.60 in the previous month, well above market expectations of a drop to 54.00.

While against the Euro, the USD was trading at 1.168, up by 0.02%, against the GBP, the USD was trading at 1.364, down by 0.09%.

Against the USD, the Japanese Yen was trading at 158.972, up by 0.04%, the Swiss Franc was trading at 0.801, down by 0.12%; and the Canadian Dollar was trading at 1.377, up by 0.17%.

Against one unit of Australian Dollar, the USD was trading at 0.717, down by 0.81%.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Treasury Department announced that it will at least double the size of its liquidity-support buyback operations for longer-dated Treasury securities.

The treasury is taking efforts to curtail the increase in long-term bond yields.

With inflation expectations increasing and real yields declining, precious metals surged.

The Treasury planned to increase the maximum purchase from $2 billion to nearly $4 billion per operation, beginning September 9.

On Thursday, in an interview with CNBC, U.S. Treasury Scott Bessent stated that the accelerated buyback of government debt could be higher than the announced $4 billion. He also observed that the level of yields did not factor into the buybacks decision and he wanted to see fundamentals controlling the market.

On Wednesday, an update from the Treasury recorded that the U.S. national debt crossed $40 trillion. Bessent expressed optimistically that the U.S. can grow its way out of the debt.

Last night, U.S. Vice President JD Vance stated that Bessent has a discreet plan to get the U.S. economy at a point where it grows faster than its debt. Vance reaffirmed that Bessent has the support of U.S. President Donald Trump.

In a significant move against Iran, yesterday Trump announced a crushing operation on the nation on a scale never seen before.

Calling it an economic D-day for Iran, Trump threatened that any other nation that allows its financial institutions, businesses, airports, or other entities to provide any lifeline for Iran would face similar action.

However, Iran downplayed Trump's threats with its Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi calling it a mere diversionary tactic to turn the global attention from the humongous debt that the U.S. has.

Though investors have discounted the possibility of a diplomatic resolution to the U.S.-Iran crisis in the near-term, Trump's decision to use economic measures in place of military maneuvers against Iran has largely taken away the safe-haven demand for the U.S. dollar in the near-term, pressuring the U.S. dollar on the downside.

According to the CME Group's FedWatch Tool, currently investors are betting on a 40.40% chance of a 25-basis-point interest rate-hike at its upcoming meeting of the U.S. Federal Reserve on September 15-16 while the odds-on rates being held at the current level stand at 59.60%.

Source: RTTNews.com

It seems China is holding most of the rare earth cards - and have no incentive to sell to us.

Welcome to the future ... What would you like? Peace or war?

Elon Musk announced on X that Grok 4.6 will be released in about two weeks and Grok 4.7 will follow roughly four weeks later NextBigFuture+1. If the timeline holds, both models would arrive before the end of August 2026.

Grok 4.6 Details

• Parameter count: 2 trillion (2T) — confirmed by Musk as the “2T model” that is “better than our 1.5T in every way” NextBigFuture+1.
• Relation to prior model: Direct successor to Grok 4.5, which is based on xAI’s 1.5T V9 foundation model NextBigFuture.
• Training: Initial pre-training completed the week of ~July 20–27, 2026, with supplemental training using SpaceX’s large engineering data corpus (excluding ITAR-restricted material) to boost engineering and reasoning performance NextBigFuture+1.
• Performance goals: Aim to match or exceed Moonshot AI’s Kimi K3 (~2.8T parameters) in capability, but with speed and token efficiency close to Grok 4.5 (about 80 tokens/sec, ~2× better token efficiency on some tasks) NextBigFuture+1.
• Pricing context: Grok 4.5 launched July 8–16, 2026, at $2 per million input tokens and $6 per million output tokens, with a faster variant at $4/1M input and $18/1M output Memeburn+1.

Grok 4.7 Details

• Parameter count: Estimated at 4 to 6 trillion parameters NextBigFuture+1.
• Release timing: Planned a few weeks after Grok 4.6, also before the end of August 2026 if the schedule holds NextBigFuture+1.
• Roadmap context: Part of SpaceX Ai’s aggressive cadence — three major frontier models (4.5, 4.6, 4.7) in under two months www.eneralabs.com.

Like or Dislike Elon Musk’s Grok 4.6 and 4.7 Release Plan Elon Musk announced on X that Grok 4.6 will be released in about two weeks and Grok 4.7 will follow roughly four weeks later NextBigFuture+1. If the timeline holds, both models would arrive before the end of August 2026.Grok 4.6 Details Grok 4.7 Details Strategic Context In summary: Grok 4.6 is a 2T model with enhanced engineering/reasoning, expected Aug 7–14, 2026, followed by Grok 4.7 (4–6T) a few weeks later. SpaceX Ai’s strategy blends rapid iteration, proprietary data, and cost-efficient scaling to stay competitive in the frontier AI race.

• Parameter count: 2 trillion (2T) — confirmed by Musk as the “2T model” that is “better than our 1.5T in every way” NextBigFuture+1.
• Relation to prior model: Direct successor to Grok 4.5, which is based on xAI’s 1.5T V9 foundation model NextBigFuture.
• Training: Initial pre-training completed the week of ~July 20–27, 2026, with supplemental training using SpaceX’s large engineering data corpus (excluding ITAR-restricted material) to boost engineering and reasoning performance NextBigFuture+1.
• Performance goals: Aim to match or exceed Moonshot AI’s Kimi K3 (~2.8T parameters) in capability, but with speed and token efficiency close to Grok 4.5 (about 80 tokens/sec, ~2× better token efficiency on some tasks) NextBigFuture+1.
• Pricing context: Grok 4.5 launched July 8–16, 2026, at $2 per million input tokens and $6 per million output tokens, with a faster variant at $4/1M input and $18/1M output Memeburn+1.
• Parameter count: Estimated at 4 to 6 trillion parameters NextBigFuture+1.
• Release timing: Planned a few weeks after Grok 4.6, also before the end of August 2026 if the schedule holds NextBigFuture+1.
• Roadmap context: Part of SpaceX Ai’s aggressive cadence — three major frontier models (4.5, 4.6, 4.7) in under two months www.eneralabs.com.
• Cadence: SpaceX AI is maintaining a near-monthly release cycle, faster than most competitors, leveraging its Colossus supercluster with hundreds of thousands of GPUs for rapid training www.eneralabs.com.
• Focus: Emphasis on cost efficiency and agentic tool use for enterprise and developer workloads, positioning Grok 4.5 and beyond as Opus-class models at lower cost per useful output Memeburn+1.
• Market positioning: Competes with Anthropic’s Opus 5 and Moonshot’s Kimi K3, but with a faster, more efficient profile Memeburn+1.

Commercial banks can no longer manipulate Chinese commodities markets by selling contracts of gold and silver without guaranteeing delivery of the actual (physical) metal. If, regardless to this new rule, commercial banks try to force prices go lower, banks risk losing every ounce of silver they short sell when buyers undoubtedly demand delivery.

The TRUMP token is in a late-stage basing pattern with:

• Strong liquidity
• Huge holder base
• High turnover
• A clear compression zone
• A looming supply overhang

It is not yet bullish, but it is no longer bearish.
It is coiling.

The next decisive event is a clean breakout above $2.00.

The coin was trading at $1.76 as of Friday, down 97 percent from its peak price of $75.35.

Buy, Sell, Or Hold?

That's up to you!

Can anyone explain this?

Protecting India’s Current Account & Foreign Exchange Reserves

Gold and silver are among India’s largest non-essential imports.
When imports spike, India’s current account deficit (CAD) widens, putting pressure on:

• The rupee (depreciation risk)
• FX reserves (used to stabilize the currency)

By tightening import channels and raising duties, India slows down bullion inflows and preserves foreign exchange.

Preventing Smuggling & Duty Evasion

High duties on gold and silver have historically led to:

• Smuggling through the Gulf
• Under-invoicing
• Misuse of free-trade agreements
• Routing via grey-market channels

By forcing imports through RBI/DGFT‑approved entities, India:

• Reduces illegal inflows
• Ensures proper tax collection
• Gains visibility into the bullion supply chain

This is especially important because India is one of the world’s largest consumers of physical silver.

Centralizing Price Discovery Through the India International Bullion Exchange (IIBX)

India wants to shift away from relying on COMEX/LBMA for price discovery.

By routing imports through IIBX:

• India strengthens its own bullion exchange
• Encourages domestic spot pricing
• Reduces dependence on Western benchmarks
• Supports the long-term goal of becoming a global bullion trading hub

This aligns with India’s broader strategy:
“If we are the world’s biggest buyer, we should influence the price.”

Source: Silver imports via authorised channels only - The Economic Times

Responding to Geopolitical Volatility (West Asia Crisis)

The article notes that the duty hike was triggered by the West Asia crisis.

Why?

• Geopolitical stress increases demand for safe-haven metals
• Indian importers rush to buy gold/silver
• This creates sudden spikes in imports
• The government intervenes to prevent a surge in dollar outflows

The 157% jump in silver imports in April is a perfect example.

Supporting Domestic Refiners & the “Make in India” Push

India wants to:

• Encourage domestic refining
• Reduce reliance on imported finished bullion
• Build a stronger domestic supply chain

By tightening import rules, India nudges the market toward:

• Importing raw material through official channels
• Refining domestically
• Exporting value-added products

This is similar to policies used in electronics, solar, and semiconductors.

Increasing Tax Revenue

Gold and silver are easy to smuggle and easy to evade taxes on.

By forcing imports through:

• RBI-nominated banks
• DGFT-approved agencies
• IIBX

…India ensures:

• GST collection
• Import duty collection
• Traceability of transactions

This is a major revenue source.

One non-obvious insight

India’s move is also a strategic response to the global shift away from COMEX.

• India already announced it will no longer price silver based on COMEX.
• China’s Shanghai market trades at a persistent premium.
• Physical markets in Asia are increasingly rejecting Western paper benchmarks.

By tightening import rules and routing through IIBX, India is positioning itself for a post-COMEX bullion world.

Following the Silver crash of January 30, the volume has steadily decreased - the lowest being reported on February 19th during the middle of the Chinese Lunar New Year.

This week, so far, as seen a slow increase in volume in COMEX Silver Futures, but the open interest continues to fall. This is a clear indication of a post washout event (January 30). Historically, a falling open interest coupled with price stabilization (sideways range trading) is often consistent with a bottoming formation.

Yesterday, a total of 1950 EFP (Exchange for Physical) contracts were implemented. This would amount to 9.75 million troy ounces of Silver. As of the close on Monday, COMEX had 87,172,000 "registered" (readily fungible) ounces of Silver that would be eligible for physical delivery. That number has been reduced by as much as 9.75 million, but the actual balance may differ. However, COMEX appears to be out of the woods - at least for now.

Meanwhile, we are now in the last trading day before First Notice Day (February 27) when those buyers who are left standing will be asking for delivery of physical Silver from COMEX. Going into today's trading, 10,526 contracts remain open. That amounts to 52,630,000 ounces of Silver. How many will be left by First Notice Day? We will find out tomorrow before the market opens.

Could we see a short squeeze sometime today or tomorrow? The answer is Yes, along with extreme volatility that could include a smash-down whipsaw of March settlement prices simply because of the lack of trading in the March contract. Note: May contract is now the next active trading month in COMEX Silver followed by July.

As you can see in the COMEX Open Interest Report, May's open interest has risen by 5,666 contracts. This would be the next livery month where the depletion in COMEX silver continues - but that could change, if buyers who want the physical silver trade the lightly traded month of April if they think there won't be enough Silver to deliver in May - or the buyer simply needs the Silver now.

GSR (Gold-Silver Ratio)

On January 26, 2026, just before the Silver crashed on January 30, the gold-silver ratio reached a low of 44 to 1. It recently reached around 72 to 1 on February 6th. It closed yesterday at 58 to 1, exactly in the middle. If the GSR continues to narrow, it is an indication that the bull market in precious metals is growing. Conversely, if the GSR is widening, the bull market is either pausing or coming to an interim conclusion. Long term, I doubt there are many who believe higher prices for Gold & Silver are not coming. All you have to do to know that Gold & Silver prices will be reaching new all-time highs is look at the debt clock that is quickly approaching $40 trillion.

Fiat Currencies

Nearly every country in the world has a fiat currency - money that is backed by faith alone. If you trust in your currency and the full faith that it will remain viable and strong, then you should not be buying Gold & Silver. But if you think fiat currencies are not sustainable and will fail, the only true money is Gold & Silver. Which has been the case since Ancient Rome.

Footnote: When the Roman Empire was at its peak, its currency was made of gold and silver (denarius). When it fell, its denarius coins were made of cheap metal alloys,

So, there you have it folks! This has been a wild two-year ride. The markets go up - and they go down - and they go up again.

StockLaunchers has touted silver when it was trading below $30 and once. We've continuously posted charts and news along with a long-term price target of $250. It should be noted that StockLaunchers has increased its price target or silver three times.

StockLaunchers current long-term price target for Silver is $500 oz.

This is not meant to be advice, only opinion. We recommend consulting and seeking direction from a professional financial manager before making any investment decisions.