Gold and silver prices have reached record highs due to unstable global issues. For reporters looking for an expert to discuss this issue,  Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs Professor Daniel McDowell, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s GeoEconomics Center, is available to speak to the media.

Professor McDowell studies the international political economy and had this reaction to the news:

• “Rising gold and silver prices reflect a growing sense of unease in markets, much of it stemming from uncertainty about U.S. foreign and domestic policy. The dollar has traditionally functioned as the safe haven currency for investors when uncertainty and risks are rising. However, the U.S. is increasingly seen as a primary source of uncertainty and risk, driven by its aggressive and unpredictable foreign policy, its fiscal profligacy and efforts to politicize U.S. monetary policy,” McDowell says.
• “As a result, the dollar’s appeal as a haven is diminishing. The search for alternatives has led many investors to precious metals like gold and silver, which have historically played central roles in the global monetary system. As gold and silver prices have risen, additional investors have likely jumped on the bandwagon, speculating that prices will continue to increase,” McDowell says.

McDowell is the author of “Bucking the Buck. US Financial Sanctions and the International Backlash against the Dollar” and “Brother, Can You Spare a Billion?: The United States, the IMF, and the International Lender of Last Resort.”