Hmm, puzzling non-confirmation of gold's gains Friday and today.

"I want to share this principle as I think it’s important to think about what your one big thing is when thinking about your New Years Resolutions. Everyone has at least one big thing that stands in the way of their success; find yours and deal with it. Write down what your one big thing is (such as identifying problems, designing solutions, pushing through to results) and why it exists (your emotions trip you up...you can’t visualize adequate possibilities). While you and most people probably have more than one major impediment, if you can remove or get around that one really big one, you will hugely improve your life.”

"Remember, your mental limitations are of your own making."

For years, athletes attempted to run a mile in four minutes but it seemed to be a barrier that no one could overcome. Then on May 6, 1954, a British runner named Roger Gilbert Bannister ran a mile in 3:59.4 minutes to establish a world record. Soon afterward, other runners broke Bannister’s record. Too often, we accept conventional wisdom as fact. Make sure you set your goals high enough. Don’t settle for less because of limitations you place upon yourself. Most of us never really reach the level of achievement of which we are capable because we don’t challenge ourselves to do so. Perhaps Robert Browning said it best: “A man’s reach should exceed his grasp, / Or what’s a heaven for?”

Welcome to 2020.

An extended period of geopolitical calm was shattered late Thursday when the U.S. conducted a military air strike in Baghdad, Iraq that killed a top Iranian general along with an Iraqi paramilitary leader. The U.S. said Iran was planning to kill Americans in the Middle East. The strike also comes after the major attack on a Saudi oil installation a few months ago, in which the U.S. blamed Iran. Iran promised harsh retaliation. The keen uncertainty regarding this situation, including how Iran will respond, is likely to keep the global marketplace on edge.