In this episode of the Minor Issues Podcast, Mark Thornton unpacks the fascinating world of the gold-silver ratio. Once a key player in bimetallism debates and Gresham’s law, this ratio is now making headlines as it hovers near record highs—over 100 ounces of silver to one ounce of gold.
Mark explores the historical context behind these numbers, and explains why these shifts can signal deeper changes in the economy. He also breaks down what the ratio means for different types of investors, how tariffs and trade wars can twist relative prices across the board, and why understanding these shifts is crucial for everyone—not just economists.
Additional Resources
Gold-Silver Ratio Charts at Gold Price: Mises.org/MI_119_A
“Bring Back Gold!” by Lew Rockwell: Mises.org/MI_119_B
“Gold:silver ratio hits 105, but analysts are not giving up on the ‘little’ sibling” by Neils Christensen (Kitco): Mises.org/MI_119_C
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What is the Mises Institute?
The Mises Institute is a non-profit organization that exists to promote teaching and research in the Austrian School of economics, individual freedom, honest history, and international peace, in the tradition of Ludwig von Mises and Murray N. Rothbard.
Non-political, non-partisan, and non-PC, we advocate a radical shift in the intellectual climate, away from statism and toward a private property order. We believe that our foundational ideas are of permanent value, and oppose all efforts at compromise, sellout, and amalgamation of these ideas with fashionable political, cultural, and social doctrines inimical to their spirit.
Originally Posted at https://mises.org/