-
Bill’s Commentary:
“Shouldn’t this already be “backed”?”
In 2025, Sebi warned investors about digital gold. Now, your digital gold may soon need physical gold to back it; government weighs RBI-Sebi oversight for $3 billion industry
Have you bought digital gold or are planning to? The Securities and Exchange Board of India had cautioned investors about digital gold in 2025. In a circular, Sebi said these products were distinct from gold products regulated by it because they were neither notified as securities nor classified as commodity derivatives. “They operate entirely outside the purview of Sebi,” it said.
Now, digital gold may come under the joint watch of the Reserve Bank of India and SEBI.
Bill’s Commentary:
“Huge demand if it comes to fruition!”
Samsung Plans Battery Breakthrough in 2027: Is a “Silver Shock” on the Horizon?
Sep 18 
Samsung SDI, the battery division of South Korea’s Samsung Group, is vigorously advancing the development of the so-called all-solid-state battery (ASB). This is a solid-state battery—that is, a battery with a solid electrolyte rather than a liquid one.
With this move, the company is positioning itself ahead of its Chinese competitors as one of the first manufacturers worldwide to produce this technology on an industrial scale. In addition to the technical properties of the new cells, attention is increasingly turning to a raw material that has traditionally been associated with jewelry and photovoltaics: silver.
How It Works: Solid Electrolyte and an Anode-Free Design
Conventional lithium-ion batteries use a liquid, flammable electrolyte to transport lithium ions between the anode and cathode. Samsung’s ASB replaces this liquid with a sulfide-based solid-state electrolyte. Since solid materials cannot leak or catch fire, this design is considered fundamentally safer than previous battery types.
The second technological feature is a so-called anode-free design: Instead of a thick, bulky anode made of graphite or silicon, Samsung uses a composite layer of silver and carbon (Ag-C) that is only about five micrometers thick. During charging, lithium deposits directly onto this wafer-thin silver-carbon layer, making a separate anode largely unnecessary.
This saves space, increases the usable energy density, and simultaneously suppresses the formation of lithium dendrites—needle-like deposits that can cause dangerous short circuits in conventional batteries. According to Samsung, this combination achieves a volumetric energy density of approximately 900 watt-hours per liter, an increase of about 40 percent compared to current NMC cells.
An Overview of the New Battery’s Advantages and Disadvantages
One of the key advantages is safety: The solid electrolyte significantly reduces the risk of fire, thereby addressing a well-known problem with today’s electric vehicle batteries. Added to this is the significantly higher energy density, which enables longer ranges or a lighter battery weight while requiring the same amount of space.
Samsung also promises improvements in charging speed: A separately developed ion-transport structure is designed to allow charging from 8 to 80 percent in about nine minutes. In addition, the company is aiming for a service life of up to 20 years, which could significantly increase the resale value of electric vehicles.
However, these advantages are offset by noticeable disadvantages. Sulfide-based solid-state electrolytes are chemically sensitive and complex to manufacture, in part due to a production process called hot isostatic pressing, which is designed to ensure perfect contact between the solid layers. This complexity is likely to initially result in high production costs, which is why industry observers expect a significantly higher price per kilowatt-hour than that of established lithium iron phosphate cells.
The use of silver as an anode material is also a double-edged sword: while it improves conductivity and cell stability, it also makes the battery dependent on the availability and price of a precious metal whose supply is not only limited but also cannot be significantly increased in the short term.
Mass Production to Begin in 2027 in Ulsan
Samsung SDI has refined its roadmap on several occasions. Originally, the company avoided making specific statements about mass production readiness; however, since the InterBattery 2024 trade show, it has consistently cited 2027 as the target year for mass production. According to the latest information from August 2026, mass production is scheduled to begin in the second half of 2027 at the company’s Ulsan plant in South Korea.
To this end, the company is investing a total of approximately 25 trillion won—equivalent to about 17 billion U.S. dollars—in its Ulsan and Cheonan facilities between 2026 and 2040. Of this investment, 16 trillion won alone is earmarked for the expansion of solid-state battery production in Ulsan. A pilot plant at the Suwon research site, known as the S-Line, is already validating the complex manufacturing steps and delivering the first prototype cells.
Beyond electric mobility, Samsung SDI aims to tap into additional application areas with this technology: At InterBattery 2026 in March, the company unveiled for the first time a pouch cell prototype for humanoid robots and other “Physical AI” applications that require compact, high-performance, and exceptionally safe cells. In addition, Samsung SDI has been collaborating with BMW and the U.S. battery manufacturer Solid Power on an independent ASSB development line since November 2025, although this partnership does not pursue a specific mass-production goal.
Sales Figures and Market Share: Ambition Without an Official Target
Samsung SDI has not yet publicly commented on specific sales figures or a target market share for the solid-state battery itself. CEO Choi Yoon-ho merely articulated the strategic goal of assuming the global leadership position in the battery market with “unrivaled Super-Gap” technology.
Only related business areas have been more specific so far: In the field of stationary backup batteries for AI data centers (BBU), market observers estimate that Samsung SDI already holds a global market share of around 50 percent, and capacity figures in the range of several gigawatt-hours are already available for U.S. production with Tesla as well as a new factory with partner Forge Nano in North Carolina.
For the solid-state cell itself, however, financial analyses primarily feature third-party scenarios rather than confirmed company data: If the performance figures cited by Samsung are confirmed, some market observers consider a market share of 80 percent or more among newly registered electric vehicles conceivable over the next several years.
However, this assessment is a projection by individual analysts and not a target figure communicated by Samsung itself. It should therefore be viewed with appropriate caution. The studies do, however, reveal the significant consequences a successful market launch would have, particularly for the silver market.
Impact on the Silver Market
Because the silver-carbon anode contains silver instead of graphite, a widespread market launch of the technology would create a new, as yet largely undeveloped source of industrial demand for the precious metal. Market analyses offer varying estimates of the exact amount of silver per battery: While one industry commentary assumes approximately one kilogram of silver per vehicle battery with a capacity of 100 kilowatt-hours, another source estimates the silver content at about five grams per battery cell, which, depending on the number of cells, amounts to a similar order of magnitude per vehicle battery pack.
Projections by individual market observers—based, for example, on a study published by the Silver Academy in August 2024—estimate an additional silver demand of around 900 million ounces, assuming a market penetration rate of 80 percent of the approximately 32 million electric vehicles projected to be sold by 2027. Other calculations, based on lower penetration assumptions, arrive at an additional annual demand of approximately 16,000 metric tons of silver. But even that represents an order of magnitude that would correspond to a significant portion of global annual mine production, which ranges from about 25,000 to 27,000 metric tons.
These figures are explicitly model calculations by individual analysts and investment commentators and are not confirmed forecasts from Samsung or independent commodities institutes. They depend heavily on how quickly and to what extent solid-state batteries actually gain traction over lithium-ion cells.
Another demand shock for the tight silver market?
Regardless of the exact scale of market penetration, the silver-carbon technology—a new source of demand from the electric vehicle sector—is entering a silver market that is already considered tight today. Industrial demand from the solar sector, particularly from China and India, has been rising steadily for years, while supply from mining production is limited and cannot keep pace with the increase in demand.
In mid-September 2026, the price of silver stood at around 66 to 68 U.S. dollars per troy ounce, well above the levels of previous years. Should solid-state batteries indeed become the standard technology in electric mobility, this could exacerbate the already existing supply deficit in the silver market and drive up prices.
Whether this will actually happen, however, depends largely on whether Samsung meets its 2027 deadline, whether production costs can be reduced enough to make the technology price-competitive, and how quickly automakers actually integrate the new cells into their production vehicles.
You’re currently a free subscriber to GoldFix. For the full experience, upgrade your subscription.
© 2026 VBL
Stamford CT
Unsubscribe
-
Bill’s Commentary:
“Huge demand if it comes to fruition!”
Samsung Plans Battery Breakthrough in 2027: Is a “Silver Shock” on the Horizon?
Samsung SDI, the battery division of South Korea’s Samsung Group, is vigorously advancing the development of the so-called all-solid-state battery (ASB). This is a solid-state battery—that is, a battery with a solid electrolyte rather than a liquid one.
With this move, the company is positioning itself ahead of its Chinese competitors as one of the first manufacturers worldwide to produce this technology on an industrial scale. In addition to the technical properties of the new cells, attention is increasingly turning to a raw material that has traditionally been associated with jewelry and photovoltaics: silver.
Read more here…
Bill’s Commentary:
“This is not “left vs right”, it is quasi sane vs insane…”
Bill’s Commentary:
“She’s a hero!”
The latest from USA Watchdog –
-
Bill’s Commentary:
“Will history look back upon today as the Fed “pulling the pin”?”
Will history look back upon today as the Fed “pulling the pin”?
WASHINGTON — Federal Reserve policymakers responded to stubborn inflation by opting to raise their benchmark for short-term interest rates for the first time in three years on Sept. 16, just days after President Donald Trump said the United States should have “the lowest interest rates in the world.”
The vote was unanimous among the Federal Open Market Committee’s 12 voting members.
The federal funds rate now stands at a range of 3.75% to 4% — a quarter percentage point higher than before. The Fed typically raises rates to tame inflation by making borrowing more expensive, which can lead to less demand and eventually lower prices. Raising the target range also means consumers will likely see higher interest rates on things like credit cards and personal loans.
Bill’s Commentary:
“Question; what happens to your electronic balances when a rogue AI hacks into the financial system? GOTS! (get out of the system)”
ChatGPT Straight Up Tries to Gaslight User After Being Confronted About Its Obviously Wrong Answer
Don’t ask an AI chatbot how many letter e’s there are in the word “seventeen.” Or do, actually, if you want to see how dodgy the tech remains.
In a clip that’s gone viral in AI circles, the content creator who goes by “Husk” asks ChatGPT’s Voice mode to answer this simple counting question. Not only does the confident-sounding AI get it wrong — insisting there’re only three e’s instead of four — it doubles down so vehemently that it effectively tries to gaslight the user.
Bill’s Commentary:
“All eyes on this!”
https://www.investing.com/rates-bonds/u.s.-10-year-bond-yield
The latest from USA Watchdog –
-
Bill’s Commentary:
“I believe the first actual test run was done this past Saturday?”
China, Russia, India seek economic cooperation at BRICS
BRICS leaders including China, Russia and India concluded a second and final day of talks in New Delhi on Sunday, discussing “inclusive global growth”, after reaching a rare agreement calling for calm in the Middle East.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for “cooperation” within the bloc, which he has said represents “50 percent of the world’s population, 40 percent of global GDP and more than 25 percent of global trade”.
“The power of BRICS lies in our diversity and cooperation,” Modi told leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, on the final day of talks.
Bill’s Commentary:
“This generation will be leading the world in a few years, what could possibly go wrong?”
California high school grads score 4.0 GPAs but can’t do basic math, professors say
California high school students are scoring more straight A’s than ever – but it’s not necessarily because they’re getting smarter, according to data and education experts.
The number of college applicants reporting flawless GPAs of 4.0 or higher has doubled over the past decade even as state testing shows a post-pandemic plunge in reading and math comprehension — revealing a grade-inflation crisis that’s sending students who can’t even do fractions into top universities.
Over the past decade, the number of students applying to the University of California system with straight A’s skyrocketed from 52,989 in 2015 to 103,138 for the class of 2025, with a notable jump during the COVID-19 pandemic between 2020 and 2022, according to UC data reviewed by The Post.
Bill’s Commentary:
“Jim’s dream is coming to fruition!”
TRX Gold Announces Major Milestone with Addition to the MVIS® Global Junior Gold Miners Index
TORONTO, Sept. 14, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — TRX Gold Corporation (TSX: TRX) (NYSE American: TRX) (the “Company” or “TRX Gold”) is pleased to report that the Company has been added to the MVIS® Global Junior Gold Miners Index (“MVGDXJ”) following the Q3 2026 index rebalance announcement on September 11, 2026.
Stephen Mullowney, TRX Gold CEO commented: “Following our addition to the S&P/TSX Global Mining Index announced on March 28, I am very pleased to announce that TRX Gold has now also met the criteria for inclusion in the MVGDXJ, which is designed to track the overall performance of small-capitalization companies that are involved primarily in the mining of gold and/or silver1.
TRX Gold Delivers Record Q4 2026; Achieves Top End of Production Guidance
TORONTO, Sept. 14, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — TRX Gold Corporation (TSX: TRX) (NYSE American: TRX) (the “Company” or “TRX Gold”) is pleased to announce preliminary results for Q4 20261.
Record Fourth Quarter Results Lead to Achieving Top End of Fiscal 2026 Production Guidance: In Q4 2026, the Company delivered record quarterly gold production of 8,173 ounces, up 28% from 6,404 ounces in Q4 2025. On a full year basis, the Company delivered record annual gold production of 29,650 ounces, an increase of 57% from 18,935 ounces in 2025, and achieved the top end of its full-year production guidance range of 25,000 to 30,000 ounces.
Bill’s Commentary:
“He will release these like the JFK files, the Epstein files and the Ft. Knox audit?”
Trump Says He Might Release More 9/11 Records
“I’m going to look at it when I get back,” he told reporters in Ireland, after being asked about recent requests from families of people who perished in the attacks.
A nephew of Lisa Marie Terry, who was in the North Tower at the World Trade Center when it was struck by one of the planes hijacked by Islamic terrorists, was among those who recently called on Trump to declassify records related to the attacks on the center and the Pentagon.
“For 25 years, the deep state has hidden the truth about what happened that day 25 years ago,” he said during a reading of the names of the victims in New York City on Sept. 11.
-
Bill’s Commentary:
“I would say this is hilarious except it is not. Call me a batshit crazy conspiracy theorist if you will, 9/11 saw more collective TREASON against the United States and her population than any other single day by orders of magnitude…”
Bill’s latest two interviews (Also posted under Interiews)
Bill’s Commentary:
“The man has a valid point!”
The latest from USA Watchdog –
-
Bill’s Commentary:
“Oops!”
OpenAI targets work of Wall Street junior bankers with new ChatGPT for Financial Services
OpenAI is taking aim at some of Wall Street’s most labor-intensive tasks with a new version of ChatGPT designed to research companies, analyze financial data and generate the presentations that investment bankers rely on.
The product unveiled Thursday, called ChatGPT for Financial Services, is a tailored version of its enterprise product, ChatGPT Work, that was made with “design partners” Morgan Stanley and Evercore, according to OpenAI’s vice president of product, Nick Turley. It uses the artificial intelligence company’s latest and most advanced model, GPT-6 Astra.
The rollout puts OpenAI deeper into territory traditionally occupied by Wall Street’s entry-level bankers, the recent college graduates called analysts and associates that the industry has employed for decades to research deals and create pitchbooks. It also showcases the company’s continued push into enterprise offerings as it gears up for what is widely expected to be a blockbuster initial public offering.
-
Bill’s Commentary:
“A tip of the hat to Rick Santelli, he has always been one of the good guys!”
https://truthsocial.com/@CitizenFreePress/posts/117220296884544479
Bill’s Commentary:
“Lying bastards!”
REVEALED: CDC Secretly Funded Pro-Vaccine Podcasts.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention quietly helped fund pro-vaccine podcasts that appeared under the names of outside nonprofit organizations.
These were not balanced programs debating vaccine policy. Their stated purpose was to increase vaccine confidence, promote COVID-19 and flu shots and teach community groups how to persuade hesitant Americans.
The funding was disclosed—but largely in grant notices, episode footers and nonprofit reports that few ordinary listeners would ever read. Two broader CDC-funded projects connected to the shows received $5.755 million.
Bill’s Commentary:
“This is so bad it is beyond belief. Bessent says “he is the house now” and throws the gauntlet down at the bond market. Total idiocy! This is the leader of a bankrupt entity threatening his creditors, any “revolt” will result in the credit being shut off to the US Treasury… a total disaster in the making!”
Bessent bond plan details to be revealed as Treasury secretary warns FX traders he’s ‘the house now’
Markets are set to find out Wednesday just how aggressive the Treasury Department’s bond-buying program will get, as Secretary Scott Bessent dared currency traders to challenge him.
The department is expected to announce around 11 a.m. ET the size of a buyback operation it unveiled Aug. 19, an aggressive move and part of a broader strategy to keep a lid on Treasury yields and ensure markets function as intended.
“I am the house now,” Bessent said Tuesday at Southern Methodist University, referring more specifically to his department’s parallel maneuver to support the Japanese yen. “And you can bet against me if you want.”
The latest from USA Watchdog –
Bill’s Commentary:
“The canary in the coalmine has died”
Japan Is Telling You to Run to Gold
My father taught me long ago that the years teach things the days do not always notice.
In all areas of our lives, we slowly acquire perspectives earned by experience over theory and by time rather than guesses.
This is equally true of lives spent investing in markets and cycles. A certain pattern recognition is acquired that not even a Bloomberg terminal or AI robot can teach.
As one, for example, who traded through a dot.com bubble led by the undeniably transformative technology of the internet of all things, I remember well how everyone from Wall Street experts to Hollywood movies made it clear that names like Cisco, Yahoo and AOL were kings who would never be dethroned.
-
Bill’s Commentary:
“Everything is hackable…”
Hackers Withdraw 320 Million In Bitcoin From Blockstream’s Liquid Network Federation Reserves
The Liquid Network said Sunday that purported white-hat hackers withdrew about 4,000 bitcoin, worth about $320 million, from the federation wallet that backs L-BTC.
Bridge nodes were disabled, and the sidechain was paused. Other issued assets, including USDT, DePix and RWAs, were unaffected, the official account said on X.
The Liquid Network is a federated sidechain of Bitcoin, founded by Adam Back’s Blockstream. The Liquid chain issues a variety of assets such as LBTC, which it backs with BTC on the Bitcoin main chain, held in a large multisig of 15 corporate and known members. 11 of the 15 members need to sign a valid multi-signature transaction to move coins from the treasury. Before the hack, the treasury held over 4200 BTC; after the hack, Blockstream’s proof of reserves page reports a little over 207 BTC left.
Bill’s Commentary:
“Party like it’s 1984!”
Disconnect your LG television from the internet, now
Smart televisions have a history of being a privacy problem for users. Repeated reports have surfaced over the years about them logging how you use the television, as well as misusing sensors intended to monitor the viewers.
In a September investigation by Gamers Nexus posted to YouTube, LG’s smart TVs still continue to be a privacy nightmare. It’s pretty bad, given that some models are capable of eavesdropping on your conversations.
Working with security researchers and Level1Techs, the lengthy video put LG OLED televisions under a microscope. Using various tools, including capturing packets with Wireshark, it was found to be conducting a wide array of actions that disregard user privacy, and then sending that data back to LG.
Bill’s Commentary:
“As a reader recently said… rainbow dust and unicorn farts!”
-
Bill’s Commentary:
“Roughly 10% of Japan’s Treasury holdings… in just one month?”
Japan Sold Almost $90 Billion In Treasuries To Fund Record Yen Intervention
At the end of July, the only question following Japan’s record $90 billion yen intervention (which worked for about two weeks before the effects faded and Bessent had to engage in more market intervention), was whether and how much Treasuries Japan had sold as part of the intervention.
We now now the answers: i) yes and ii) a lot.
According to Finance Ministry reserve data released Monday, Tokyo’s holdings of foreign securities fell by $87.8 billion at the end of August from a month earlier. That decline was close to the scale of Japan’s recent intervention to support the yen. Analysts suggested Japan likely sold Treasuries at the short end of the maturity spectrum, Bloomberg reported.
The latest from USA Watchdog –
-
Bill is interviewed by X22 Report. (Also posted under Interviews)
Bill’s Commentary: “This became rather contentious; all I can say is, if the current debt is “jubilee’d” ALL pensions, ALL insurance companies, ALL banks will have their collateral impaired to the point where “payments” can no longer be paid. It would be nice if people’s wealth was not injured in the reset, but there is a small thing called REALITY! Kumbaya is for dreamers…”
Bill’s latest interview (Also posted under Interviews)
-
Subscribe
Subscribed
Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
BillHolter.com 