Gold Hits $4,452. Musk Breaks $700 Billion. Your Healthcare Bill Just Got Cheaper

Gold hit a new high, $4,452 per ounce. That's a record. 

Not just any record, the highest price ever. And silver joined the party, reaching $69. 

Gold is up 67% this year. That's the biggest yearly gain since 1979. Put another way, if you had $10,000 in gold at the start of 2025, you'd have about $16,700 now.

Why's everyone piling into gold right now? Two big reasons.

First, the Fed keeps cutting interest rates. Markets think we'll see two more cuts in 2026. When rates fall, gold becomes more attractive. You're not losing out on interest payments anymore.

Second, uncertainty sells gold. There's tension in Venezuela. Ukraine conflict continues. Trade worries persist. When people get nervous, they buy gold. It's that simple.

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Dan Ives just dropped his predictions for 2026. And they're bold.

He thinks tech stocks could climb 20% in 2026. That's on top of this year's gains. His logic? We're still in the early innings of the AI revolution.

Here's what Ives sees coming:

Apple and Google team up. They'll announce a formal AI partnership around Google's Gemini platform. This could push Apple to a $5 trillion market cap. That partnership would give Apple a real AI strategy and potentially launch as a subscription service.

Tesla launches robotaxis in 30+ cities. Ives believes Tesla will start mass production of their Cybercab fleet. He sees the stock rising 26% in his base case, potentially 68% if everything goes right.

Microsoft dominates enterprise AI. Companies are moving fast to adopt AI through Azure. Microsoft's positioned to win that race.

The AI story is priced in. You're paying for the future, not the present.

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Two big Musk headlines hit this week.

The Starlink Patent: Tesla filed a patent for car roofs made from special polymers. These materials let satellite signals pass through. Translation? Tesla's working on factory-installed Starlink internet for your car.

No more dead zones on road trips. No cellular coverage issues in rural areas. Just constant connectivity from space. The patent doesn't mention Starlink by name, but come on. It's obvious.This makes sense for Tesla's robotaxi plans. 

The $700 Billion Milestone: Musk became the first person ever to hit $700 billion in net worth. His fortune reached $749 billion after a Delaware court ruling.

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The Trump administration made two moves on healthcare costs.

Price Transparency Update: New rules proposed Friday would force hospitals and insurers to show actual prices—not estimates. The data needs to be easy to compare across providers.

They're also reducing reporting from monthly to quarterly. That cuts the burden but keeps transparency. 

The goal? Let you shop for healthcare like you shop for anything else. Compare prices. Choose the best value. Save money. 

One analysis estimates these rules could save $80 billion for consumers and employers.

Drugmakers Lower Prices: Nine major pharmaceutical companies agreed to cut drug prices this week. Merck, Bristol Myers Squibb, Amgen, Gilead, GSK, Sanofi, Genentech, Novartis, and Boehringer Ingelheim all signed on.

Some examples of the cuts:

These prices will be available through TrumpRx.gov starting in January. The site lets you buy directly from manufacturers. Fourteen companies total have now signed price-reduction deals.

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