Fed rate hike - gold and silver feeling the squeeze this winter?

• •Okay, so the Fed just keeps doing what they do, and another rate hike is in the books.
• •As a manufacturing exec, I’ve always been a believer in hard assets, things you can *touch*.
• •Seeing the market jump around with every whisper from Jerome Powell just reinforces that for me.

Okay, so the Fed just keeps doing what they do, and another rate hike is in the books. I’ve been watching my Gold IRA holdings pretty closely lately from my place in Cleveland, and it’s definitely got me thinking about the winter months ahead. I’ve got about 35% of my non-retirement portfolio in physical gold and silver, mostly bullion coins, and my IRA is heavily geared that way too, probably around the same percentage, out of a total portfolio that’s pushing towards $400k. As a manufacturing exec, I’ve always been a believer in hard assets, things you can touch. Seeing the market jump around with every whisper from Jerome Powell just reinforces that for me.

I know the common wisdom is that rising rates aren’t great for precious metals because of the opportunity cost with bonds and all that, but honestly, I’m still feeling pretty good about my position long-term. We’re seeing inflation stay stickier than they want to admit, and geopolitical stuff isn’t exactly calming down. My gut tells me these rate hikes can only go so far before something breaks, and then what? Gold and silver tend to shine when the traditional markets get shaky. Anyone else feeling that underlying tension?

I've been looking at some of the historical data, especially when comparing silver to the broader market. Stumbled across this tool – Silver vs Stocks – which lets you compare performance over different periods. It’s pretty eye-opening to see how silver has held its own, and sometimes even outperformed, during certain stretches. It’s a good reminder that it's not always a straightforward inverse relationship.

What are others doing with their precious metals holdings in light of these continuous rate hikes? Are you rebalancing, or just holding steady like me? Part of me wonders if I should be scooping up more silver given the current dip, but another part of me is preaching patience. Any Cleveland area investors out there feeling similar pressures or seeing different trends locally?