October 15, 2026
Bonus Content: A Shock Jobs Miss Pushes Australian Gold Above A$5,900
Every American Should Unlock Their IRA/401k In 2026
Most Americans have no idea their Retirement Plan is locked down.
Let’s say you’re at a restaurant – you can order anything you want, as long as it’s on the menu.
But what if you found out you have a fish allergy, and you’re at a seafood restaurant?
Because if you’ve had an employer 401(k), then you remember seeing the options:
You can invest in anything you want, as long as it’s on the menu. Same thing with many IRA plans.
But what happens if everything on the menu can make you sick?
That’s what many Americans are facing right now. Because whether you order the S&P Index Fund, the 60/40 Stocks and Bonds mix, or any other combination on the menu…
All the ingredients come from the same kitchen – the stock market.
And you already know the stock market has made people sick.
The ups and downs can be nauseating.
Now that’s not a problem if you’re a few decades away from retirement, because you can ride out the storm, and things could likely turn in your favor.
But when you’re already retired, or about to retire, then the game changes.
Because it’s not about growing your assets anymore, it’s about preserving your assets, right?
That means if you have $1 million saved for retirement…
Then you expect that million to pay for your travel, gifts, visits to family and grandkids…
For the rest of your life. Literally! And that’s a great plan.
So how do you tackle the problem?
You could hope the stock market rockets up again, and grows your retirement…
Or you could look at assets that help defend against inflation.
Except the problem is, many IRAs and 401(k)s can be locked out of inflation-defending assets.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Because right now, thousands of Americans have figured out how to UNLOCK their IRA/401(k) so they can diversify a portion of their retirement savings into assets that help defend against inflation.
That’s why we put together this free guide.
It’s a brief, to-the-point handbook that shows you:
- The IRS Rule That Lets You Access Locked Retirement Funds
- Who Really Controls Your Retirement Savings
- How To Transition To An Unlocked IRA
And it’s completely free to get a copy.
So what you do with your retirement savings is your business, but at the very least, you should be educated about your options.
But of course, the choice is yours.
A Shock Jobs Miss Pushes Australian Gold Above A$5,900
Australia’s September labour force report, released at 11:30am AEDT this morning, was one of the biggest jobs misses of the year. The economy shed 39,300 jobs in September, far short of economists’ forecast for about a 20,000-job gain. That is a miss of nearly 59,000, one of the largest labour market surprises of 2026. The number that matters most for gold investors is not the headline count but what it does to the Australian dollar, and by extension, the AUD price of gold.
What’s Driving the Market
The report comes just weeks after the Reserve Bank of Australia raised its cash rate to 4.60%, effective 30 September 2026. The RBA had been signalling further tightening. This morning’s data made that considerably harder to defend. November RBA hike odds fell sharply, and the Aussie dollar slipped. The report shifts the RBA debate from when the next hike comes to whether it comes at all, with a pause now looking the likelier near-term outcome.
The composition of the job losses adds to the concern. The decline was driven by a 73,700 drop in part-time jobs, which more than offset a 34,400 increase in full-time employment. The underemployment rate also rose to 6.3%, while the number of unemployed people increased by 8,900 to 732,000. ANZ said the six-month trend pointed to easing labour market conditions, characterised by subdued jobs growth and a rising unemployment rate.
The Profit Potential of a Rare Producing Copper Mine
The world is in dire need of copper. It can’t just come from anywhere. It needs to be of a certain grade and from a safe mining jurisdiction. Only then will it be able to meet growing demand and only then will traders begin paying attention to it. There aren’t many copper mines that fit that criteria, but one in the Yukon does and anyone who invests in it will do very well in the emerging copper bull market.
The RBA’s last lever is the October 28 CPI reading. Some bank economists still see a case for a November move despite the weaker jobs report. That uncertainty is exactly the kind of environment that keeps the AUD under pressure into the bank’s 2–3 November meeting.
While gold and major currencies have risen against the US dollar on lower Treasury yields, the Aussie has stayed near its post-data lows, as a narrowing rate outlook at home offsets the broader dollar weakness. The AUD/USD rate today sits around 0.695, down from about 0.7126 at end-September, a roughly 1.7-cent retreat over two weeks. Gold priced in Australian dollars is trading around A$5,950 per ounce as of this morning. That is a direct mechanical benefit: every cent the AUD loses against the US dollar pushes the AUD gold price higher even if the USD gold price holds flat.
The Investment Opportunity
This is where the opportunity concentrates. Australian miners sell gold into the world market in US dollars but report costs in Australian dollars. A softer AUD widens that margin without any operational improvement required on their part.
Australia is not the only resource economy where a jobs shock is widening the gap between USD revenues and local-currency costs. Canada’s September labour report delivered a similar currency-driven margin boost for Canadian gold miners.
By 2026, following a surge in gold prices, Northern Star Resources (ASX: NST) had reached a market capitalisation of about A$44 billion and was often described as the country’s largest listed gold producer. Northern Star is heavily concentrated in Australia and Alaska, offering investors a pure-play exposure to gold in stable, low-risk jurisdictions. A weaker AUD amplifies its realised margins directly.
Evolution Mining (ASX: EVN) offers a complementary angle. Evolution maintained its full-year guidance and pointed to continued cash generation in its September 2026 quarter update. Its balanced portfolio of gold and copper provides a natural hedge, with copper production often lowering the overall cost of mining gold because the copper can be sold as a byproduct. That cost structure becomes even more compelling when revenues are being denominated in a higher AUD gold price.
Risks to Monitor
The AUD gold price tailwind is not guaranteed. If the October 28 CPI report surprises sharply to the upside, the RBA may still hike in November, which could stabilise or recover the Australian dollar and compress the margin benefit for miners. Some bank economists have maintained a forecast for a further 25-basis-point hike in November, noting that the RBA’s decision would depend on developments in both economic activity and inflation. A rebound in the AUD toward 0.71-0.72 would trim the AUD gold price advantage that today’s data created.
There is also operational caution warranted on Northern Star specifically. Northern Star has flagged FY 2026 productivity and cost challenges, and it reported lower gold sold at its Pogo operation in FY26 that it attributed primarily to lower mined grades due to underground mining dilution. Currency tailwinds can mask cost pressures only so far.
Bottom Line
The September jobs miss does not tell you whether to buy Australian gold miners. It tells you the conditions have shifted in their favour in a way that was not priced yesterday morning. A central bank losing its argument for tightening, a currency under pressure, and a gold price in AUD holding around A$5,950: that combination improves miner margins mechanically, without needing a single additional ounce of production. Watch the October 28 CPI. That is the next pivot point for both the RBA’s credibility and the AUD gold price.