Comparing the level of the Vix Index of implied equity volatility to the level of the 10-yr Treasury yield is a handy way of gauging how extreme market sentiment is. The Vix index is a good proxy for fear (because the implied volatility of options determines how expensive it is to purchase options in order to limit one's downside risk), and the 10-yr Treasury yield is a good proxy for the market's long-term outlook for growth and inflation. When you combine a high level of the Vix with a low level of the 10-yr, you have a market that is not only very fearful but also very pessimistic about the future. [IMO, however, we may well have time on our side. Here's what I mean by that.] Words: 730

A recent survey conducted by Information Management Network (IMN), global organizers of institutional finance and investment conferences, showed that, while 93.3% of respondents believe market volatility will remain the same or increase in 2012, 87% cited a consistent or increased risk appetite in the next six to 12 months with 62% investing in a variety of alternative assets. Read on for more survey findings. Words: 401

Believe it or not but according to research undertaken by Credit Suisse, a major global private banking, investment banking and asset management company, the top 10 countries with the highest average wealth per adult in 2011 DO NOT include the U.S. or Canada but DO include Belgium, whose credit rating has just been downgraded by Standard & Poors, and Italy, which is on the verge of being bankrupt. Below is a list of the 10 countries whose citizens are the richest. Words: 1095

The chief economist at HSBC Bank, Robin Bew, suggests that the price of gold will correct down to $1,390/ozt by the end of 2012 and to $1,000 per troy ounce by 2013. [Let's examine Bew's views more closely.] Words: 731

Gold is in a bull market and, [believe it or not,] so are the gold stocks despite their struggle as a group to outperform gold... but [neither] is anywhere close to a bubble, nor the speculative zeal we saw in 2006-2007. Thus, it begs the question" "What lies ahead and when can we expect the initial stages of a bubble?" To figure this out we first need to get an idea of how long the bull market will last and then where we are now based on various indice analyses. [Below I do just that.] Words: 785

Decisive policies must be urgently put in place to stop the euro area sovereign debt crisis from spreading and to put weakening global activity back on track. [If not we can expect to see a] massive escalation in economic disruption, an increase in the risk of a credit crunch [and] the global economy tipping into a recession. Words: 834

In a speech to the Canadian Club in Toronto this past week Canada's Finance Minister Jim Flaherty urged European leaders to find a solution to their debt crisis as it has spread beyond the eurozone and into credit markets worldwide creating a "dire and pressing problem" that threatens the rest of the world with possible "social unrest and instability". Words: 870

Given the hectic lives most people lead these days there is not much time to surf the internet in search of informative and well-written articles on the health of the economies of the U.S., Canada and Europe; the development and implications of the world's financial crisis and the various investment opportunities that present themselves related to commodities (gold and silver in particular) and the stock market. Not to worry! I have done it for you. I read hundreds of articles each day, select the best and post edited excerpt summaries on munKNEE.com - Your Key to Making Money. Below are introductory paragraphs and links to the top 10 for the week ending November 19th, 2011.

Gold falls when a financial crisis worsens for 2 basic reasons which make total sense when looked at objectively. Resultant government intervention then creates the environment for a future rise in the price of gold. This article explains the causes of the downs and ups in the price of gold and offers suggestions on how and when to act. Words: 868

What’s going on? If gold is the great anti-asset, the thing to hold when everything else is in collapse why is it now trading…[below $1,700 and] not $2,000? Words: 1139