The election is now behind us and I pray our elected officials can come together and make quality decisions to move this country forward in a positive direction. [That being said, how the U.S. Dollar Index reacts over the short term] is going to be very important for portfolio construction in the weeks and months ahead! [Let's take a look at what the following charts say on the subject.] Words: 225

The Dow Jones Industrial Average composite (DJIA) hitting a five year high early last month does not bode well for the bulls. Frankly, I am predicting that the recent five year high...(October 5th) will prove to be the cyclical high in an ongoing secular bear market that has not yet hit its bear market low for this secular bear and that...it will not get to an all-time new high until 2015 at the earliest. Prepare to be nickled and dimed in the meantime! Words: 995

The public's estimates and predictions of inflation are significantly, and systematically, related to the demographic characteristics of the respondents...[and] even after we hold constant income, age, education, race, and marital status...women in our survey tended to think inflation was 1.9 percentage points higher than men. [There are more interesting findings, so read on.] Words: 987

The USA continues to decline economically relative to some parts of the world, most notably those in Asia yet we still lead in many areas. Unfortunately being number one is some categories is not a good thing and our level of debt is one of these areas. In fact, our debt burden leads the world. [A look at the charts below illustrates that all too clearly.] Words: 272

The Legatum Prosperity Index survey, as shown in the following table, ranks countries on eight different attributes, and then consolidates those attributes into an 'overall ranking'. The report says that the U.S. has fallen out of the top 10 (to #12) in the 'most prosperous country ranking' increasing doubts about the health of its economy and ability of its politicians. Read the balance of the article to see where your country is ranked overall and in each of the 8 different categories. Words: 520

The US Recession Probabilities Index is currently at a level that has ALWAYS been followed by a recession. Interestingly, however, I don’t see recession signals in the internal indicators that I follow and which have been right for a long time now so this clearly puts that opinion in the “this time is different” category - or does it? Words: 255

I am not predicting a future price of gold or the date that gold will trade at $4,000, but I am making a projection based on rational analysis that indicates a likely time period for gold to trade at $4,000 per troy ounce. Yes, $4,000 gold is completely plausible if you assume the following:

The value of silver has skyrocketed in recent decades –leading many investing experts to believe that silver’s price could outpace gold for the first time in history. This infographic covers silver’s meteoric increase and the factors that have led to silver’s exploding value...[and] takes a nod to the future to see where silver’s price may be headed based on the most up to date demand data.

The Global Economy is on the brink of a recession with 58% of 29 OECD countries experiencing business cycle contractions [although] the U.S. seems to be plodding along despite woes outside her borders . Whilst global recession is certainly an alarm bell for the U.S economy, it is just that – a shot across the bows and not a direct hit. [As such,] there is no reason to hit any panic buttons...[yet other than] to monitor the U.S. recession models ever more closely for any signs of weakness. [Let me explain why this is the case.] Words: 601

Everyone knows that gold and silver have been on a tear over the past decade, outpacing gains in almost every other sector. Mining stocks have been hit or miss, offering incredible leverage during certain periods and under-performing the metals during other periods. However, one type of precious metals equity has been significantly outperforming both the metals and mining shares...[and that] is gold and silver streaming companies. Words: 2500