History has shown that investors who stick to disciplined, fundamental-focused strategies give themselves a good chance of beating the market over the long haul and one of the investment gurus who has compiled the most data on that topic is James O’Shaughnessy, whose book What Works on Wall Street became something of a bible for investment strategies when it was released 15 years ago. Now, O’Shaughnessy has released an updated version of his book, with a plethora of new data on various investment strategies. Using data that stretches back to before the Great Depression in some cases, O’Shaughnessy back-tests numerous strategies, and comes to some very intriguing conclusions. [Let me share some of them with you.] Words: 1345

Ever look around the office and wonder if your colleagues make more money than you? What about the competition next door -- are those employees bringing home...[more than you for comparable work]? Instead of wondering if the grass is greener and the paycheques are bigger...[elsewhere], maybe it's time to find out if you're underpaid. With a large number of online salary tools available -- and a little leg work -- you could land a pay raise or a better paying job before the new year. [Here's how.] Words: 897

Many market participants are wondering why [gold] is not responding more positively to Europe's never-ending sovereign debt crisis and other worrisome economic and political developments around the world...Technical analysts say that gold must build more support in the $1,750 to $1,800 an ounce range before it can muster enough strength to sustain a meaningful and lasting rally. Sooner or later, [however,] thanks to a continuously improving fundamental picture, gold will register a sustainable advance above $1,800 an ounce, possibly never again to see prices below this level. [Let me explain why I believe strongly that that is the case.] Words: 800

You probably don't have enough time during the past week much 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 on-going development 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 - but don't worry! - I have done it for you

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