Gold & Silver

The peak nominal price of gold ($850/ozt.) occurred on January 21, 1980, which would correspond to about $2,450 in today's dollars according to my calculations using the CPI. If history repeats itself [exactly, then] gold will gain another 35% or so, briefly, before becoming one of the worst investments in the world for the next decade or two. [Let me explain.] Words: 558

Silver has more than doubled [in price] from its 2008 multi-year high...primarily due to demand among the industries of the developing world...and among those industries where silver is virtually irreplaceable... If silver goes too high, however, it could provoke government interference in the name of ensuring national security. Let me explain. Words: 606

Buy-and-hold gold and silver and [the stocks and long-term warrants of quality] precious metals miners - and sleep well at night. [Let me explain why that is the case.] Words: 731

The idea that an increase in the debt ceiling is a solution to anything is nonsense. The event would be simply a can kick forward for a very short period of time. Increasing debt is not a solution to a debt problem. It actually makes the problem worse. It is an act of extending your Federal credit card borrowing line so you can use it to pay your mortgage. Words: 590

Silver escalated in price by 81.1% in the 12 months ending June 30th, 2011 compared to gold's 19.3%. As such the gold:silver ratio fell from 67: 1 to 44: 1 over that period. This is still way out of whack with the long-term historical relationship between the two precious metals and begs the question: “Is now the perfect time to buy silver instead of the much more expensive gold metal?” Words: 1490

Gold may rally further from this month’s record if President Barack Obama wins lawmakers’ agreement to raise the U.S.’s debt ceiling, weakening the dollar and boosting demand for the precious metal as a store of value, according to Korea Investment & Securities Co. [Below is a chart which shows this quite clearly.] Words: 360

Here is an up-to-the-minute list of the amount of gold owned by the top 10 countries in the world plus that of the International Monetary Fund. Words: 257

Check out this chart (via Ed Yardeni) that shows the price of gold relative to U.S. Treasury and U.S. agency securities held by the Federal Reserve and other central banks - a VERY interesting correlation to say the least. Words: 260

I think we all would agree that owning a 10 kg bar of gold would be nice but that it is probably out of the question at the current cost of over $500,000! I had the pleasure of caressing such a bar recently and being surprised at just how heavy (22.045855 lbs.) it was for such a small object. Below I describe the gold coins of Canada and the United States. Words: 870

Regardless of what certain pundits and investors say, I believe gold will have a great run into the end of 2011. [Why?] Because I think a currency crisis is brewing worldwide, and gold will be a safe place to store value. The Euro and USD are fundamentally weak, and inflation is nearly out of control due to huge stimulus packages and low interest rates that aren't helping struggling economies. Gold should be the crutch to lean on for a while. [Let me expand on the aforementioned reasons.] Words: 675