Gold & Silver

Although it may seem strange, the recent scramble for Bitcoin fortunes bears an odd but striking resemblance to the California Gold Rush in the mid-19th century. This time round, however, the miners are using computers and cryptography instead of shovels and buckets.

With the likes of Ray Dalio and billionaire George Soros placing big bets on a recovery in precious metals now is likely the time for investors to take the plunge. The key question remains, however, which precious metal? My preference is silver. Here's why.

2014 could end up being the turnaround year for precious metals and a bull market ascent could develop in 2015 - especially so in gold shares. Here's why.

The amount of gold becoming available for production in the near term will be well under 50% of that currently being produced and the longer-term downward trend in discoveries will likely continue for at least the next few years.

Unrest in the Middle East (and elsewhere throughout the world) has an economic impact and, specifically, on crude oil prices. Find out how the current state of Middle East affairs is affecting oil prices in this infographic.

This eye-opening article explains how China is influencing gold demand and prices and what it means for Western investors. Readers will discover how much gold China is really buying and steps they are taking to undermine the U.S. Dollar as the world reserve currency. It even includes a prediction for gold prices. It’s a must-read for any precious metals investor.

If you own and possess gold and silver, you've taken a big step toward securing financial protection for yourself and your family. The next, even more important, step is to then keep your mouth shut to protect your safety.

This is the final installment of our 5-part 2014 Gold Series. With input from some of the most important names in gold, such as Brent Cook, Doug Casey, Frank Holmes, Bob Moriarty and James Fraser, it covers gold trends that investors should be watching for through the rest of the year and beyond.

The market has not changed materially over the past many weeks/months and, as long as the market has not changed, expectations that the price of gold and silver should not change, either. Expectations are future hopes/plans that may or may not ever be realized. Present market conditions are the reality of what is, without getting into the mental gymnastics about the degree of reality reflected in the charts. Market activity trumps everything, and one works with that reality or risks substantial loss by favoring opinion/hopes/expectations. Below is what the charts are saying today.

Many gold bugs hold out hope that any day now, gold will resume its march upward to $2,000, then $5,000 and then $10,000 per ounce. In answer to the question “How can anyone reasonably calculate what the value of gold is?” I want to put forth in this post a possible model for doing just that. The purpose of the model isn’t to say where gold will go but to look at the underlying factors that drive the price of the precious metal.