Asset Allocation

While the stock market is the only game in town - for now - stocks will not continue to out perform all other asset classes indefinitely. Eventually either bonds and gold will rally or stocks will crash very hard. It is one, the other, or even more likely a mixture of both.

TIPS (Treasury Inflation Protected Securities) are telling us that inflation is expected to be low for as far as the eye can see, and the economy is expected to be weak for some time to come. This article provides an understanding of what TIPS are, how they work and what they are currently saying.

Looking for a simple way to outperform the market on your international equity index portfolio? Here's how.

The collapse in the STA Risk Ratio, which tracks the most common measures of market sentiment, is a clear signal that something has changed in the market and that risk of a broader correction has risen sharply. While this is only one measure of "risk" it does suggest that investors should pay closer attention to their portfolios than normal and implement some risk management practices.

The Eurozone economy (and currency) – which was once on the brink of complete and utter disaster – is finally on the road to recovery....[Here is] a safe way for skittish investors (i.e. – the non-contrarians) to take advantage of the opportunity in Europe before it disappears. Words: 503; Charts: 1

One look at the chart below clearly illustrates that owners of Government bonds need all the help they can get right now!

Although not perfect (nothing is), gold has a tendency to go up in the face of external shocks...[and] tends to have a low and sometimes negative correlation to US equities. As such, with stocks up, gold being down is not a terrible outcome for the investor using gold as a diversifier. Let me explain further below.

The warrant investor needs to be aware that owning the stock outright is the conservative approach. When using the warrant, the basic common stock MUST appreciate to a certain level BEFORE the warrant’s risk/reward basis becomes better than an outright stock purchase...

Unsustainable trends can survive much longer than most people anticipate, but they do end when their “time is up” – at the culmination of their time cycles...In an effort to bring clarity in how and when these trends could change direction we analyzed more than 20 different cycles. They almost unanimously point to tectonic shifts in the months and years ahead … starting now. We have been warned. At this point, we have enough confirmation to accept that the gold and silver crash – starting in April of 2013 – was the first shot across the board of what is to come. Read on!

The most dangerous, wealth-destroying investment in the world is leveraged exchange-traded funds (ETFs). On the surface, these ETFs promise to double or triple the movements of the underlying markets they track...but they'll do anything but. You see, double- and triple-leveraged ETFs (whether long or short) pack a nasty surprise. It's almost unbelievable, actually, and particularly in this volatile market, theses ETFs are hardwired for losses. Here's what I mean.