Gold & Silver

War cycles - cycles that govern human social interaction on a grand scale, cycles that can be quantified and used to forecast periods of peace and war, periods of civil unrest and international conflict - are now ramping up and converging in the worst possible combination of forces not seen since the late 1800s. In the process they are setting the stage for gold and silver to explode higher with gold going up to well over $5,000 an ounce a few years from now … silver to more than $125 an ounce … and mining shares, to the moon.

We are monitoring three developing situations that we believe could have a profound impact on gold demand during the remainder of the year -- driving forces that could provide impetus for a classic gold run that could begin with a summer surprise.

No one knows when gold and silver will rally and anyone who says otherwise has already been proven wrong. Despite a decent rally in both gold and silver over the past 7 trading days, a look at the charts shows that both remain in bear market conditions overall with no defined indication of ongoing strength.

The latest 94-page In Gold we Trust report from Incrementum AG is must reading for anyone interested in gold and its likely future path. Here is a 1-page executive summary.

Fracking has had profound effects on the energy industry, so far mostly in the U.S., where it has created oil and gas booms in non-traditional places, moved the country closer to energy independence, and resulted in a huge reduction in the cost of energy, particularly natural gas. What is fracking? It's a technique used to extract oil and gas from previously inaccessible underground shale (rock) formations. Here are 5 more things about fracking.

This is Part 4 of an excellent 5-part series of infographics (links to the previous 3 are provided below) on various aspects of gold.

Industrial users get it. Investors in PGM ETFs get it. Shouldn't you go get it too? Palladium is an investment option with absolutely tremendous potential. Here's why.

Why do more and more countries want to repatriate their gold from foreign vaults? Because their governments no longer trust the global, fiat monetary system...[Neither] should you. Let me explain further.

We are of the opinion that the miners and explorers (and their indexes GDX and GDXJ} should be "swapped" for the precious metals - gold, silver, and their proxies (GLD and SLV). This way investors will maintain exposure to precious metals while reducing their exposure to the more volatile miners as some of the share dilution and recent investor exuberance play out - and at least hedge themselves if the price continues to rise.

If the U.S. economy weakens in the second half as a result of higher energy prices, that could cause interest rates and the dollar to fall — fueling a rally in metals.