Investing

The stock markets make no sense. They have literally lost touch with reality. Divergences between fundamentals, confidence and the valuation of markets are large [and, as such,] cannot last for long....The only question is how...and how quickly....this correction occurs. Words: 261

Most everything you've heard about investing from the mainstream media, your mutual fund advisor and your tax accountant is a lie. You’ve been told...that the entire point of portfolio diversification is to mitigate downside risk yet when the market experiences the inevitable decline, every sector pushes significantly lower - and your “diversified” portfolio suffers as a result, [right? Well, there IS a better way.] Hear me out. Words: 895

There are literally thousands of economic blogs out there and most don’t have much to offer. One exception is a blog by “Katchum” that is dedicated to monitoring breaking global economic news on a day to day basis and, as such, provides unique insights into, and analysis of, various aspects of the financial markets, commodities and the economies of the world. Take a look in this post at some of his recent analyses.

With everyone being so very busy these days often a picture is worth a 1000 words so I have collected a series of infographics below for you which do just that. You'll get the picture in half the time you could assimilate it via the written word.

The vast majority of people who have money saved have it invested in the stock market, be it stocks, bonds, mutual funds, ETFs or warrants, and have it "managed" by their financial advisor/planner. Very, very few individuals manage their assets in self-directed accounts either through a full-service brokerage firm or totally on their own via an internet account. As such, very few articles are written for such an audience. This post changes all that with links to some very informative articles on virtually everything you need to know to succeed in today's marketplace.

The U.S. Dollar is being very aggressively devalued in a parabolic...[manner] as we enter the final stage in the paper currency cycle. The government needs Gold to go vastly higher so the budget can be balanced after all of the paper promise debts are added to the balance sheet. Interestingly, Michael Belkin, arguably one of the best analysts in the world, expects earnings for companies to plunge this year causing the DJIA to crater about 30%. This fits with the kind of correction in the now high flying DJIA that we have discussed per the late 70’s charts where Gold and the Dow would meet between 10,000 and 12.000. Words: 1022

The price action in gold and gold miners over the past six months has many investors turning their back on the precious metal. Gold fell below $1,600 last week to reach a six month low, prompting many to step back and wonder aloud if the precious metal's decade long bull market has officially come to an end. With the price of gold now back to where it was in July of 2011, it's time to decipher whether this is a buying opportunity, or time to head for the exits.

Key stock indices are becoming significantly overpriced. The value of the U.S. stock market stands at about 133% of GDP. The average for the past 60 years has been around 82%. By this measure, the U.S. stock market is overvalued by more than 50%! Words: 398

Since the late 1800's, the Dow has experienced three periods where it traded sideways, ranging from 13 to 17 years, [which always] resulted in upside breakouts . The S&P 500 finds itself within a few percentage points of where it was 13 years ago [so the question is "Has the time now come for the Dow and S&P 500 to once again go Up, UP and Awaaay?" Let's take a look at some charts.] Words: 299; Charts: 2

I view the current market weakness in gold, coupled with the pullback in trader positions, as a shorting opportunity which is strong in terms of reward vs. risk. I have come to that conclusion by questioning the assumptions that many make about it, isolating its fundamental drivers and providing a trading recommendation as to where I believe the price is headed in the future. Let me share my analyses with you. (Words: 1440; Charts: 4; Tables: 1)