Investing

With growing global demand and declining mine grades commodity prices continue to rise. As such the exploration for minerals is taking on both new heights and new depths. This infographic outlines 5 of the most far-reaching and interesting ways of exploring for mineral wealth.

There is an increasingly disorderly currency war going on out there, and the advantage of gold is clear-- they can't print it, they can't default on it, and there will always be demand for it. Simply put, in the global currency wars, owning gold is like abandoning the battlefield altogether. Words: 270; Charts; 2

Gold investors often fail to watch the Federal Reserve with enough attention to detail and can miss buying opportunities like the present one, as a result. The case for gold is as strong as ever and I outline in this article why with details you're unlikely to see anywhere else. Words: 775; Charts: 6

Just as US investors are advised not to fight the Federal Reserve, gold investors worldwide would be well advised not to fight the Government of India. India is the world's largest gold consumer [and their intent on curbing gold imports by any means necessary could have a negative effect] on world gold demand [and, as such, most likely, on gold prices. IMO,] at best, we will see a sideways market in the price of gold in 2013, and at worst, this will be the year when gold prices start the inexorable drop.

The U.S. Dollar Index is made up of a basket of [6] currencies that are, themselves, not static and, indeed, are involved in various forms of debasement as nations have taken the view that a weaker currency will boost their exports. As each nation enacts such policies, the result is gridlock, as every action taken to weaken one's currency is neutralized by a similar action taken by the competing currencies. That is currently what is happening with the constituents of the U.S. Dollar Index and why, as such, the U.S. dollar has not weakened. [Given the fact that] gold tends to have an inverse relationship with the dollar, and has increased when the value of the dollar has declined, we could, as a result, continue to see a capping in the advance of gold prices, at least in dollar terms. [Let me explain in further detail.] Words: 804; Charts: 1

Buffett's measure - the percentage of total market cap (TMC) relative to the U.S. GNP crossed 100% last week into stretched territory for the first time since 2007 which implies a mere return of around 3.3% annualized (including dividends) over the following years. [This post presents the components of the ratio and the conclusions drawn.]

The Swimsuit Issue Indicator says that U.S. equity markets perform better in years when an American appears on the cover of Sports Illustrated's annual issue as opposed to years when a non-American appears on the cover. [What is the nationality of this year's cover model? Can we expect returns above the norm or will we see a year of underperformance for the S&P 500 this year? Read on.] Words: 323 ; Table: 1

My forecast — despite all the hate mail and pressure I get to change it — has not changed. Based on my systems and models, I will not turn bullish on gold until either spot gold has closed above $1,823 an ounce on a weekly and monthly basis - or gold cracks the $1,527 level and plunges to the $1,400 level or a tad lower. I know that’s not what you want to hear. I know that you are as eager as I am to see the next leg of gold’s bull market begin....[but its] time to shine is not here yet. It will come again so stay the course, build up your ammo, and be ready to pull the trigger when I issue a headline like “Back Up the Truck, NOW!”

[We read over and over again that] because of the massive amounts of money the Feds are injecting into the USA economy through quantitative easing, inflation is going to spike any day now, and the dollar is going to crash and, with that, gold will go to the moon - but it is not happening. It must be frustrating for gold investors. It is likely also puzzling to them. In this article I will try to explain why the U.S. dollar is not likely to crash anytime soon, and hopes of a gold spike in dollar-denominated terms are just that, hopes. Words: 730

Investors are more bullish now than at any time since 2002 but the current rally has not been fueled by improved prospects of actual growth and wealth creation. Instead, it’s mostly due to 1) investors desperate for income denied them elsewhere by central bank policies; 2) printed stimulus cash seeking a home and 3) sheer technical momentum but nowhere do they seem to be considering market risk - the risk that your investment will lose value because it gets dragged down in a falling market. Words: 615