Investing

...Everyone is worrying that we are at or near a market peak and this has investors extremely hesitant to buy stocks for fear of a big decline or perhaps even a crash. Obsessing over the risk of a crash, however, could lead to analysis paralysis but there is a basic investing strategy that can save investors from losing too much hair as they make the decision to buy stocks. It's called dollar-cost averaging. Let me explain how it works and why it's great for investors with long-term investing horizons.

It is my contention that the move in precious metals...[from] late 2008 through 2011 was largely a result of the expansion in central bank balance sheets and the perceived threat of runaway inflation. Since 2011, [however,] we’ve seen economic growth improve and inflation rates across the globe subside. As a result, investment banks and market strategists are arguing against owning gold, and making the case that, with a lack of inflation and an improved economy, the need for owning gold as an insurance hedge against inflation and currency debasement is no longer present. I strongly disagree.

I'm not going to predict a speedy recovery for gold prices. That said, I continue to believe that gold offers investors safety in an uncertain world and, while I remain optimistic about the recovery of the U.S. economy and stellar financial performance of some companies, there is reason for concern on a global level. That's why I think every investor...must own gold.

Did you know that more gold has been found in the United States (followed extremely closely by Canada) than any other country? Read on to learn 9 more fascinating facts about gold that you may not have read anywhere else.

While the waterfall decline in gold stocks is painful for those of us already invested, the reality is that this is a setup we get a shot at only a few times in our investing life. It's a cruel irony that those who are fully invested are now faced with the buying opportunity of a lifetime; however, it would be a shame for anyone to miss this blood-in-the-streets opportunity.

We are near a low in gold and resource shares and, over the next few years, fortunes will be made by those investors staying the course and remaining committed to this investment sector. As Rick Rule says, “you have stayed for the pain, will you not stay for the gain?”

We all think the price of gold, the metal, is depressed and is about equal to the total cost of production but when one compares the price of precious metals mining companies to the price of gold bullion, their prices are at historical lows. It seems that the mining shares can only go in one direction...up...but when and by how much? This article suggests it presents the greatest opportunity in 30 years. Look at the charts! Absolutely unbelievable.

What would the optimal portfolio allocation in gold have been according to Modern Portfolio Theory over several different periods of time? This article has a look at how an investor could have combined gold and equities to enhance risk-adjusted returns.

Is the latest credit-balance trough a definitive warning for U.S. equities? In this article we examine the numbers and study the relationship between margin debt and the market, using the S&P 500 as the surrogate for the latter.

How would you feel if you went to the store to buy something, and someone rushed ahead of you and high purchased it first and then sold it to you at a higher price? Well, in the financial world this happens millions upon millions of times. In fact, this practice has become so popular that it has spawned an entire industry known as "high frequency trading".