Base

Will 2015 be a year of financial crashes, economic chaos and the start of the next worldwide depression? Personally, I am entirely convinced that the financial markets are more primed for a financial collapse now than they have been at any other time since the last crisis happened nearly seven years ago and I am certainly not alone.

The “year that was” brought mostly disappointment to precious metals bulls. Silver prices fell for the third straight year but when we finally see a major rotation out of stocks and into precious metals, silver has the potential to lead on the way up just as it has led on the way down. Let me explain why.

“Gird your loins and fasten your seat belts!” Below is Part 1 of my forecast for 2015 related to financial (incl. banking & oil) matters. Those related to geopolitical (incl. Russia, China, Japan, USA, Europe & the Islamic State) particulars and U.S. domestic (incl. political, political & societal) particulars are covered in subsequent articles.

Microcap stocks are inherently volatile, but for those that can stomach it, there is a big profit opportunity. Furthermore, hidden in the market are companies that do have game changing plans or discoveries that could see their valuations rise more than 10x (a ten-bagger, as industry people call it). The key is being able to put in the time, due diligence, and using the right strategy to discover these companies. This infographic covers some of the ins and outs of trading such stocks.

In spite of the positive change of behavior we have seen in gold and silver this past week with strong closes and increased volume - both attributes of buyers in more control than sellers - the weekly trend remains down. While we now see some steps in the right direction - a higher swing high - the market needs to prove itself and once that happens there will be ample opportunities to participate in the paper market.

The warning signs are not all flashing red just yet but investors would do well to head these 10 signs that suggest that the markets may drop further and prepare their portfolio before the crowd flocks to the exit.

The Mayans R us. One year, they were cavorting bloodthirstily atop their garish painted pyramids and a generation later the jungle was stealing back over the temple steps and the population was a tenth of its former size. The same thing is going to happen to us, except there will be a hell of a lot more worthless, toxic debris left on the landscape. We enter 2015 with greater tensions than ever before and therefore the likelihood is that the inevitable breakdown will release more destructive energy and be that much harder to recover from.

It seems logical that a scary, destructive terrorist attack, particularly one that implies more attacks to come, would be bearish for stock prices - but has that actually been the case?

For relevant analysis of gold prices, the so-called "fundamentals" provide scant help. What is required is an understanding of the macroeconomic drivers at play. This article addresses 9 such factors.

As a gold bull I want to believe that gold is going to start moving higher from here, but unfortunately I think the odds remain stacked against this, and that we will see further downside before the bull market resumes. I will first go through the reasons why I think this is the case and I will then discuss how to play this.