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After a long period of very low interest rates following the global financial crisis the central banks of the U.S. and U.K. are planning to gradually tighten their easy monetary policies as their economies improve. When their benchmark interest rates go up, interest rates elsewhere will go up to so should we worry if and when global financial conditions tighten?

Beer can be dirt cheap - or terribly expensive - depending on the country. This infographic identifies those countries with the most and least expensive brew, where the most beer is consumed per capita, and many more interesting beer facts.

An Argentine friend queried me about Argentina's debt default yesterday asking me for my thoughts on the subject. Here is my reply in the form of an open letter to my friend and to the Argentina government should they be interested. They should.

This infographic will let you enjoy a round of facts and trivia about beer and wine that you can dispense with gusto during several rounds of drinks with friends.

This eye-opening article explains how China is influencing gold demand and prices and what it means for Western investors. Readers will discover how much gold China is really buying and steps they are taking to undermine the U.S. Dollar as the world reserve currency. It even includes a prediction for gold prices. It’s a must-read for any precious metals investor.

During the credit crisis, one of the problems that occurred was that too many loans were being made to people that had no ability of paying their debt back. We see this trend in full stride once again in the auto industry. Subprime auto lending is back in a big way. Why is this happening? What are its repercussions? This article explains.

If you thought the Eurozone crisis was in the past, think again...It’s a near mathematical impossibility that its weakest members can grow their way out of their debt and if deflation takes hold—as it has already in Greece and Cyprus, and is close in Portugal, Spain, and Italy—all bets are off.

Despite a long list of major risks to the global economy, the trend for the stock market is still UP until proven otherwise. At this stage it is absolutely critical to be cautious and watch for signs of a market correction or peak, but it is our view that a recession won't take hold until the following 6 key indicators are triggered.

If you own and possess gold and silver, you've taken a big step toward securing financial protection for yourself and your family. The next, even more important, step is to then keep your mouth shut to protect your safety.

This is the final installment of our 5-part 2014 Gold Series. With input from some of the most important names in gold, such as Brent Cook, Doug Casey, Frank Holmes, Bob Moriarty and James Fraser, it covers gold trends that investors should be watching for through the rest of the year and beyond.