One of the hardest things for individual investors to do is to know when to sell a stock. Many times, you might sell simply because a stock has gone up and you've made some money. More often than not, though, this is not a great reason to sell [because, as mentioned in the title of this article,] you will never - ever - have a 10-bagger if you sell a stock after a 2-bagger. That being said, what things should one consider before selling? Words: 912
Read More »Canada's "Misery Index" On The Rise – but Still Below the Misery in the U.S.
Canadians may wish to consider the underlying trends in inflation and unemployment before making major financial decisions. Recent unemployment data in Canada shows unemployment at 7.3% [vs. 9.0% in the U.S.] and inflation rising to an uncomfortable 3.2% [vs. 3.6% in the U.S. for a Misery Index of 10.5 vs. 13.6 in the U.S.]
Read More »How Does GDP Growth in US & UK Compare With Other Major Economies? (+2K Views)
With the October PMIs [having all been reported] I had another look at what to expect on the economic front with regard to economic growth in the major economic regions [Eurozone, U.S., Japan, China and the U.K. - and it is a mixed bag, to say the least. Let's take a look at a few charts.] Words: 475
Read More »American/Canadian Home Price Performance Comparisons by Major Cities
The following charts indicate relative performance of US home prices in Phoenix, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Las Vegas, New York and Miami to Canadian home prices in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, and Montreal. US home prices are reflected in Canadian dollars for comparison purposes. Words: 240
Read More »Situation is Ultra-bullish for Gold & Silver Bullion and Stocks! What are You Waiting For? (+3K Views)
The technical situation is ultra-bullish for both gold and gold stocks. Sentiment indicators...continue to show [that] the dollar is poised for a serious decline and the MACD on the gold chart is giving one of the most powerful buy signals in the history of the bull market. The GDX should reach $75 a share by year-end and gold should push to new highs in the $2000 area by January of 2012 [while silver] could possibly be the best investment opportunity available to investors for many years to come! [Let me explain and back up my comments with an array of charts.] Words: 781
Read More »Not Available to Americans: New Gold Investment Vehicle Introduced By Royal Canadian Mint
The Royal Canadian Mint has announced that it is making an initial public offering of exchange-traded receipts (ETRs) under the mint's new Canadian Gold Reserves program. Unlike other gold investment products currently available which only enable the purchaser to own a unit or share in an entity that owns the gold, the ETRs will enable the purchaser to actually own the physical gold bullion which will be held in the custody of the mint at its facilities in Ottawa, Ontario. Unfortunately, the ETRs have not, and will not, be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933 and, as such, may not be offered or sold in the U.S. Words: 745
Read More »Barclays Capital: Italy Headed for Eventual Default – Here's Why
Barclays Capital has done the math on what the events in the past several days reveal for Italy and the math is not pretty. The conclusion is that "Italy is now mathematically beyond point of no return." Words: 583
Read More »How to Play the Lowest Natural Gas/Crude Oil Ratio on Record
One of the things we look for in the markets is anomalies or disconnects from historical tendencies that signal some element of a traditional relationship between two things is changing or has changed. Often, the relationship is eventually returned to “normal”, meaning money can be made if an investor is on the right side of the trade. Other times, the relationship has been fundamentally altered in some way, so understanding the reasons behind the shift can become a source of opportunity, since it can either provide understanding about relevant long-term trends or signal a shift in an existing one. [Such being the case let's take a look at] the ratio between natural gas and crude oil [and determine how best to play this investment opportunity.] Words: 1069
Read More »Niall Ferguson: U.S. Playing “Russian Roulette” Assuming Interest Rates Will Remain Low (+2K Views)
Countering Krugman’s argument that today’s low interest rates show that no one is worried about lending money to us and, therefore, that we should borrow and spend our way to prosperity, Ferguson argues that today’s interest rates are irrelevant. When countries get into trouble, he says, they get into trouble quickly – the way Greece and other European countries have. Taking …
Read More »National Debt Burden per Capita-to-Income Index at 50 Year High – and Growing! (+3K Views)
Wars and depressions largely characterize the periods of time where there have been significant run-ups in the level of the U.S. National Debt Burden per Capita [i.e. the U.S. National Debt Burden per Capita-to-income Index], with the debt taken on to support the costs of the U.S. Civil War and World War II being the most significant. Today... it is perhaps most comparable to the Great Depression. [Take a look.] Words: 326
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