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The Federal Reserve has guaranteed super-low interest rates for two more years - an unprecedented step to arrest the alarming decline of the stock market and the economy - and I believe the following seven agricultural stocks have been unjustly oversold and have significant upside potential. Words: 665

After the volatility in the markets [recently] I decided to take a look at the major indices to see how accurate the "sell in May and go away" [i.e. "buy in on November 1st, and sell out the last trading day of April"] trading philosophy was in protecting investors this year [and] was astounded [to see] that all three indices (the Russell 2000 Value Index, the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrials) had highs on April 29th and have not hit those highs since. With what has happened in the markets lately, however, might it be time to get back into equities? Words: 695

The peak nominal price of gold ($850/ozt.) occurred on January 21, 1980, which would correspond to about $2,450 in today's dollars according to my calculations using the CPI. If history repeats itself [exactly, then] gold will gain another 35% or so, briefly, before becoming one of the worst investments in the world for the next decade or two. [Let me explain.] Words: 558

The herd continues to stampede into U.S. Treasury debt of every possible maturity to, theoretically, avoid risk. Yields on AA+ 10-yr bonds can be locked in to yield 2.11% per year and you get your principal back in 10 years. [As we see it, though] the only justification for [such a meagre] return on invested capital must be tied to the belief that a return is better than nothing given the prospects of a future depression. We believe, however, that fighting the Fed and investing like a depression is coming is not the right way to position your portfolio. [Below are 20 suggestions on how to generate in excess of 2.11% returns plus strong appreciation potential with modest risk.] Words: 657

It really is hard to find the words to describe the true horror of the national debt of the U.S. The U.S. government has been on the greatest debt binge in all of human history, and a day of reckoning is coming that is going to be so painful that it is going to shock America to the core. We have lived so far above our means for so long that none of us really has any concept of what "normal" is like anymore. The United States has enjoyed the greatest party in the history of the world, but now this decades-old party is ending and the bills are coming due. Our current system is headed for an inevitable collapse. There is no way of getting around it - a horrific economic collapse is coming [and] it is going to change the world. You better get ready. [Let me explain further.] Words: 1771

The new [debt ceiling deal] legislation will add $2.4 trillion to the $14.3 trillion national debt in a little over a year - and we don’t even start saving money until after the debt reaches $16.7 trillion! This bill doesn’t even cut the deficit. It just slows the growth of government spending to around 8% a year! So, even if Congress cuts $2.1 trillion out of the budget over the next 10 years, we will still be running annual deficits of more than $1 trillion...[That means that in addition to a deficit that will continue to grow we can look forward to a shrinking economy, an imploding U.S. dollar and exploding inflation. Some future! Let me explain.] Words: 827

Even though the U.S. has managed to avert a debt crisis and perhaps a ratings downgrade, there remains a stain on our reputation, a scarlet “A” for budgetary “Abuse,” that will not disappear. The whole world was watching, and what they saw was a dysfunctional government taking its country to the financial precipice and backing off at the very last moment. [That being said, what options does the U.S. government have to reduce/eliminate its current $10 trillion of outstanding Treasury debt and an unfathomable $66 trillion of future liabilities? I have identified 4 likely courses of action all of which will lower the standard of living of every American.] Words: 1374

Silver has more than doubled [in price] from its 2008 multi-year high...primarily due to demand among the industries of the developing world...and among those industries where silver is virtually irreplaceable... If silver goes too high, however, it could provoke government interference in the name of ensuring national security. Let me explain. Words: 606

The plunge in global markets this week qualifies as a genuine panic according to the VIX index of implied equity volatility divided by the yield on 10-year Treasuries which measures how pessimistic the market is, and how much actual deterioration in the fundamentals there has been... [So,] are we finally on the cusp of "the end of the world as we know it"? Words: 437

Credit rating agency Standard & Poor's has downgraded the U.S. debt rating for the first time since the country won the top ranking in 1917. The rating was dropped from AAA to AA+ because the deficit reduction plan passed by Congress on Tuesday did not go far enough to stabilize the country's debt situation and S&P's was “pessimistic about the capacity of Congress and the administration to leverage their agreement this week into a broader [deficit cutting] plan that stabilizes the government’s debt dynamics any time soon.” S&P also issued a negative outlook, meaning that there was a chance it will lower the rating further within the next two years, and warned that a downgrade to AA would occur if the agency sees smaller reductions in spending than Congress and the administration have agreed to make, higher interest rates or new fiscal pressures during this period. Words: 733