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Here is an up-to-the-minute list of the amount of gold owned by the top 10 countries in the world plus that of the International Monetary Fund. Words: 257

Check out this chart (via Ed Yardeni) that shows the price of gold relative to U.S. Treasury and U.S. agency securities held by the Federal Reserve and other central banks - a VERY interesting correlation to say the least. Words: 260

Republicans and Democrats probably will reach a deal to pay America’s bills before the U.S. government runs out of cash at the end of July - probably - but in the meantime it has pushed the United States — and the world economy — toward a fearsome shock at a time when the world economy cannot afford any more shocks. If a U.S. default did happen, however...what would it mean for Canada? The answer is surprising. Read on. Words: 832

Most Americans don't understand what is happening because neither the mainstream media nor our politicians are telling them the truth. We are being told that we just need to accept our lower standard of living and most Americans seem willing to accept that reality because they keep sending most of the exact same bozos back to Washington D.C....Why are the majority of Americans not screaming to their political "representatives" that they are as mad as hell and not willing to take it any more? Words: 1270

Is a second recession in so short of a time in the offing? It certainly seems that way. The hope for a continued recovery has grown dim lately as many of the economic indexes are moving towards contractionary territory... There are several concerns pressing the U.S. economy and, in the words of David Rosenberg, chief economist at Gluskin Sheff, "one small shock" could send us into a second recession. [We, for our part, believe that even] another round of Quantitative Easing by the Fed...may not be enough to offset the real problems facing the U.S. economy. [Let's take a closer look.] Words: 1295

3%! Simply amazing. 3% isn’t even close to serious. If you are only able or willing to put down 3% you simply aren’t serious about homeownership. It’s laughable...yet by 2007 40% of all mortgages had less than 3% downpayments...Evidence is now pouring in...that the financial crisis of 2008 was nearly exclusively created by government’s misguided interventions and manipulations of the housing market. [Let me explain further.] Words: 671

I think we all would agree that owning a 10 kg bar of gold would be nice but that it is probably out of the question at the current cost of over $500,000! I had the pleasure of caressing such a bar recently and being surprised at just how heavy (22.045855 lbs.) it was for such a small object. Below I describe the gold coins of Canada and the United States. Words: 870

New research by the Pew Research Center of government data from 2009 shows that the median wealth of white households — the value of home equity and all other assets, minus debt — was 18 times that of Hispanic households and 20 times that of African-American households... To express it more vividly, between 2004 and 2009, the median net worth of Hispanic households dropped by 66% (that is correct, 66%!), and Asian and African-American households by 53% (yes, 53%) compared to "only" a 16% decline for the median white household. Let's take a closer look. Words: 692

With the United States quickly approaching the deadline for raising the limit on its debt load, squeamish investors are thinking about how they can preserve their hard-earned money. [Let's discuss the alternatives: gold and silver, cash, currencies other than the USD and the VIX.] Words: 683

The Obama administration and Congress will eventually have to agree to some watered-down measures that will enable the debt ceiling to be increased to ensure that the country’s creditors continue to be paid on time but that will only be a short-term political deal. The medium-term fiscal plans brought forward by Republicans (ready to slash spending but unwilling to consider tax increases) and by the White House (heavy reliance on sustained economic growth to reduce future deficits) currently fall well short of fiscal sustainability...[The bottom line is that] increases in taxes, combined with fundamental program redesign and a reduction in benefits, will eventually be required. Words: 744