Finance

A bubble is the state of a market before the crash. It is a situation in which assets trade at a price that is considerably higher than their intrinsic value and, in my view we're currently in a bubble. The current S&P 500 P/E is at 25.09 (when the historical average is 15.61). The question is, "When will the market crash?" and I see worrying signs that this could happen soon.

Calpers, the nation's largest pension fund, recently reported a $139 billion shortfall - but is the actual shortfall more likely to be $500 billion to $1 trillion when we adjust their investment assumptions - that ignore how the Federal Reserve has changed the markets - for our current reality. If so, then there is an explosive increase in pension obligations - and taxpayer obligations - that greatly exceed what is being reported by the governments or in the media.

According to a research paper from the latest issue of the Journal of Finance, there is "no evidence that the recommendations of financial consultants to institutions add value, suggesting that the search for winners, encouraged and guided by investment consultants, is fruitless". This article identifies the reasons behind why that shocking revelation is the case.

What you are about to read could give you serious heartburn, especially if you are an economist or a central banker or a retiree or just someone who has lived life playing by the rules, and now you find yourself getting no return on your savings, forcing you to save even more and work even longer.

We are better off than ever before according to the Fed Q2/16 estimate of the balance sheets of U.S. households which shows that, collectively, our net worth reached a new high in nominal, real, and per capita terms. The bottom line is that, in fact, life in the U.S. continues to get better and better.

Although low to negative interest rates could persist for years, odds are the current low-yield craze won’t last a full 30 years. Therefore, at some point down the road, today’s buyers of 30-year bonds will likely wish they had parked some of their savings in physical precious metals instead.

Dark clouds are now moving in fast across the world and this coming autumn could be very troublesome both for the world economy as well as geopolitically and socially. The combined risks are now higher than at any time in world history. When risks are high, it is advisable to stay away from bubble markets but, sadly, the investment world loves owning things that are priced high, totally ignoring the massive loss potential.

A number of officials from the central bank have already suggested that two rate rises are possible this year, and now economists and investors assessing the economic data are also leaning in favor of two hikes. The quid pro quo for rising interest rates is a strengthening US Dollar Index and if that does indeed happen then it would really hammer Wall Street equities – especially high-yielding dividend stocks.

We are living in the greatest debt bubble in world history, and there are signs that this giant bubble is now starting to burst and, when it does, the pain is going to be greater than most people would dare to imagine.

Too much debt, too little income, expenses too high, cost of living increasing every year, and retirement income increases (if any) not keeping pace with increasing cost of living? Then do something about it! Here's how.