Investing

[To say that the market has capitulated] implies that the market has bottomed and that now is a good time to buy stocks. In my opinion, that is completely wrong. The market is building momentum to the downside...[and] the odds are that the inevitable reactionary bounce is a short reprieve on the way further down. If the capitulation results in a new and meaningful uptrend (and that is a big “if”), we will see that in the charts. Words: 552

At the beginning of 2011 USA Today reported...[that] Ned Davis Research says the S&P 500 will make a run at the 2007 high of 1,565, hit a “midyear peak” [and] then it will crash as interest rates rise...concluding that “the midyear peak could mark the end of the cyclical bull market that began in March 2009 and the start of a new cyclical bear market.” Words: 637

Gold may rally further from this month’s record if President Barack Obama wins lawmakers’ agreement to raise the U.S.’s debt ceiling, weakening the dollar and boosting demand for the precious metal as a store of value, according to Korea Investment & Securities Co. [Below is a chart which shows this quite clearly.] Words: 360

As of the end of March, the federal government owed $14.27 trillion to a wide variety of holders of U.S. Treasury securities. The graphic below depicts who those creditors are and the amount they have bought in treasuries. All amounts are in billions of dollars. Words: 417

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

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

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

Regardless of what certain pundits and investors say, I believe gold will have a great run into the end of 2011. [Why?] Because I think a currency crisis is brewing worldwide, and gold will be a safe place to store value. The Euro and USD are fundamentally weak, and inflation is nearly out of control due to huge stimulus packages and low interest rates that aren't helping struggling economies. Gold should be the crutch to lean on for a while. [Let me expand on the aforementioned reasons.] Words: 675

I just Googled ”gold to hit” – and I got HUNDREDS of pages for ‘Gold to hit $5,000′. Almost every expert in the world is positive that the “value” of gold – and silver – is about to skyrocket. I don’t think so...You may think you are going to get rich investing in silver and gold – or you may think you can protect your wealth by owning it – or you may think that people will stop accepting paper money and no one will be able to buy anything without it. All of that is nonsense. [Let me explain.] Words: 1739

Silver is a popular investable asset, attracting investors from around the world thanks to its numerous industrial applications as well as its traditional role as a store of value and an inflation hedge. There are a number of different options for investing in silver, including exchange-traded futures contracts, stocks of companies engaged in the extraction and sale of the metal, and both physically-backed and futures-based ETFs and ETNs. Investors also have the option of buying coins or bars of the metal in order to obtain physical exposure. Let's discuss the merits of investing in silver and review what the options are. Words: 2319