Is it OK for gold to go down? Those invested in gold would prefer it doesn’t, but a rational answer must be “Yes.” Trees don’t grow to the sky and few assets monotonically increase in value for lengthy periods. Gold is no different. It has had a remarkable 11-year run but is this run over? Is gold just another bubble?.... Words: 1122

This report gives you our latest Weiss Ratings for the weakest and strongest countries in the world. Only sovereign countries with stellar scores in four major areas — debt burdens, international stability, economic health and market acceptance — merit a grade of A- or better. Only countries that demonstrate severe and/or consistent weaknesses in the four areas receive a grade of D+ or lower. Currently, the data show that the U.S. government does not fall into either category. We rate it... Words: 1434

This report gives you our latest Weiss Ratings for the weakest and strongest countries in the world. Only sovereign countries with stellar scores in four major areas — debt burdens, international stability, economic health and market acceptance — merit a grade of A- or better. Only countries that demonstrate severe and/or consistent weaknesses in the four areas receive a grade of D+ or lower. Currently, the data show that the U.S. government does not fall into either category. We rate it... Words: 1434

We are continuing to see ongoing pessimism among individual investors about the short-term direction of stock prices [but if you are a contrarian you should bet on a continued rise in stocks despite the continued sense of unease. Let's take a look at a few charts that tell the story.] Words: 510

The U.S. already has more government debt per capita than the PIIGS (Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece and Spain) do and it just keeps getting worse and worse thanks to both political parties. We are on the road to national financial oblivion yet most Americans don't seem to care. They don't realize that we have enjoyed the greatest prosperity we will ever see...and that when the debt bubble bursts there is going to be an immense amount of pain. That is a very painful truth, but it is better to come to grips with it now than be blindsided by it later. [Let me explain.] Words: 1140

"The most important issue in this year's election is the economy. Unfortunately, this topic has now been "politicized," which means that you can't talk about it without being instantly cheered or jeered by fans of each respective political team...[the truth of the matter, however, is that] the economy is much more important than this year's election or either political team....The first step is getting past the political blame-game and understanding what's wrong.... Let's go to the charts."

Everyone who purchases a Treasury bond is purchasing a depreciating asset. Moreover, the capital risk of investing in Treasuries is very high. The low interest rate means that the price paid for the bond is very high. A rise in interest rates, which must come sooner or later, will collapse the price of the bonds and inflict capital losses on bond holders, both domestic and foreign. The question is: when is sooner or later? The purpose of this article is to examine that question. Words: 2600

...The US Government and its catastrophic fiscal morass are now viewed by the world as a ‘safe haven’. This would easily qualify for a comedy shtick if it weren’t so serious....[but] the establishment is thrilled with these developments because it helps maintain the status quo of the dollar standard era. However, there are some serious ramifications that few are paying attention to and are getting almost zero coverage from traditional media. [Let me explain what they are.] Words: 1150

"Either you take the debt clean-out right away, and that means a very hard deflationary depression, or you do what I suspect they will try to do and that is keep pumping money into the system to keep the whole banking (system), derivatives and economies afloat [and] that will lead to some sort of monetary distress that could end in hyperinflation. I think that’s the worst outcome, but there is no good outcome.”

The derivative market has blown a galactic bubble...and since there is literally no economist in the world who knows exactly how the derivative money flows or how the system works,...we really don't know what will trigger the crash, or when it will happen, but considering the global financial crisis this system is in for tough times. [If, and when, it happens it] will be catastrophic for the world financial system. If you ever wanted a tool to help yourself or others visualize the staggering magnitude of US debt and derivatives, the infographic below is a good one to share. It visualizes who those 9 too-big-fail banks are, what their derivative exposures are, and what scandals they've been lately involved in. Words: 1915