It is frighteningly clear to any objective analyst and/or intelligent investor that the present bull market rally in stocks (2006-2014) is "beyond the pale" (outside the bounds of acceptable behavior) i.e. the excess valuation is dangerously above the market excesses of the 1920s.

The Fed and the bond market are responding appropriately to declining risk aversion and a somewhat improved economic outlook. There is no reason to fear the end of QE or the beginning of higher short-term interest rates. Let me explain further.

A temporary period of deflation will result from the end of the Fed's massive asset purchases followed by a period of inflation that will make the '70s seem like an era of hard money. Here's why.

...When the USD starts to rise many assume that this is negative for paper gold ETFs such as GLD as well as physical gold. I'm sure you have heard it before, if the USD goes up then gold goes down, and vice versa...but, in reality, this "rule of thumb" isn't the case and, in actuality, it would be impossible for the USD and gold to trade inversely with each other. Let me explain.

There have been many econoblog posts of the form, "ha, ha, the people predicting inflation have been wrong so far, when will they give up?". Let me try to explain why we know high inflation is coming eventually.

Financial markets are influenced by relatively predictable cycles and should play a big role in one's decision-making process just as they do in our day-to-day lives. This article takes a look at several and discusses their relevance to one's investment management process.

Frankly, we cannot conceive of a more cataclysmic set of circumstances for both the global economy in general, and the gold Cartel specifically, than currently exist. Act now, before “traders” return from summer vacations next week or you may be locked out of the most important “protection trade” of all time!

Should the Fed raise interest rates at some point in the future, as is widely expected, such higher interest rates might bring far worse consequences than can be achieved by simply staying the course. While some small, even token, rate hike would be tolerable, a return to historical norms could reap consequences in the general economy far beyond the direct effect on the federal government’s fiscal status. The fact is that the federal government is ensnared in a debt and interest rate trap of its own making from which it will be difficult to extricate itself.

You’ve almost certainly seen the chart below over the years – it shows the purchasing power of the US Dollar over time - and it looks terrifying. I call it the "stupid" chart, though, because it is a total misrepresentation of the facts because it isn't telling the full story. Here's why.

The stock market is presently a roulette wheel with dimes on black and dynamite on red. We continue to have extreme concerns about the extent of potential market losses over the completion of the present market cycle.