[Charts have the ability to clearly illustrate various situations and no 2 could be more so than the following charts] on the incredible divergence in the U.S. economy and the European economy as it related to the extent of unemployment and industrial production in each region. Take a look. It's truly amazing - truly tragic.

Despite the European Central Bank's periodic assurances to the contrary, Europe is well on its way to a lost economic decade and if European policymakers cannot shake themselves out of their present state of complacency we should brace ourselves for very rough going in the global financial markets when the U.S. Federal Reserve starts the process of normalizing interest rates.

Many people have unwittingly bought into a highly addictive, sensationally-driven religion of doom-and-gloom where every day is a bad day, every war is a possible prelude to World War III, every market correction is a prelude to another financial crisis, every poor economic statistic is proof of a coming collapse. In theory, the above could all be true, and that's why framing any event in such a fashion is so tantalizing. Welcome to the doom-and-gloom "financial-tainment" industry!

If the past long-term cyclical correlations between interest rates, equities, and commodities were to play out as they have done going back to the 1880s, U.S. stocks and interest rates should continue to rise as commodities either fall or underperform according to a 60-year cyclical pattern model referred to as The Market Map.

Trying to predict markets more than a couple of days into the future is nothing more than a "wild ass guess" at best but, that being said, we can make some reasonable assumptions about potential outcomes based on our extensive analysis of these 6 specific price trend and momentum indicators.

This eye-opening article explains how China is influencing gold demand and prices and what it means for Western investors. Readers will discover how much gold China is really buying and steps they are taking to undermine the U.S. Dollar as the world reserve currency. It even includes a prediction for gold prices. It’s a must-read for any precious metals investor.

If you thought the Eurozone crisis was in the past, think again...It’s a near mathematical impossibility that its weakest members can grow their way out of their debt and if deflation takes hold—as it has already in Greece and Cyprus, and is close in Portugal, Spain, and Italy—all bets are off.

Despite a long list of major risks to the global economy, the trend for the stock market is still UP until proven otherwise. At this stage it is absolutely critical to be cautious and watch for signs of a market correction or peak, but it is our view that a recession won't take hold until the following 6 key indicators are triggered.

Many gold bugs hold out hope that any day now, gold will resume its march upward to $2,000, then $5,000 and then $10,000 per ounce. In answer to the question “How can anyone reasonably calculate what the value of gold is?” I want to put forth in this post a possible model for doing just that. The purpose of the model isn’t to say where gold will go but to look at the underlying factors that drive the price of the precious metal.

In an opposite mode to the very bearish outlook for stock markets, developing evidence suggests that precious metals and in particular gold and gold stocks have completed a bear market low...and have already begun a major bull market.