The media is rife with misrepresentations and analysis of the EU. Here's the real deal, no BS situation with Europe - and its BAD! Words: 900

A look at the status of the economy, and in particular money supply, shows that deflation is starting to show up. Below are 7 charts that support that view. Words: 370

Worries about an economic catastrophe in Europe are heating up again, and dramatic forecasts about doom are popping up everywhere. What's important? How did we get here? Let's put this all in perspective. Words: 2356

As investors become more and more worried about the world economy...it makes sense to us to look into stocks that held up best in periods of market decline. Managing risk is as important as reaching for return. One aspect of managing for risk is the past behavior of particular stocks in negative market periods. Toward that end, we identified four key, recent down periods for the S&P 500, and identified those liquid stocks that were in the top quartile for price return in each of those four periods, and did at least as well as the S&P 500 index in the 2008 crash period. [Take a look!] Words: 620

You don’t need [actual] deflation—a reduction in the outstanding supply of money—to have markets react to a decrease in the rate of money supply growth..., anticipate the eventual deflation [and begin to price it into the market. Remember 2008?] Oil prices fell from $147 in July of 2008 to $33 per barrel by early 2009. The S&P 500 went into free-fall starting in September of 2008 and bottomed out in March of 2009—falling almost 50% in six months. This is what has already happened to the gold mining sector but, remember, central banks may be on a counterfeiting holiday right now but they have a history of taking very short vacations.

Global investors are now being violently whipsawed by the decisions of central banks, as they switch between inflationary and deflationary policies. The choice governments now face is to allow a deflationary depression to finally purge the worldwide economy of its imbalances, or try to levitate real estate, equity and bond prices by printing massive quantities of their currencies.

There are hundreds of articles posted every month with supposed insights into how best to manage one's money to generate the greatest return with the least amount of risk. Not many deliver the knowledge they claim to convey. Here are a few that do and should be of particular interest to all you investment advisors/planners out there.

When government is wounded, trapped and desperate, it lashes out like a wild animal. Survival in the political class is just as strong a drive as it is in the wilderness. I don’t know how government will lash out, but you are likely to see laws, restrictions and behavior you never imagined....Washington has demonstrated it will “print money” in whatever quantities necessary to stave off a sovereign bankruptcy and a Great Depression but this strategy cannot work forever because existing debt is already too high to be serviced. It is only a matter of time before the U.S. economy succumbs - unless it engineers a 'soft default' [which will save it's ass and get you shafted! Let me explain.] Words: 1394

The ending in the U.S. will be similar to that in Greece. It is assured for the same reasons. The Democrats will lose the 2012 election...and the Republicans will control government for the next two years. Whatever enthusiasm initially exists will dissipate as soon as the polls show how unpopular austerity is. If they try to cut spending, they will suffer the same fate as the European Austerians. [Let me explain.] Words: 1116

For those who think bonds are a safe place to be, you might want to reconsider. In addition to rising sovereign risk (yes, for the U.S. as well as other countries), there is interest rate risk....[should you not] hold it to maturity. If interest rates rise, then the value of your bond falls (Bonds can produce capital gains/losses, just like stocks.) and the possibility of interest rates rising is pretty good. Words: 530