The primary driver of stock prices over the last three years has been the anticipation of more monetary stimulus from Central Banks...[and if one] were to remove the market moves that occurred around Fed FOMC meetings (the times when the Fed announced new programs or hinted at doing so), the S&P 500 would be at 600 today. [As such,] by announcing a program that will be on going in nature, the Fed has removed the anticipation of future Central Bank intervention from investors' psychologies. This could become highly problematic, especially if these latest announcements turn out to be duds. [Are you doing what needs to be done to protect yourself?] Words: 682

The internet is awash (drowning?) in hundreds of doom and gloom videos providing dire warnings of coming world depression, food shortages, rioting in the streets, rampant (hyper) inflation, deepening banking crisis, economic apocalypse, financial Armageddon, the demise of America – well, you get the idea. Below is a small sample of such videos with a hyperlink to each.

[According to the chart in this article,] all currencies are being debauched. The price of gold in each currency approximates a parabola, meaning the use of printing presses is accelerating. Each unit of currency is losing purchasing power at an increasing rate. The trend points to a worldwide currency collapse unless the creation of money stops. [Take a look!]. Words: 282

Many investors are positioning their portfolios based upon their opinions as to whether or not we will encounter IN-flation or DE-flation. Well, what the MS Commodity Index (CRX) does over the next few weeks might tell us a good deal about how to best position one's portfolio. Take a look at the latest CRX graph below for an indication.

All in all, deflation should be one of the most serious words in a commodity investor's vocabulary and is something to always keep an eye on. While its presence may seem removed from our economy, the possibility always remains and preparation will be key to survive a deflationary environment.

The arguments for gold to rise dramatically are well known and highly publicized. The arguments for gold to remain flat or to decline are minimally discussed and generally attacked vigorously when raised. [I do just that in this article and the conclusions will not be liked by the goldbugs.] Words: 285

Economic Reason has gathered together the Top 18 ‘reality’ economic documentaries which are bought to you by www.munKNEE.com.

The next few years are not going to be pretty. We’re looking right into the teeth of a rolling global deleveraging recession—the End Game, I’ve called it - and the decisions we make in the next couple years about how to handle our debts and budget deficits here in the U.S., in Europe, in China, in Japan, and elsewhere, are going to be absolutely crucial. Words:507

The corrosive nature of politics and government has destroyed the economy and the moral fiber of citizens. These issues are not insurmountable, but they are very close to being so. Their ramifications are potentially existential in nature: the average length of life, the very time span or cycle of a nation has been proven in history to be approximately 250 years. Since the USA was born in 1776 this says we have about 14 years of life remaining for America. The way things are going we don’t doubt it. [Let me explain.] Words: 768

Over the past few years, policy leaders worldwide have grown accustomed to kicking the can down the road with each step in this ongoing financial crisis making incremental moves rather than cultivating viable long term solutions. More recent attempts seem to have evolved into simply just trying to kick the can out of the driveway. Now we fear there may not be enough firepower left to simply kick the can over. [Having done so, we are left between the proverbial rock and a hard place.] If lawmakers do nothing, by all accounts we are likely to see a recession. Should lawmakers extend the Bush-era tax cuts, you make no progress towards long term deficit reduction, potentially raising the risk and magnitude of a future financial crisis. [Let me discuss this predicament further and how best to invest in such precarious times.] Words: 1602