Could U.S. Treasuries be the best performing asset class of the next one-two years? It's quite possible. I am sure this article is bound to stir up controversy, but I'd like to spend some time analyzing several drivers that could buoy bond prices in the coming months. Words: 1053

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

While there are a number of funds and stocks that can be used to gain exposure to commodities, futures investing has long been the most popular and direct means of establishing a position. [Let's examine just what futures are, who should use futures and identify the various futures exchanges,] Words: 922

Commodity investing has been around for decades, but it was only recently that their popularity has spread to the general public. It is now generally recommended that investors set aside anywhere from 5% to 10% of their capital for a commodity allocation, as these hard assets generally offer uncorrelated returns essential to diversification. While many investors utilize stocks, ETFs, and futures to obtain their commodity exposure, options contracts can often be a better alternative to not only your commodity holdings, but for the remainder of your portfolio as well [Let me tell you more about options and also why they might/should have a place in your portfolio]. Words: 995

Gold is known as a solid inflation hedge, and could earn this reputation in 2013 if inflation picks up. Below are three well-known gold bugs (Jim Rogers, Jeremy Grantham and John Paulson) and their bold predictions for investing in gold next year and beyond. Words: 525

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

Industrialised countries today face serious risks – for their financial sectors, for their public finances, and for their growth prospects. This column explains how, through our financial systems, we have created enormous, complex financial structures that can inflict tragic consequences with failure and yet are inherently difficult to regulate and control. It explains how this has happened and why there are more and worse crises to come. Words: 2434

QE3 looks like a desperate act to feed money to large banks, offload MBS toxic waste from their balance sheets, devalue the dollar against houses, commodities, and other currencies and create significant collateral damage in the form of consumer price inflation according to a number of respected economists and critical thinkers on the subject of QE3. [Let's take a look at what they have to say.] Words: 1661

While many of us don't like making price predictions, and certainly ones accompanied by a specific date, it's hard to ignore the correlation between the U.S. monetary base and the gold price. That correlation says we'll see $2,300 gold by January 2014 - and $2,500 by the end of 2014. [Let me explain.] Words: 567