Never before has the world faced such a serious debt crisis. Yes, in the past there have certainly been nations that have gotten into trouble with debt, but we have never had a situation where virtually all of the major powers around the globe were all drowning in debt at the same time. Right now, confidence is being shaken as debt levels skyrocket to extremely dangerous levels. Many are openly wondering how much longer this can possibly go on. [Here's my take on the situation.]

Anyone that thinks that the U.S. economy can keep going along like this is absolutely crazy. We are in the terminal phase of an unprecedented debt spiral which has allowed us to live far, far beyond our means for the last several decades. Unfortunately, all debt spirals eventually end, and they usually do so in a very disorderly manner.

Little has been done in the past six years to restructure economies and cut debt i.e. learn the lessons of 2008. Because we’ve partially recovered from that traumatic period, that’s led to complacency. All the while, the debt that caused the bust in the first place has compounded and threatens to undo the world again. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.

So much has been written about what various authors refer to as the economic (in alphabetical order) abyss, apocalypse, Armageddon, avalanche, catastrophe, chaos, cliff, collapse, crisis, disaster, downturn, endgame, meltdown, pain, reality, risks, situation, train wreck, tsunami, turmoil that faces the nations of the world I thought a source article of what has been said about the situation would be of interest. Have a look.

Is gold undervalued or overvalued?...[Unfortunately,] there's no good way - and definitely no universally accepted way - to determine a "fair value" for gold. Unlike a stock, gold doesn't have a price-to-earnings ratio that we can easily compare to the market. [That being said, I offer in this article] a logical, real-world price target. Words: 700

From the onset of the global financial crisis, the price of gold has often been portrayed as a barometer of global economic insecurity (in principle, holding gold is a form of insurance against war, financial Armageddon, and wholesale currency debasement) so does the collapse in gold prices - from a peak of $1,900 per ounce in August 2011 to under $1,250 at the beginning of July 2013 - represent a vote of confidence in the global economy?

While the US$3000 figure is wildly above most forecasts, which are mostly flat at the current level, UBS global commodity analyst Tom Price said these flat forecasts are based less on informed analysis than on the fact that "people just don't know what's going on."

This summer we are nearing a possible inflection point in terms of Fed actions. The mere suggestion from the Fed that something is going to change is enough to supercharge markets, either up or down....Will markets go to 20,000 or to 5,000? That depends upon the Fed and how much they debauch the currency.......Stay tuned, this story has hardly begun.

The financial markets were in distress lately because of Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke's suggestion that the Fed might taper off its quantitative easing programs starting at the end of this year and ending in 2015. Here are five reasons why markets shouldn't worry too much about the Fed leaving the stage:

Below are the four most important factors that influence the price of gold indicators....If you understand and correctly interpret these four indicators, I guarantee you'll make more intelligent buy/sell decisions. More importantly, you'll make more profitable ones as well.