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Four Signs That We're Back in Dangerous Bubble Territory

cmartenson — Tue, 21 May 2013 23:09:54 +0000

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As the global equity and bond markets grind ever higher, abundant signs exist that we are once again living through an asset bubble – or rather a whole series of bubbles in a variety of markets. This makes this period quite interesting, but also quite dangerous.

With equity and bond markets at or near all-time record highs, with all financial assets consistently shrugging off bad – or worse – news as the riskiest of assets continue to find consistent upward bids, we find ourselves in familiar and bubbly territory.

Are the Predominant Macro Trends About to Reverse?

Adam Taggart — Mon, 20 May 2013 20:29:24 +0000

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I felt a great disturbance in the Force

-- Obi-Wan Kenobi

If you've been watching the precious metals closely – what a day! Both gold and silver plummeted in overnight trading. And by "plummet," I mean the gut-wrenching vertically-straight-down kind of free-fall (silver was down nearly 10% over a matter of minutes). Then, after a few hours of partial recovery and stabilizing, the precious metals went parabolic in the up direction.

The S&P 500 Is Now a Gambler's Paradise With 76.9% Up Days in May So Far

Adam Taggart — Fri, 17 May 2013 16:12:57 +0000

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Everyone knows the odds of winning in a casino are worse than 50% (often much worse depending on the game played). So who wouldn't rush to a casino, where instead, the odds were overwhelmingly in the gambler's favor?

That's the promise of today's stock market, which has been experiencing an aberrantly high percentage of up days all year. Toss your money into the market, and on any given day, you're much likelier to make money than not.

Getting Our Story Straight is a Matter of Life & Death (Literally)

Adam Taggart — Mon, 13 May 2013 03:52:24 +0000

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The stories we tell ourselves have great influence over our destiny. These narratives shape our belief system and thus, in turn, the decisions we make.

Find yourself making poor choices? That's likely due to a fallacy in one or more of the beliefs you hold.

Psychology and social science has re-discovered this key learning: We can improve our odds of success in life by improving the stories we tell ourselves.

The Obama Administration's Natural Gas Policy Is Tragically Misguided

cmartenson — Thu, 09 May 2013 23:26:40 +0000

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The Obama administration has come out in support of the idea of exporting U.S. natural gas. This stance is counterproductive, short-sighted, and if followed will prove harmful to domestic manufacturing (i.e., value generation) – not just now, but for future generations of Americans.

While exporting natural gas would certainly prove to be an economic boon for a very select minority of companies and individuals, it makes no sense from an energy standpoint and undermines our national interests. All it will do is enrich a few, while boosting prices for all domestic consumers and shortchanging the energy and environmental inheritance we pass along to our children.

Marking the 4-Year Reflationary Rally: How Much Better Off Are We Really?

Gregor Macdonald — Mon, 06 May 2013 15:31:43 +0000

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The U.S. stock market rally has recently passed its fourth anniversary after the terrifying lows of March 9, 2009.

During that time, massive and unconventional reflationary policy from the Federal Reserve has managed to lift the S&P 500 by nearly 70%. But perhaps even more improbably, it has finally (?) built a floor under U.S. residential real estate prices.

The Importance of Supportive Relationships

Adam Taggart — Wed, 01 May 2013 16:51:45 +0000

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Our mission isn't about helping folks amass more money. Or about becoming more "green." Those may be means to our ultimate objective, but they're aren't the end goal. What we're about is enabling prosperity.

So, what do we mean by 'prosperity'?

Charting Gold

charleshughsmith — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 13:51:09 +0000

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Few investment/finance topics spark as many strong emotions as gold, for its adherents and detractors are equally committed to their views, and equally unlikely to switch camps.

Adherents view gold as the only real money in a world of constant currency debasements, while detractors don’t see gold as an investment, as it lacks a yield and price-earnings ratio.

We've Dug a Pretty Damn Big Hole for Ourselves

JHK — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 02:15:31 +0000

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The diminishing returns of technology are insidious, and they are ever with us. By this I mean the slow erosion of the quality of life, despite the impression that technological wonders only make our lives better.

Unintended Consequences Are Increasing World Demand for Gold

cmartenson — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 21:26:57 +0000

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With the financial experts claiming, some gleefully, that gold has "lost its safe haven status" in the aftermath of its biggest tumble in 30 years, many commentators thought (hoped?) that the dramatic price drop would steer people away from gold ownership. To my eyes, the past week has all the earmarks of a high-gloss propaganda campaign complete with well placed anti-gold stories in the media and the careful use of language aimed at sowing doubt about gold's ability to be a store of wealth.

But for those who consider gold a store of value, the recent gold slam is a gift: an invitation to purchase more sound money with fewer units of paper currency. In other words, a sweet deal. Gold and silver on sale and the world is taking advantage.