Economy

Volatility in Silver and GDX (GE Christenson)

Big Picture: Examine the long-term chart of prices, and select the bull and bear market periods. Over the past eight years, I separated the silver chart into four completed bull periods and four bear periods.

5 Better Ways To Meet Your Neighbors (Kevin R.)

Moving is one long to-do list, and you might be tempted to put "meet the folks next door" way at the bottom. But the best (and easiest) time to become a part of the neighborhood is when you first get there. You have any number of excuses for ringing the surrounding doorbells, from "we'd love to introduce ourselves!" to "when is trash day?" to the classic "can I borrow a cup of sugar?" If someone offers to help you muscle that huge Davenport up the stairs, definitely say yes — the neighbors that sway together stay together. Plus, everyone is naturally curious about the new kid. Might as well milk your celebrity status while it lasts.

Schiff: Anatomy Of An Economic Train Wreck (Phil H.)

So right now, let’s say the Treasury is selling $1.2 trillion of bonds a year. And the Fed is buying $1 trillion of that. Now they only actually have to find buyers for $200 billion. But when the Fed starts selling, their deficit is $1.5 trillion, because they have $300 billion more in extra interest payments. The Treasury will be trying to sell $1.5 trillion, as the Fed is trying to unload a half a trillion.

Argentina tells court it will resist debt demands (westcoastjan)

The appeal comes after a Manhattan court ruled last February that Argentina had violated its contractual obligation to treat all creditors equally. That meant the country would have to pay the bondholders, led by NML Capital and Aurelius Capital Management.

Renting and sharing: The business of the future (westcoastjan)

The success of some of these start-ups suggests businesses can also flourish under this model. Of course most of these companies were not set up to help tackle the problem of resource depletion, but to make money. And many of them are doing rather well.

How a person earning $112,000 a year can live in subsidized housing in northern Alberta (westcoastjan)

Fildebrandt said the $112,000 earner was paying $725 a month for a three-bedroom place in 2012. The person has been there for 12 years.

Gold & Silver: There Is A Time To Get In, And A Time To Get Out (Taki T.)

In his latest writing Bob Moriarty looks back to the previous gold bull market in the 70’s. People who invested between November 1979 and January 1980 were really caught in a big trap. “Without an exception, all of them were up with tremendous profits and lost it all by never selling. It wasn’t the bears who lost money in the 1979-1980-bull market in silver and gold; it was the bulls. The reason: they listened to the cheerleaders who told them to buy at the top.” In a comparable fashion, some people today are caught in the negative sentiment. The ones who are giving up will prove to be very unlucky longer term.

Energy

Jennifer Granholm: A clean energy proposal -- race to the top! (Arthur Robey)

Jennifer M. Granholm was elected governor of Michigan in 2002, and in 2006, she was re-elected with the largest number of votes ever cast for governor in Michigan. As governor, Granholm led the state through a brutal economic downturn that resulted from a meltdown in the automotive and manufacturing sectors. She worked relentlessly to diversify the state’s economy, strengthen its auto industry, preserve the advancedmanufacturing sector, and add new, emerging sectors, such as clean energy, to Michigan’s economic portfolio.

Kor Ecologic Urbee 2 car will move from 3-D printer to road (Arthur Robey)

By using 3-D printing, there is a special focus on lightness but strength; he is creating large pieces with varied thicknesses. The Urbee's car body will be assembled from about 50 separate parts. The team's practice is to take small part from a big car and make them into single large pieces. The less pieces, the less car weight. The lighter the car, the more miles per gallon. The less spaces between parts and the Urbee becomes the more aerodynamic. The teardrop-shaped car has a curb weight of 1,200 pounds. The bumper, which is made in two pieces, required 300 hours to finish. The entire car takes about 2,500 hours. Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2013-02-kor-ecologic-urbee-car-d.html#jCp

Four Reasons why the US has no Offshore Wind Turbines (James S.)

Government support – Congress did provide the wind energy sector with a much needed life support by renewing the Production Tax Credit (PTC), which gives the wind developers 2.2 cents for every kilowatt hour they produce, and the Incentive Tax Credit, which reimburses 30% of the wind farms construction costs. Unfortunately this is still not enough to make wind competitive with fossil fuels, which receive hugely lucrative subsidies.

Environment

Who Pays For The Greening Of Germany? (westcoastjan)

But it was then reversed by Chancellor Angela Merkel - and then re-instated by her two years ago. A scientist by training and profession, she decided that the Fukushima disaster in Japan had revealed the true dangers of nuclear power so the calculations of risk had to be redone.

Tuna Collapse Fears Fail To Curb Japan's Appetite (Nervous Nelly)

Fish dealers at Tsukiji market say the number of bluefin sold at early morning auctions has fallen over the past 10 to 15 years, but most are confident the supply will never run out. Sushi bars and supermarkets still readily sell the fish, which is considered a special treat that families might splurge on once every month or two. There's no government campaign to encourage people to rein in their appetites for the iconic Japanese food.

Gold & Silver

Click to read the Gold & Silver Digest: 2/28/13

Provided daily by the Peak Prosperity Gold & Silver Group

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