Blog

December 21, 2010 – Last week the British pound fell 3.0% against the US dollar.  Some say it was because of UK bank exposure to Spain, which Moody’s warned could be downgraded.  Others blamed the UK’s close economic link and heavy debt exposure to Ireland, which Moody’s did actually downgrade last week by 5-levels toRead more

So despite the fact the Fed will be purchasing $600 billion of US government debt instruments, T-bond and T-note yields are climbing, a clear sign that investors are rushing to sell their US government paper. Why? Because they know the purchasing power of the dollar is being debased by QE, and more importantly, will continue being debased.

November 17, 2010 – Iceland, Dubai, Greece – and now Ireland?  Will the Emerald Isle be the next domino to fall as a consequence of too much debt accumulated during the boom-years? It may be hard to believe, but Ireland is even more bankrupt than Illinois and probably even California.  Due to the serial bailoutsRead more

November 16, 2010 – Earlier this month the Federal Reserve announced its latest round of quantitative easing, long ago dubbed QE, but it should be called by what it really is – money printing.  The Fed buys US government debt and turns it into currency.  The process is somewhat arcane, but very simple at itsRead more

October 3, 2010 – Since observing in my September 22nd commentary that the US Dollar Index is “staring over the edge of the precipice and is ready to plummet”, it has been basically all downhill for the dollar.  The Dollar Index over the past seven trading days has dropped 1.74 points, or 2.18%.  That is approximately an 88%Read more

September 22, 2010 – The US dollar is staring over the edge of the precipice and is ready to plummet.  Rather than hand the dollar a lifeline, the FOMC in its announcement yesterday pushed the dollar further over the edge. The FOMC made clear that it is only a matter of time before the FederalRead more

September 20, 2010 – There is too much money being printed.  No rocket science is needed to reach that conclusion. The markets are giving us a clear message. For example, gold is trading at a record high, while silver has reached a 30-year high.  Those new high prices are happening for a reason.  The preciousRead more

Inflation is coming back. In fact, it never really left, although there was a brief moment after the Lehman Brothers collapse when it appeared that the dollar would slip into a deflationary collapse. But after peering over the precipice, Bernanke and his central bank cohorts around the world did not like what they saw. So pump they did, and the dollar and other national currencies have been losing purchasing power ever since. But the loss of purchasing power is about to gain momentum.

September 13, 2010 – I am pleased to present the following article written by Mark Lundeen. He explains why the Barron’s mining stock average has outperformed the Dow Jones Industrials since 1920. The analysis excludes dividends on both averages, which in itself could be an interesting study. Nevertheless, his conclusions are thought provoking and worthRead more

July 11, 2010 – The Fear Index has risen to a 16-year high.  As of June 30th, the Fear Index is 2.35%, based on M3 data made available by shadowstats.com.  Here is the formula and calculation for June 30th:   The following chart illustrates the Fear Index at the end of each month since DecemberRead more