Empty Storefronts

September 25, 2009 Anecdotal evidence offers serious reason for concern about the economy! I just returned from a 2,000-mile Harley trip from Newport, RI, to Blowing Rock, NC, and back. Do you know what struck me the most, aside from the beauty of our country? Empty store fronts from one town to the... Read the full story

Top 10 Mistakes #6

September 18, 2009 Entry #6 on my list of the 10 biggest mistakes investors make is failing to focus on the Fed’s federal funds rate beacon. Today the fed funds rate is basically zero. That means rates have only one way to go-up! Interest rates have been in a decade-long decline. But as you can see,... Read the full story

Peculiar Divergences

What worries me most about the stock market rally are the peculiar divergences we are seeing. What do I mean? Let’s look at some charts. My first chart shows that gold is breaking out to the upside on heavy volume. SPDR Gold Trust Gold is an inflation hedge, a currency hedge, and a safe-haven... Read the full story

Top 10 Mistakes #7

September 11, 2009 How does a triad of a 20% prime rate, $200-per-barrel oil and $2,000-per-ounce gold sound to you? Are these numbers possible, or even probable? Oh yeah! And, in fact, the record-breaking deficits and printing press activity at home suggests these numbers may be underestimated. If Israel... Read the full story

Top 10 Mistakes #8

September 4, 2009 More money has probably been lost by overreaching for yield than by any other misguided strategy. Today, investors are really spooked. Money market funds, bank CDs, and treasuries offer little in the way of yield. That’s why I would suggest that you eschew all three, except for your... Read the full story

Get It While It’s Cheap

Natural gas is super cheap today, but it could get cheaper before the cycle is over. There is an abundance of it. U.S. storage capacity is almost full. If excess production does not drop before capacity fills up, the price of natural gas is likely to weaken. Natural gas is out of favor. The momentum... Read the full story