After President Trump's comments yesterday about the country struggling to compete with the dollar as strong as it is, and separate positive statements he made about regularly dovish Fed Chairwoman Yellen, gold and silver prices jumped. Will a "weak dollar" Trump administration be a boon to gold investors? Carla Mozee writes at MarketWatch: Gold, silver and prices for other metals leapt Thursday, bolstered as the U.S. dollar was shoved lower after U.S. President Donald Trump said the currency has been trading at “too strong” of a level. June gold GCM7, +0.83% advanced $12.10, or 0.9%, to … [Read more...]
Gold is Moving Up
Gold crossed its 200-day moving average yesterday. … [Read more...]
Andy Kessler Explains a Powerful Warning Sign to Investors
I like this common (sense) barometer from Andy Kessler writing at The Wall Street Journal: Wall Street’s most successful players get ahead of the news, understand a CEO’s mind, and figure out where the company is going. To do this, I often use what I call the “HQ Indicator.” It’s for those playing long ball, not day traders, but it is simple. When a company announces it is moving its executives into a lavish palace, it’s often time to get out. Consider the Frank Gehry-designed IAC Building in Manhattan, completed in 2007. It’s the deconstructivist-style headquarters for InterActiveCorp , … [Read more...]
RAGE Gauge: How will you feel if the market drops by 40%?
My April RAGE Gauge is in, and it tells me folks are feeling OK. But it’s a tense OK. In a “what have you done for me lately world,” it’s a tough existence for the “steady as we go” crowd for whom I work with on a daily basis. For those of you who, like me, have saved your money, there continues to be an enormous drag on us from the Fed’s reckless low interest rate experiment. And I’ve heard enough about the Index investors. You know those who own the “market,” collect a pittance in dividends, and are in stocks because they “go up.” That’s not investing, it’s speculation. Where’s the value … [Read more...]
As Pension Debt Crests $1.5 Trillion, States are Headed Toward Crisis
The Tax Foundation has created a map of each state's pension funding situation. It's not pretty. If you live in South Dakota, Oregon or Wisconsin, your state is in great shape. All three have funded their pensions over 100%. But if you rely on a state pension in Illinois or Kentucky, it could get rocky. Both states' pensions are funded at only 41%. That's the worst in the country. The answer could be transitioning state employees into defined contribution plans rather than relying on the defined benefit plans that have been the norm for public pensions through history. … [Read more...]
Investing in Your Survival is all about You
One of the more important lessons I’ve learned about survival prep is that oftentimes the best teacher is failure. Surviving a bad experience has a way of focusing the mind. A couple of years ago we lost power in New Hampshire. Becky and I were away that weekend but our kids were staying with my parents who live up the street. When the power went out, my dad and daughter went down to our house to grab something and she noticed that the generator wasn’t working. The following week I had my electrician check it out and he said all was working fine. I thanked him and started thinking about … [Read more...]
Scandal Plagued Wells Fargo gets Hit Again
More problems at Wells Fargo. Emily Glazer and Ruth Simon report that the Merchant Services LLC branch of Wells Fargo has fired at least two dozen employees over the last two years after a probe found them falsely reporting customers' sales and pushing costly contracts on small businesses. This comes after the market-shaking scandal last fall that saw millions of fake accounts opened for customers without their knowledge. They write: Wells Fargo discovered the full scale of abuses in the merchant-services business after undertaking a broad examination of the bank’s business practices in light … [Read more...]
Is This the Calm Before the Storm?
The average daily movement in stocks during the first quarter of 2017 was the lowest since 1965. What did stocks do back in 1965? Basically nothing for the next 16 years or, an entire retirement for many. That’s why you need to get paid to be in this market in the form of dividends. But how do you know which companies have the safest, most sacred dividends, and which companies look out for you, the investor? Allow me to help. My email address is ejsmith@youngresearch.com … [Read more...]
Make Sure You’re Not Part of This Disturbing Trend in 401(k) Saving
According to the Investment Company Institute, a disturbing trend is growing among employees with 401(k)s, about a fifth of participants with access to 401(k) loans take them. American companies are trying to stem the tide, but borrowing against the cash is hard for some participants to resist, and for others it’s necessary to survive. Anne Tergesen writes: American companies are trying to stop employees from raiding their 401(k)s, in an attempt to ensure that older workers can afford to retire and make room for younger, less-expensive hires. Employers of all types—from Home Depot Inc. HD … [Read more...]
Will Shale 2.0 Bring OPEC to its Knees?
In 2014 Saudi Arabia engineered what might kindly be called a collapse in oil prices by inexplicably trying to gain market share by cutting revenues nearly in half. As prices plummeted, so too did hopes for American shale oil production, which was curtailed to cut costs. But a strange thing has happened. Even before OPEC belatedly decided to reverse the wrongheaded Saudi policy, American shale drillers were finding ways to cut costs and increase their own productivity. With a comeback in oil prices, even more drillers have joined a movement that has come to be known as Shale 2.0. Now, … [Read more...]
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 185
- 186
- 187
- 188
- 189
- …
- 257
- Next Page »