» Metals

Lots of technical damage done on Friday across multiple asset classes. From a major move lower in copper reminiscent of the August equity selloff to 60 year lows on 10 year intraday yield a lot happened. Below are a number of charts in no set order. The SPX did manage to find support at the bottom o...

The only way to value the dollar is in the context of a mercantilist, export-dependent global economy anchored by a sole “importer of last resort,” the U.S., which funds these vast imports with its fiat currency, the dollar. Yesterday I explained why a gold-backed currency cannot replac...

Safe havens have done really well of late. Owners of the Swiss Franc, TLT and Gold have seen their values move sharply higher. When building a portfolio, are there times that investors should look at these safe havens as riskier than normal? Last week I suggested that the Swiss Franc was facing a re...

The demise of the dollar as the grease of global trade would trigger global depression, political instability and the end of the Status Quo everywhere. No wonder it’s still around.Yesterday I set up the historical context for understanding “currency wars” and the key role of export...

Equity markets are up across the board, but particularly Europe following a German court decision that everyone pretty much knew would happen anyway. Please consider German court reins in Berlin on euro crisis. The Constitutional Court in the southern city of Karlsruhe rejected, as expected, a seri...

This week we briefly look at yesterday morning’s dismal unemployment report, then drop back and survey some other very eye-opening data on employment. Some groups are (surprise) doing better than others. What would it take to get us back to “normal,” whatever that is? I give you a link to some...

Gold and silver have been pretty much the best things to own during the past few years. But the mining stocks…not so much. This is no secret, though why the miners are underperforming is a subject of debate. You hear about high energy prices (though oil is way down lately) and potential nationaliz...

My last update on the long-term performance of the Dollar, Gold and Silver was posted on April 25th, just four days before the S&P 500 set its interim high (click to view). Here now is a fresh look and the world’s reserve currency and the two metals, starting with a 20-year timeline for th...

Gold has a nice bid so far today. There are so many reasons to own gold. I think a factor in today’s price action is the Swiss National Bank. This is a slow motion breaking story. There should be a resolution on central issues the SNB is now pondering in the next 24 hours. Depending on the out co...

With global politicians (and a great many of their constituents) unable to come to grips with impossible levels of debt and spending, it seems that gold is an easy and certain way to hedge against the disaster that seems unavoidable. The logic seems perfect, and it is reinforced many times daily by...

  Gold is higher today and showing particular strength against the euro and the Japanese yen. The relief rally seen in equities since the latest Greek ‘bailout’ is under pressure as S&P have said the debt rollover proposal would be a “selective default”. The ECB may selectively reje...

Considering gold’s outstanding fundamentals, it’s no surprise that demand has stayed strong a decade into its bull. And with demand only expected to strengthen in the years to come, a lot of weight rests on the shoulders of gold’s suppliers. In order for this yellow metal to find an economic b...