Just like Friday morning, gold blasted out of the starting gate as soon as Globex trading began in the Far East on Monday morning. And just like Friday morning, this price spike ran into a wall of selling that went on for about four hours. Then there was a respite until 3:00 a.m. New York time when another wave of selling commenced that lasted right through London…and until the Comex open. Then the dealers (mostly JPMorgan, I would think) pulled their bids for the third and last time…and the price of gold cratered another $10…for the third and last time. Silver really got it in the neck on the Comex open. There was nothing free market about this…this was the…

Gold hit two historic milestones in 2008. First, in early March, the “yellow metal” hit its all-time high of $1,030 an ounce. Just three months later, the price of gold for December delivery had plummeted to $681 an ounce, a 21-month low and 33.9% drop from its record high. Most gold bugs were equal parts puzzled and broken-hearted.

Gold prices are up slightly again today, to $840 an ounce. The yellow metal has jumped sharply from $750 just weeks ago. Andrew Snyder says a declining dollar and inflation fears will likely propel gold dramatically higher next year. He recommends three ways to profit from this spike.

Welcome to the Fantasyland issue of The 5…“Shouldn’t worry about the deficit,” assures Barack Obama… “yes we can” keep spending. Can’t balance the budget of your dreams? Call the Treasury… Atlanta’s doing it. Gold still suffering… Ed Bugos’ future fantasies for precious metals stocks. Plus, no one immune to the great housing illusion… the infamous Neverland Ranch shuts its doors.

The recent slump in gold prices has puzzled many investors who considered the yellow metal a safe haven. But Mike Caggeso says the inflationary impact of the government’s $700 billion bailout program could send gold soaring towards $1,500 an ounce by the end of 2009. He recommends five ways to play this coming gold bull run.

After an ever so brief reprieve the bears returned and once again started mauling the bulls during Wednesday’s trading session on the Canadian markets. For the tale of the tape, the TSX Exchange plunged 5.32%, while the TSX Gold Index tanked 8.5% and the TSX Venture Exchange, Canada’s largest junior exploration bourse, lost 5.71% with the declining issuers outpacing the advancers by a 607 to 224 margin, on volume of 141 million shares traded.

The hemorrhaging continued during Thursday trading on the Canadian Markets as falling commodity prices had investors running for the exits yet again. For the tale of the tape, the TSX Exchange lost 0.58%, while the TSX Gold Index plunged 9.5% and the TSX Venture Exchange, Canada’s largest junior exploration bourse, fell 5.39% with the declining issuers swamping the advancers by a 668 to 247 margin on volume of 153 million shares traded.

The unified interest rate cuts that included a 0.5% reduction in Canada did little to bolster investor confidence early on, but a binge of late day buying propelled the big board into the black by the close of Wednesday trading on the Canadian Markets.

William Patalon III says the US economy is heading into recession and there is little the Fed or Treasury can do to stop it.

But that doesn’t mean contrarian investors can’t make a profit. History is littered with examples of investors that made a fortune during the darkest days for the economy.

William has a four-point plan to beat the bear this time round: 1) Load up on high dividend stocks; 2) Buy gold; 3) Stick to ‘global titan’ companies; and 4) Stay relaxed…

The government gravy train is at full throttle. The “big three” automakers in Detroit don’t want to be left out. They’re close to snapping up a $25 billion bailout. It’s another nail in the coffin for the dollar, according to Smart Comodities UK editor Garry White. This will send gold prices into orbit.