Baltimore (TFN): Believe it or not, I used to be a fishing guide. And a darn good one, too. It feels like a past life these days, but some of the memories of my summers spent in Alaska’s pristine wilderness come streaking back to me at the oddest of times.
The price of gold has had a solid triple since about 2001, when an ounce would set you back a mere $300 or so. (Remember that? Oh, the good old days!) For the past year or so, however, gold has been stuck, trading in the $900-980 range. It goes up a bit, down a bit.
Say goodbye to the US dollar as the world’s reserve currency. Writing in the Washington Post, Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz says America’s massive deficit means a new global reserve system is approaching.
In past downturns, it was a resurgent U.S. housing market that led the American economy out of the recessionary doldrums. But U.S. investors shouldn’t expect history to repeat itself this time around.
Long-suffering readers will be aware of our low opinion here at Notes of government economic statistics. The truth of the matter is that many of them are fudged. Don’t just take our word for it. According to Kevin Philips, former Republican Party strategist and author of Bad Money, “Ever since the 1960s, Washington has gulled its citizens and creditors by debasing official statistics, the vital instruments with which the muscle and vitality of the American economy are measured.”
U.S. stocks suffered their first weekly loss since May last week, further exacerbating trader concern that the bullish surge that sent share prices up as much as 40% from their March lows may have been overdone.
By now, you have surely heard that our elitist banks passed their recent government sponsored “stress test”? Forget about it! Relying on this incestuous bunch to grade themselves is like putting Madonna in charge of screening convent applicants. Take no comfort in shams of this nature.
Greg Gunther of the Penny Sleuth points out that during tough times like these, cutting back on the household grocery budget is a sure way to save money. Here are two fast food stocks that attract the cash strapped customer and the small-cap investor.
President-elect Barack Obama said Saturday that an analysis of his stimulus proposal found that the capital infusion could save or create as many as 4 million U.S. jobs by 2010, nearly 90% of them in the private sector.
All sorts of investors are look towards Obama to boost their portfolio. Unfortunately, the folks that have not done their homework will get burned. Investors across nearly every industry are looking towards President-elect Obama’s trillion-dollar stimulus for a near-immediate boost to their portfolio. Many of them are going to be severely disappointed in the next few months.