The name “Nifty Fifty” came to represent the “one-decision” stocks of the early 1970s. They were the Cokes and the Disneys of the world… Fifty names you always bought simply because you couldn’t go wrong owning them. Or so investors thought…

The U.S. dollar is now under incredible pressure, and the timing couldn’t be worse. The U.S. economy is also sinking fast. This places the Fed between a rock and a hard place. To support the greenback, the Fed needs to raise U.S. interest rates…but their classic response to the threat of an economic recession is to lower those same rates.

Soft commodities are now the best-performing sub-set of the commodity bull market. It’s easy to see why. The world’s supply is withering.

The real problem with the inflation/deflation battle…when your farthings aren’t worth what you thought… Which way will this tug-of-war go?…the end of a 28-year long road…the trouble with food…Dismembering the financial sector…the loose financial mores of the U.S. financial system…and more!

Last week was as depressing and alarming as any we’ve seen in the financial markets in the last ten years. Let’s hope this week isn’t an encore. But we’re not betting on it.