Are you sold on gold? The precious metal outperformed every major equity index in the world in 2008. The question is, can gold—and other precious metals—keep on flying? Or would buying today be buying high and selling low?

Precious metals have always been intriguing to investors because they tend to hold their value. In times of geopolitical crisis or currency devaluation, for example, the value of paper money might fluctuate, but a hard asset will always be worth something. As a result, historically, precious metals have been considered a “safe haven” in times of economic and financial instability.

That brings us to why gold is on a tear today. It declined in 2008 and early 2009 as panicked investors rushed into cash…

Crude oil yesterday shot past $117 a barrel. Sky-high oil prices are now hitting Americans where it hurts: their wallets. The average price US drivers paid for gasoline has soared to a new high of $3.51 a gallon, rising a hefty 11.9 cents over the last week.

“The rise in the oil price has little to do with supply and demand, says Phil Flynn of Alaron Trading over at Casey Research,” and has everything to do with the value of the dollar … It really is all about the dollar right now and if the dollar shows any sign of strength, you’ll see a lot of money come out of oil very quickly.”