Archive for November 2010

Say it ain’t so! Ireland not the end of the eurocrisis… gold hits euro record. Gold rallies in dollars, too… Alan Knuckman with a cautionary note. Housing double dip under way, and the chart that confirms it. How the federal wage freeze will make next to no difference to the national debt. Uncle Sam determined to improve your life, 2 inches at a time. Read More

Giant bears gone wild… what it means for the U.S. dollar… and your standard of living… Irish bailout terms set… stock market vigilante Dan Amoss on why a “dramatic debasement” of the euro is coming. Middle East intrigue: Iranian nuke scientists killed, Saudi king pushes for U.S. attack on Iran. The app-killer? Our tech maven Ray Blanco on the next Internet revolution. Readers sound off on South Korean ingrates and “effective” airline security. Read More

Korea? No reason to worry. But keep an eye on Saudi Arabia. Dollar up in the “safety trade”… but so is gold. Meanwhile, silver shortage looms. Byron King at a rare earths conference in Hong Kong… and a breathtaking chart of rare earth prices. Readers get in a few more choice words before National Opt-Out Day. Read More

MythBusters, 5 Min. style… Is the “average stock holding period” really 11 seconds? The ugly truth behind high-frequency trading… and a market the HFT computers can’t touch. Market relief over Ireland bailout… but now, a new fly in the ointment. Silver prices ease, but Silver Eagle demand surges. “I’d rather be blown out of the sky,” and other provocative reader thoughts on airport security. Read More

Amid rising stock prices and rosy earnings, a ghostly voice is heard: “Margin squeeze.” They want gold: India, China demand rising… despite rising prices. The deluge: Investors bail from muni bond funds at record pace. Housing milestone: Prime mortgage borrowers at record foreclosure rate. “Stop being sheeple”… “Never fly again”…Readers flood The 5’s inbox on airport security. Read More

Even Rubin’s worried… QE2 puts U.S. in “terribly dangerous territory.” Reasons for today’s rally… and the cold reality behind them. California postpones auction, Philly gets a downgrade… New developments in the muni meltdown. U.N. warns of accelerating food crisis; U.S. Agriculture secretary unworried… Huh? Readers check in: Gold-trading margins, turkey prices and the airport scope-n-grope. Read More

Dec. 31 doom? The double whammy about to hit income investors. Euro “at risk of another crash” as Ireland jawboning drags on. Labor Department looks around, sees no inflation… Your Thanksgiving turkey begs to differ. Surveying market crashes back to 1720… and a disturbing recent trend. Read More

Bond vigilantes awaken, stocks taken to the woodshed… Dan Amoss on the Fed “risking ultimate disaster.” The overprotective directive from Chicago that sent gold tumbling overnight. Congress back in session… the one sensible thing it might do soon, maybe… nah forget it. Auto dealership devises semi-automatic stimulus… cross border concerns in the great Pacific Frontier… a market immune to “high frequency trading” programs… and more! Read More

Gold at $1,370… a buying opportunity? Strange days: Ireland insists it doesn’t need a bailout, Germany insists it take one anyway. California back in the bond market, at the worst possible time. Chris Mayer identifies two commodities still available at bargain prices. Sleeping with the enemy? Spitzer consort becomes commodities trader. Read More

Fear returns to the markets… but quirky trades give 88% and 105% gains to readers this week… Snub heard ‘round the world: The U.S. gets “written off” as “a monetary basket case”… Rescuing ARM borrowers by skewering savers… late-breaking developments in the housing market that will floor you. Actor’s foreclosure property finally clears the market… at 71% off… readers sound off about Medicare and Social Security (again!)… Rancho Chill 3.0 Sold Out! Read More