Hey, “It’s tough out there !” Yes, indeed.  Let’s see where we are: What will happen with interest rates?  Is there a bond bubble ? What is the future impact from Europe ? Will emerging markets continue to grow and support commodity markets? Will there be a QEIII ? What will be the impact [...]

According to an report in The Washington Post on Monday, the National Association for Business Economics said that forecasters have raised their expectations for employment, new home construction and business spending this year. But they held on to their average prediction that U.S. GDP will grow at a rate of 2.4%, a slight improvement from [...]

I have always been interested in the way commodity prices move over times. I’m not a day trader, but I try to understand commodity prices becuase it gives me a good understanding; I believe, of the macro economic and global economic picture. I have stated in my earlier article that 2012 will see a shift [...]

As you are listening to the “past year in review” shows ?  No doubt as they are very hard to avoid and this is not to say that there is anything wrong with them as there are many important things that happened in 2011 that have become out of mind. Rather than focus strictly on [...]

Are we all getting tired of the Euro debt crisis.  Seems like as the headlines come in, one story is about something fundamental with the next about the Euro debt crisis. Something came to mine – an old 70s tune entitled “Right Place, Wrong Time” by Dr. John. Yes indeed.  So what does this song [...]

Maybe, just maybe some semblance of reality might be filtering into the markets.  The markets have had a good run over the past three weeks and were up again yesterday – and maybe it is for the right reasons, not just on speculation regarding Greece and whether there will be a complete rescue or a [...]

We all look forward to the day when the subject of Greek debt is a very important history lesson but unfortunately we’re living it now.  With the all knowing bond market pricing 2 year Greek notes at 69.7%, a default seems all but inevitable.  This has led to increasing calls for “recapitalizing” European banks (aka [...]

This past Labor Day saw U.S. President Obama travel to Detroit to deliver a highly covered and anticipated speech.  The headlines in the Detroit Free Press read: “Message awaiting Obama in Detroit: ‘Jobs, jobs and more jobs.’” Somewhat ironically and politics aside (which after all is what the speech is really about), the real story [...]

If you haven’t taken a look at the copper chart lately, maybe it’s time you did. Copper doesn’t have the allure, the elegance, the sexiness or the ‘je ne sais quoi’ of Gold, but it is arguable a fundamentally more important metal that every mineral investor should keep an eye on. Although many of the [...]