Opinions

I have said it many times in these pages: economic growth in the U.S. economy can only occur when the general standard of living for the average American improves. Sadly, each day, we see more and more evidence suggesting the opposite.  Consider the results from the 2014 Retirement Confidence Survey

When news first broke from the Federal Reserve that it would slow down the pace of its quantitative easing program, the consensus was that the U.S. dollar would start to rise in value as the Fed would be printing less new dollars and actually eliminating all new paper money printing

This is an odd stock market. On one hand, you don’t want to miss out on any of the upward moves, which is why you should continue to ride the gains; on the other hand, you also want to make sure you have an exit plan in place. (See “Time

If there’s one industry sector that’s volatile, cyclical, often unprofitable, and typically attracts poor consumer ratings, it’s the airline sector.  But this group of transportation stocks is a powerful indicator. Airline stocks move at the beginning of bull markets and new business cycles. The airline sector has been on fire

While the stock market has been struggling this year, under the radar, gold has been moving higher.  The tense stand-off in Crimea is clearly adding some support to gold, as an outbreak there could drive the precious metal much higher in the short term.  The geopolitical risk also includes the

Earlier in the year, gold bullion prices were going higher, and we heard the skeptics say, “They will decline. Don’t buy the precious metal; it’s useless.” They turned out to be very wrong. Now, gold bullion prices are seeing a minute pullback. With this, we are once again hearing the

The price of gold may be enjoying a double-digit increase so far this year and some equities may even have doubled their value, but Jeff Killeen of CIBC World Markets says it’s not time to jump into metals with both feet. Be selective, he says. In this interview with The Gold

Copper is considered an industrial metal, used in industries across the board. When copper prices fall, it’s usually an indicator of a slowdown in the global economy. On the contrary, gold bullion isn’t much of an industrial metal; rather, it is used as a hedge against uncertainty in the global

The eurozone and Europe are showing progress in finally getting out of their dismal multiyear double-dip recession; however, the uncertainties and hostilities unfolding in the Crimea region of Ukraine, which are threatening to escalate, could put a damper on the economic renewal in Europe.  With the recent vote in Crimea,

Stocks are churning without any notable trend, influenced by geopolitical events, the lack of corporate reporting, and a recent change in investor sentiment regarding valuations. The fact is that a lot of stocks are ahead of themselves, and this is why we may very well get a lot of profit-taking

The winds are changing, my friends. For most of the past year, each time the S&P 500 sold off, it was a buying opportunity. I think we are at an inflection point this year, as we all know nothing lasts forever.  I believe it all began to emerge last week

By now, you have probably noticed one phenomenon: the speculations regarding China’s growth are increasing each day. Turning on the TV or flipping through the pages of the newspaper, you’ll likely hear and read all about how the second-biggest economic hub in the global economy will tumble.  No doubt, the

We have Russia annexing Crimea from Ukraine and interest rates set to float higher sometime in early 2015, but the S&P 500 continued to edge up to another record-high on Friday.  Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen is continuing to pull back on the quantitative easing that the former chair, Ben

Endocyte, Inc. (ECYT) is a micro-cap biotechnology company that just doubled in value on the stock market.  The company’s experimental cancer drug, originally targeting ovarian cancer, is being developed in concert with Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK), which licensed the drug’s development a while ago for an upfront payment of

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports inflation in the U.S. economy increased by 0.1% in February from the previous month. (Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, March 18, 2014.) As usual, these numbers have again brought up the theory of deflation—a period when general prices decline.  Reasons for the deflation

Compared to the past two years, the U.S. housing market will not have a great year in 2014.  In fact, key indicators are now pointing to a top in the housing market recovery:  The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index fell to 47 in March, coming down

if you think Chinese stocks are too speculative to consider and buy, then you need to read what I’m going to say over the next few paragraphs.  Yes, it’s true that China-based companies have subjected U.S. capital markets to erroneous results and reporting in the past and that it is

One company that continues to distinguish itself with its excellent long-term performance, both operationally and on the stock market, is NIKE, Inc. (NKE). It’s a good company that’s worthy of consideration by long-term investors.  The position is trading right at its all-time high and it recovered from its latest price

Can you hear it? Brien Lundin does. It’s the sound of the junior resource market mounting a comeback. Lundin, editor of Gold Newsletter, president and CEO of Jefferson Financial and the man behind the New Orleans Investment Conference, traces the rebound to Western speculators coming to the market at the

Problems in the Canadian economy are growing and whispers of an economic slowdown are looming in the air. If an economic slowdown does occur, the Canadian dollar will be the primary victim—and investors can profit heavily from this scenario.  The central bank of the country isn’t very optimistic about the