Gold Is Good, But Do Not Forget Silver

In December, Bernanke observed that gold prices reflected general commodity prices and did not indicate rising inflation expectations (in the U.S.). As gold makes new all-time highs, it is now outpacing many other commodities. Many commodities have declined sharply in recent weeks due to fears about the sustainability of global growth. Gold has diverged due … Read more

Potential Trouble Brewing: Dollar Breaks Out While Gold and Yen Hold Steady

The U.S. dollar index is only trading back to levels from last summer. However, from a technical standpoint, the dollar has broken out: the short-term downtrend has ended, and the current move has considerable upside potential. *Chart created using TeleChart: The chart above shows that the dollar’s break below the 200DMA in May led to … Read more

Bernanke On Gold: Higher Prices Reflect Commodity Fundamentals, Not Higher Inflation Expectations

During recent re-confirmation hearings for Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, U.S. Senator Jim Bunning – a frequent critic of the Federal Reserve – asked Bernanke several questions about gold prices. Bunning’s questions appear targeted at prodding Bernanke into acknowledging that inflation expectations are much higher than the Federal Reserve’s current estimation. Bunning also uses high … Read more

The Rising Skepticism In Gold

In “That’s one long gold bubble,” Tim Ianaco created an illustrative animated graphic from Google news archives comparing the news coverage of “housing bubble,” “credit bubble,” and “gold bubble.” He rightfully observes the following: “…my understanding of how bubbles work is that they materialize rather quickly, fueled by media coverage toward the end and then … Read more

The Dollar Is Bad – Bad Meaning Good

“Tricks are for kids he plays much gigs He’s a big bad wolf and you’re the three pigs He’s a big bad wolf in your neighborhood Not bad meaning bad but bad meaning good“ “Peter Piper” – Run D.M.C., 1986 from the album “Raising Hell” What was once bad is now good. Or maybe what … Read more

Market Sentiment Indicators Remain Mixed

“Mish” posted the latest chart from the Investor’s Intelligence Survey, and it shows that bulls are back up to 50% and bears have hit a new low for the year at 16%. (You can directly access two years of data using the chart tool at Schaeffer’s Investment Research). He also noted that bears have only … Read more

Dollar Hits 11-Month Lows – Time for A Relief Rally?

The dollar’s inexorable descent continued Tuesday as the index hit fresh 11-month lows after consolidating for 4 weeks. Accompanying the most recent weakening in the dollar has been a surge in gold and silver. Gold touched $1000/ounce and silver is now up about 44% for the year. Barrick Gold (ABX) has FINALLY eliminated its gold … Read more