Precious Metals

Gold flows from Britain to Switzerland surge in first half

"Britain's gold exports to Switzerland surged in the first half of this year, Australian bank Macquarie said on Monday, suggesting bullion being sold out of exchange-traded funds may be heading for Swiss refineries before being sold on in Asia. The UK exported 240 tonnes of gold to Switzerland in May alone, while its exports over the first half of this year totalled 797 tonnes. In contrast, Britain exported just 92 tonnes of bullion to Switzerland in the whole of last year. 'The UK does not have gold mines, so where has it all come from? The obvious source is the gold exchange-traded funds (ETFs), most of which hold their gold holdings in London vaults, and which saw huge outflows in 1H 2013,' Macquarie said." Continue reading →

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Jim Rogers: Need to own real assets in India

"Jim Rogers: Your politicians have been making mistakes for decades and every time you just push into the future, the problems get build up and get worse and worse and worse. There are plenty of smart Indians and there are plenty of smart people who could help India. Unfortunately, the government does not listen to them. But if I were doing it, I would abolish all exchange controls, I would abolish all capital controls, I would abolish all subsidies, I would abolish the absurd laws governing a restraining agriculture. I would cut spending so that there is no deficit spending." Continue reading →

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Bill Bonner: Sooner or later, markets change

Bill-Bonner2

"What's a share in a company really worth? What's a bond worth? Heck, what's the dollar itself worth? All of these questions will draw the same reply: it depends. Among the things it depends on is the 'trust' in the society...in its leaders...in its capital structure...and in its future. When the sun is shining, it's easy to have trust in a society. It's when the chilly winds blow that the question marks begin to fly. You see them picked up by the gusts of wind like plastic bags...floating around until they are snagged on some barren tree. That's when it gets interesting...when the hopes and hallucinations that undergirded the boom give way. Our guess is that investors are about to go back to school." Continue reading →

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Jim Rogers: Financial Calamity – It’s Coming, Be Worried, Be Careful

Jim Rogers: Financial Calamity – It’s Coming, Be Worried, Be Careful

"Multi-millionaire investor Jim Rogers predicts, 'They're going to take money wherever they can. . . . They're going to take our bank accounts and retirement accounts.' Rogers concludes by saying, 'We've had perilous times, and it's going to get worse. . . It's coming, be worried, be careful.' Join Greg Hunter as he goes One-on-One with Jim Rogers, author of 'Street Smarts, Adventures on the Road and in the Markets.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJim Rogers: Financial Calamity – It’s Coming, Be Worried, Be Careful

Was Keynes a Brilliant Investor?

"Keynes' initial foray into investing led to a smash up. He lost everything he had unwisely borrowed and had to be bailed out by his parents. He did not do well in the 1920′s. He was taken unawares by the the 1929 Crash and also by the 1937 rout. In both instances, he came perilously close to being wiped out again because of very concentrated holdings and continuing use of leverage. In short, Keynes was a speculator, at the same time that he criticized speculators and the 'casino' atmosphere of the market. The article does disclose Keynes’s very large gold mining stock position in the 1930′s but fails to note the irony of this holding or his private praise of gold as a portfolio diversifier." Continue reading →

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Fargo man charged with coin theft from UPS hub

"A Fargo man has been charged in the theft from the UPS shipping center here of more than $65,000 worth of gold and silver coins being shipped by Treasure Island Coins to a customer. The first theft, which was of 20 American Eagle gold coins worth $33,797, was on April 15. The second, of 100 American Eagle silver coins worth $2,570, was on June 6. The third was six days after that. Twenty Canadian Maple Leaf gold coins worth $28,840 were stolen. Keller told police that Pulicicchio was best friends with someone who worked at UPS." Continue reading →

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Diamonds, Advertising, DeBeers and Sex

"Starting in 1935 in Indiana, U.S. states started altering their laws to abolish the action for breach of promise. Women responded, by Brinig's account, by requiring a down payment from their fiancees in the form of an expensive ring—which forfeited if the fiancee terminated the engagement. Think of it as a performance bond. Brinig looked at data on diamond imports and concluded that the demand for diamonds started to rise about 1935, four years before the Ayer marketing campaign that is usually given credit for creating the demand for engagement rings. The evidence also suggested that the custom began declining once premarital sex became widely accepted." Continue reading →

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Gold’s rebound: Why it’s believable this time

"Kelly Teoh, market strategist at IG Markets who believes the upside in gold has legs, said investors are moving into the precious metal because Asian currencies are under tremendous pressure. 'If you look at all the various asset classes, the U.S. equities are at all-time highs, Asian ex-Japan equities are lagging, commodities is the only asset class that's underperformed so I see value in that,' she added. Barclays' chief technical strategist Dhiren Sarin says gold has either already formed, or is in the process, of establishing a 'very strong base.'" Continue reading →

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Swap your gold shares for coins, ETF firm offers

"Exchange traded funds have mushroomed in recent years as a highly popular way for private investors to own gold. Real holdings of gold, stored in bank vaults, are represented by shares which trade daily on the London Stock Exchange. This makes it possible for investors to buy and sell cheaply – and in relatively small quantities. Investors can choose to receive Britannias or Sovereigns, at a cost of 4.5pc per transaction. Britannias are made from one troy ounce and minted from 22 carat gold, while Sovereigns weigh just under a quarter a troy ounce. There is no tax to pay on the switch, ETFS says." Continue reading →

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Gold Is Rebounding, Time to Look at Franco Nevada

"Franco-Nevada isn’t your average gold miner. They don’t have regular mine costs like the big gold producers we follow. Instead, Franco-Nevada is a 'streaming' company. Meaning after they put money into getting a project off the ground they take a cut of future production. With many of those streaming deals set up over the years, Franco-Nevada can just sit back and collect checks as other companies produce metal. In other words, if you think gold is set for a rebound, this pony will provide a huge upside compared to your average cost-laden miner. Since we covered Franco Nevada in April, there are a few points to be made." Continue reading →

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