As we have mentioned before copper prices reflects the future expectation of of consumer demand. Consumer demand comprises 2/3rd of the GDP. Copper is a major metal used in numerous consumer goods and related services. The current price pattern for copper is showing a head and shoulders pattern. Without getting too technical, this basically is […]
Category: Self-Directed IRA and The Economy
Gold Recognition As Money And Its Effect On Self Directed IRAs
In the June 18 meeting of the Fed ad FDIC they reviewed what are known as the Basel III standards for Banks. As a result of that meeting, the following key points were established: 1. Tier 1 assets, for banks, are the safest assets that a bank can hold in reserve 2. Gold is defined […]
What The Lastest CPI Numbers Mean For Self Directed IRA
The latest CPI numbers show that overall prices increased 0.05%. However, what this fails to acknowledge, and what the rest of us that live here know is that gas prices were up more like 7% in July. But, when we look at the infamous government figures the should be showing an increase of 0.24% vs. […]
The ISM Report And Your Self Directed IRA
The July 2012 ISM report just came out and the the number came in at 49.8 versus the June number of 49.7. The ISM report is a general measure of manufacturing activity and specifically how much manufacturers are planning in procuring for the business. A number below 50 indicates negative or contractionary environments. The ISM […]
The FOMC Meeting And Your Self Directed IRA
The FOMC – Federal Open Market Committee just completed their most recent meeting. They decided to leave interest rates at historic lows. In prior missives we discussed the downsides and negative economic impacts of these low rate. Without re-visiting prior articles, the downsides of such a continued policy is that retirees cannot move funds into […]
Q2 2012 GDP And Your Self Directed IRA
The reported, headline, GDP numbers just came in at 1.5% in the second quarter. This is a major revision downward from 2% in the first quarter of 2012. This brings the overall annual growth rate in at 2.2% versus the previous 2.4% in Q1 2012. Overall these numbers are not statistically significant. In fact, it […]
June Housing Numbers (Corrected) and Your Self Directed IRA
Monthly changes in June home sales showed a decline of 8.4% for new homes, a decline of 5.4% for existing homes. Though large on a monthly basis, in the big scheme of things there numbers were not meaningful. Both numbers continue to show a developed and established pattern of low-level stagnation. Weakness in homes sales […]
Q2-2012 Macroeconomic Themes For Gold And Your Self Directed IRA
The World Gold Council recently published their quarterly update for gold. There are some clear macroeconomic themes that have become obvious: Gold prices declined relative to most world currencies, but gold was up 4.4% during the first half of the year. Volatility remained elevated amidst a busy event-risk period. In general, gold outperformed what would […]
Another Reason Why To Put Gold In Your Self Directed IRA
There is a movement taking place with the major countries of the world that is going completely unreported and unnoticed. Many of the major countries are entering into transactions and relationships that will remove or greatly reduce the dependence on the US dollar as the world’s reserve currency. Here are a few examples: China and […]
June Housing Starts And Its Impact On Your Self Directed IRA
The June 2012 housing starts are out and they show a month-to-month gain of 6.9%. We should note that although that seems a like its a significant number, one number does not make a trend. This means that even though there is an increase of in the number, there are not enough numbers, of any […]
Fed Actions And How To Position Your Self Directed IRA
Mr. Bernanke just appeared in front of congress. What was very clear from his testimony is that the economy is weakening, jobs are not coming back, consumer spending is not materializing. This is clearly comforting. However, what’s ironic is that the markets actually rebounded because the implication is that the Fed will do more of […]
Hyperinflation Watch And Self Directed IRA Portfolios
As a general statement our predictions and outlook for hyperinflation remains unchanged. As we just reported, we are seeing significant signs of economic contraction from retails sales and consumer sentiment. We believe that its a misstatement of fact that the economy actually recovered and that we are now slipping back into recession. We contend the […]