The World Gold Council just released their Q3-2012 Gold update. We thought that we would review some of the highlights. Q3 Summary Gold (US$/oz) returned 11.1% in the third quarter as investors responded to further central bank measures aimed at stimulating the economy. Volatility decreased during the period, with gold prices experiencing little movement in […]
Real Estate Trend Update And Self Directed IRAs
The Sept 2012 housing starts numbers are out and they show a significant change of 15% month to month change. Before everyone starts singing Happy Days Are Here Again, these numbers need to be put into proper perspective. First of all this is a very large number the likes of which have not been seen […]
Inflation Shows Its Taking Hold And What This Means For Self Directed IRAs
Wholesale inflation shows that prices increased by 4.7% for energy related goods and 0.2% for food. That is a total of 4.9% annual increase in the price of energy and foods. Core inflation (what the good ‘ol Fed and government uses) shows around 2.3%. What does this mean? What these numbers reflect is: 1. Inflation […]
The Sept Jobs Number – Self Directed IRA Update
The Sept 2012 jobs numbers came out and shows a decline in unemployment to 7.8% — down from 8.1%. Really? Does this seem plausible. The net number of new jobs created was 114,000. That is a very low, weak number and is not even enough to maintain steady state for the overall economy. So what’s […]
Inflation Outlook Update & Its Impact on Self Directed IRAs
We contend that inflation is not in check and is not within reasonable boundaries. […]
Why Gold Went Up Now With The Feds QE3 – What This Means For Self Directed IRAs
This past week the Fed announced that it would engaged in a continuous stimulus program from now through 2015 due to the continued weak and anemic labor market. The Fed committed to a monthly outlay of $40B to purchase mortgage backed securities. the theory here being that this will help stimulate housing and subsequently the […]
US Trade Policy And Its Impact On Self Directed IRAs
As you listen to the political theater that came from both political party campaigns, these last two weeks, you can’t help but ask the question “where are your real solutions?”. We hear both candidates talking about jobs. But really? You, the government can create jobs in the private sector? We never heard one single solution […]
Dr Copper Update And Your Self Directed IRA
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 […]
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 […]