BHP Billiton (BHP) Fights To Stay In Trading Channel
Much to the bears’ frustration, last week’s profit-taking wave was very short lived despite the countless experts who continue to call for a market top every time equity indexes post a fresh high. Although bargain buyers have been quick to step in at every pullback, this recent sell-off may hold more weight from a technical perspective. Last week’s bearish pressures dragged the S&P 500 Index below the 1,500 mark, which is a psychologically important support level. Failure to settle above this level in the coming days could welcome accelerating selling pressures, which should pave the way higher for gold; gold is still struggling to recover from its steep losses over the past two weeks [for more market news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].
13 High-Yielding Commodities For 2013
As many individual investors have taken a cue from professional and institutional money managers, alternative investments have gone mainstream – and commodities lead the trend. Interest in this asset class has exploded as individual retail investors have discovered commodities’ vast benefits, like low correlation to equities and bonds, inflation-fighting capabilities and their ability to profit from some of the world’s fastest-growing emerging markets. These benefits have made funds like the PowerShares DB Commodity Index Tracking Fund (DBC) popular holdings in many portfolios [for more commodity news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].
A Deeper Look At Australia’s Commodity Industry
One of the wealthiest countries in the world, and the richest in Asia in GDP per capita terms, Australia is an unusual mix of a modern market economy with a large commodities-driven export infrastructure. Despite the influx of wealth created by its natural resources, Australia has never been particularly successful in developing a large manufacturing base. What’s more, the country has run large and persistent current account deficits for over a half-century. Nevertheless, Australia has very significant and efficient mining and agricultural sectors, and ranks highly in the world in many categories [for more commodity news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].
A Deeper Look at South Africa’s Commodity Industry
South Africa is the largest economy of Africa, and it accounts for almost one-quarter of the continent’s GDP. The path to this status has not been an easy one, however, as the country languished under sanctions in the 1980s tied to the government’s apartheid policies. While South Africa has a relatively well-developed manufacturing sector by the standards of African economies (and developing economies in general), a meaningful percentage of the country’s economy still revolves around commodities [for more commodity news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].
Stocks to Buy For Hyperinflation
With the Federal Reserve firing up the presses for a third round of quantitative easing, it’s only a matter of time before more talk of imminent hyperinflation pops up. While calm discussions on the prospects of hyperinflation are rare (and there’s often a tinge of hysteria or paranoia around the topic), the reality is that the U.S. does have some disturbing trends working against it in terms of demographics, debt/deficits, and a policy of easy money that debases the fiat currency [for more inflation news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].
5 Commodity Dividend Stocks To Stay Away From
In his book Ron’s Road to Wealth, investor Ron Muhlenkamp explains that inflation increases the prices that consumers pay for goods and services. However, a more accurate description, especially for those with savings in the bank, is that inflation means the value of your money is shrinking.
3 Countries with Largest Silver Reserves
Like its commodity cousin gold, silver has a rich history dating back thousands of years. It was first mined about 5,000 years ago in Anatolia (modern day Turkey). When the Europeans came to the New World, they found abundant silver. In fact, in the period between 1500 and 1800, the Latin American countries of Peru, Bolivia and Mexico accounted for more than 85% of global silver production. Since then, however, silver has been discovered in regions all over the world, making silver mining a global industry [for more silver news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].
Commodity Plays For the End of Fiat Currency
For the majority of U.S. history, we have stood behind a currency backed by gold. That all changed on August 15th, 1971 when President Richard Nixon discontinued the gold standard in order to deal with a number of issues ailing the U.S. at the time. But since we have come off of the gold standard many would argue that our fiat currency is one of the primary reasons why our economy is currently suffering. Recent years have seen the Fed print money at will and pump back into the economy in an attempt to kickstart the recovery, an action that is simply not possible with the gold standard [see also Warning: Ignore Bill Gross’ Hard Money Prediction At Your Own Risk].
Want Juicy Dividend Yields? Buy the Top Five Commodity Megacaps
As the years have progressed, commodity exposure has evolved from a binary factor, either you have it or you don’t, to a necessary component of every portfolio. But as markets have been continually beaten down as of late, for many investors, finding the right commodity allocation has been something of a difficult task. A number of investors have stopped looking for growth, and taken cover in value funds that pay out annual yields in a time when no returns are guaranteed [for more commodity news subscribe to our free newsletter].
Dividend Special: Top Companies In Every Major Commodity Sector
As the years have progressed, commodity exposure has evolved from a binary factor, either you have it or you don’t, to a necessary component of every portfolio. But as markets have been continually beaten down as of late, for many investors, finding the right commodity allocation has been something of a difficult task. A number of investors have stopped looking for growth, and taken cover in value funds that pay out annual yields in a time when no returns are guaranteed [see also The Guide To The Biggest Companies In Every Major Commodity Sector].
