3 Metals Outshining Gold
As is typical for the commodity world, all eyes have been fixated on gold in recent months. The precious metal has been under a microscope since the announcement of QE3 and the impending fiscal cliff. Some have called for gold to surge to new historical highs, while others are not quite so sure. But one thing is certain, gold is getting handsomely outperformed by all three of its precious metal counterparts in recent weeks, as the safe haven metal has failed to keep pace as of late [for more precious metals news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].
PIMCO Recommends Hard Commodities to Weather Inflation
Joining the likes of Jim Rogers and George Soros, PIMCO has now thrown its hat into the hard asset ring. As the economic outlook for the U.S. has continually grown more and more bleak, we have seen a number of investors and experts hop on the commodities train as the best way to protect yourself from coming inflation. In PIMCO’s most recent economic outlook, the firm commented on the current state of the markets, the impact of QE3, and trends they see developing in the coming years, one of which was inflation [for more economic news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].
For Day Traders: The Most Liquid ETF for Every Commodity
The introduction of commodity ETFs brought trading to a whole new level, as your average retail investor now has the opportunity to trade something like natural gas futures through a single ticker. As the years have gone on, a number of these products have grown to be some of the most widely-used financial instruments for their respective commodity. One advantage to ETFs, however, is that liquidity is not hindered by average volume due the the creation process. Instead, there will just be some funds that are more liquid and tradable than others [for more commodity ETF news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].
For Long Term Investors: The Cheapest ETF for Every Commodity
After gathering more than $1 trillion in total assets under management, ETFs have cemented their place in the financial world. Among the universe of nearly 1,500 products, commodity funds have garnered a lot of attention, as these products have democratized an asset class that was once difficult to reach by retail investors. Now, there are a number of exchange-traded options to help you gain exposure to your favorite hard assets, all at a low cost.
Three ETFs To Play the South African Mining Strike
The South African mining strike that began on September 10th has continued to spread throughout the country. As the strike has picked up momentum, investors have begun to worry about the impact on commodities. South Africa is one of the most resource-rich nations on earth, as its soil is home to an abundance of hard assets, especially precious metals. The current strike first impacted the platinum and palladium industry, but quickly spread to the gold industry as well. Dozens have been killed in the protests that involve a fight for better working conditions and more fair wages.
How to Build a Futures Free Commodity Portfolio
For commodity traders, futures contracts and futures-based products are usually the go-to financial instruments for gaining exposure to your favorite hard assets. While futures investing may be appealing, there are many serious drawbacks and costly nuances to this strategy that can impact bottom-line returns. And without fully understanding how futures work and without being able to frequently monitor a trade, futures positions can quickly turn sour. For those who wish to avoid futures, we outline an all ETF portfolio that is designed to provide well-rounded exposure across all of the major commodities completely devoid of these contracts [for more commodity news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].
Checking in On Precious Metals ETFs in 2012
Precious metals have been a hot commodity in recent years, as a number of investors have lost their faith in standard equities and fixed income securities. By far, the most popular allocations are to gold and silver, as these two hard assets offer safe haven appeal and have a strong track record for price appreciation. Platinum and palladium round out the precious metals group, both of which are more widely used than the previous two metals. With 2012 being a relatively rocky year for commodities, we outline the performances of the four most popular precious metals ETFs. Note that all four funds feature a physical allocation to their respective metals [for more precious metals news subscribe to our free newsletter].
How To Play Peter Schiff’s “Bullion Collapse” Theory
To investors’ relief, the Fed sent yet another strong signal that it is preparing to take action to boost the nation’s lackluster recovery. According to the minutes released on Wednesday, the central bank has “judged that additional monetary accommodation would likely be warranted fairly soon unless incoming information pointed to a substantial and sustainable strengthening in the pace of the economic recovery.” Although no one is exactly sure what the Fed has in mind, many believe that another major bond-buying program may be right around the corner. And with the elusive QE3 slowly becoming more of a reality than a sheer wish, commodity investors are already debating how exactly the Fed’s actions will affect them [see also Why U.S. Unemployment Figures Are a Complete Lie].
The One Chart Every Commodity Trader Must See
The past few years have seen the global economy fall on some hard times. At the head of it all has been the U.S., whose fiscal policies and rampant immoralities led to some of the biggest banks in the world bringing down the local economy. In order to keep our heads above water, the Federal Reserve has stepped in on numerous occasions, offering bailouts for hundreds of billions to try and salvage the economy. But the economy has done little to make a solid recovery and instead seems addicted to its regular injections of quantitative easing. As such, the financial situation surrounding the U.S. and our debt policies is beginning to grow concerning [see also Four Commodities To Buy Before Roubini’s “Perfect Storm”].
Commodity Trading Trends: Precious Metals Lead The Way
As 2012 wears on, investors seem less and less sure how the year will end. Some feel that the early bull market we experienced is here to stay and that strong U.S. data only supports that claim. But others feel that such rapid appreciations in stock markets mean that we are about due for a pullback, potentially ending the year on a sour note. No matter which way you feel about the economy, there are always strategies to make a trading profit, and for the time being it looks like precious metals are it. These four metals have been steadily outperforming their commodity peers in recent trading sessions and are presenting a strong play [see also Three Reasons Why Gold Is Overvalued].
