The comments above & below is an edited and abridged synopsis of an article by Birch GoldJP Morgan's outlook for gold in 2018 is positive, especially in the second half of the year. During the first half of 2018 gold should average $1,295 an ounce, with the average climbing to $1,340 in the second half, said the bank in its 2018 Global Commodities Outlook.The pressure of additional interest rate h...Read More

Dow Jones Stocks and Precious Metals; 2000 - 2017 (CAD$)Source: Thomson Reuters Datastream; BMG Group Inc.Read More

The comments above & below is an edited and abridged synopsis of an article by Phoenix CapitalAfter the financial crisis of 2008, central banks began cornering the sovereign bond market via zero or negative interest rates and QE programs. They wanted to reflate the financial system by pushing the risk-free rate to extraordinary lows; they wanted capital to flee cash and move into risk assets, ther...Read More

The comments above & below is an edited and abridged synopsis of an article by Tyler DurdenOnce, Wall Street analysts had just two things to worry about: interest rate risk and corporate profits. Virtually everything else was derived from these. Now central banks step in every time there is a hint of a market correction, so no one knows what is and what isn't priced into the market any more, simpl...Read More

The comments above & below is an edited and abridged synopsis of an article by Derek ThompsonTo call Bitcoin the biggest and most obvious bubble in modern history may be a disservice to its surreality. It might make sense for a new public company with accelerating profits, but Bitcoin is not a company and has no profits. It is a digital encrypted currency running on a decentralized network of comp...Read More

The comments above & below is an edited and abridged synopsis of an article by Mike ShedlockCrescat Capital claims US large cap stocks are the most overvalued in history, higher than prior speculative mania market peaks in 1929 and 2000. There are six ways stocks are the most overvalued in history: price to sales; price to book; enterprise value to sales; enterprise value to EBITDA; price to earni...Read More

The comments above & below is an edited and abridged synopsis of an article by Axel Merk With the stock market and Bitcoin reaching all-time highs, what can possibly go wrong? In offering his thoughts on 2018, Merk reminds investors to stress test their portfolios. Some things to ponder:Equities: Merk doesn't like where equities are, and he will seek returns elsewhere.Treasuries: Many think that...Read More

The comments above & below is an edited and abridged synopsis of an article by Gary ChristensonThe Dow is at an all-time high. Interest rates in the US are yielding multi-decade lows. Trillions of dollars in global sovereign debt have negative yield, and European junk bonds yield less than 10-year US Treasuries. Official unemployment is low. Borrowing is inexpensive. Some say the times are good.Ye...Read More

Ounces of gold required to 'buy' one unit of the Dow JonesSource: MeasuringWorth.com; Thomson Reuters Datastream; BMG Group Inc.Read More

Consumer Inflation Official vs 1980 AlternateSource: ShadowStats.com; BMG Group Inc.Read More

The comments above & below is an edited and abridged synopsis of an article by David StockmanThere's a con job taking place in Washington as a desperate mob of Republicans attempts to enact something-anything-that can be vaguely labeled tax reform/tax cut. And for a reason that lies only slightly below the surface.They are scared that the political train wreck in the Oval Office will put them out...Read More

The comments above & below is an edited and abridged synopsis of an article by John RubinoA recurring pattern of the past few decades involves governments promising to limit their borrowing, only to discover that hardly anyone cares. So target dates slip, bonds are issued, and the debts keep rising.This time around the timing is especially notable, since eight years of global growth ought to be pr...Read More

The comments above & below is an edited and abridged synopsis of an article by Michael KosaresWilliam White is a Canadian economist who did research at the Bank of England and the BIS before taking over the Economic Development and Review Committee at the OECD. He presented one of the earliest and most thoughtful warnings of the financial crisis back in 2003. He can, and should, be taken seriously...Read More

The comments above & below is an edited and abridged synopsis of an article by Chris MartensonWe are at the apex of the most incredible nest of financial bubbles in all of human history. Few are aware of the nature of America's predicament, and an even smaller subset is physically or financially ready for the future.Even fewer are mentally prepared for it, and it's the mental and emotional prepara...Read More

The comments above & below is an edited and abridged synopsis of an article by Pavel LisitsynThe Central Bank of Russia (CBR) is increasing the country's gold reserves to meet a goal set by President Vladimir Putin to make Russia less vulnerable to geopolitical risks.As of November, Russia had 1,801 tons of gold that accounted for 17.3% of all reserves. Russia is the sixth-largest gold owner after...Read More

The comments above & below is an edited and abridged synopsis of an article by Ronan ManlyThe annual Russian Bullion Market conference took place on November 24 in Moscow. The most notable speaker was Sergey Shvetsov, First Deputy Chairman of Russia's central bank.Shvetsov discussed an important development involving the Russian central bank in the worldwide gold market, and gave insight into the...Read More

The comments above & below is an edited and abridged synopsis of an article by Lance RobertsAmerican corporations are levered to the hilt with total corporate debt that has surged to $8.7 trillion-its highest level relative to US GDP (45%) since the financial crisis. In the last 2 years, corporations have issued another $1 trillion of new debt, primarily for share buybacks to boost bottom line ear...Read More

The comments above & below is an edited and abridged synopsis of an article by Tyler DurdenThis is the text of an interview with Francesco Filia, a fund manager who is widely respected for his research about how post-crisis monetary policy has distorted markets and the different metrics he uses to determine whether a certain asset is in a bubble. He has a laundry list of metrics that all point to...Read More

The comments above & below is an edited and abridged synopsis of an article by Mike Mish ShedlockFOMC minutes from the recent meeting show Fed Chair Janet Yellen is no longer convinced that low inflation is transitory. Other members mention bubble concerns. The minutes reflect concern that inflation could stay below target longer than expected. They also show a concern over bubbles.Inflation or no...Read More

The comments above & below is an edited and abridged synopsis of an article by David StockmanThe great tech bubble and crash of 2000 marked a crucial turning point in modern financial history: It reflected the fact that the normal mechanisms of stock market price discovery had been disabled by central bankers, and that the natural balancing and disciplining mechanisms of two-way markets had been d...Read More