A reputable German newspaper asks the question forgotten by many domestic media sources: With or without tapering, will the financial system collapse? The answer may be surprising to many.... >> READ MORE...

A good bull is (almost) all encompassing, a tiring bull market becomes very selective. The rally into the August high displays the kind of selective (or fragmented) performance often seen near significant tops. Nevertheless, the Nasdaq-100 almost clocked a new 154-month high on Friday. Will this jolt the S&P?... >> READ MORE...

Ben Bernanke called the 2009 stress tests ‘one of the critical turning points in the financial crisis.’ The results did what they were supposed to do, soothe investors. A Federal Reserve study now shows that banks aren’t as ‘infallible’ as they’re supposed to be.... >> READ MORE...

The S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index shows that a) real estate prices have been recovering and b) the performance of real estate ETFs is out of whack compared to home prices. But it doesn’t show what prices will do next. Here’s a leading (not lagging) home price indicator.... >> READ MORE...

Before you disregard lumber prices as an abstract asset, ask yourself if you want to know what’s next for housing prices? If that interests you, you probably will want to look at the predictive qualities of lumber prices.... >> READ MORE...

‘Don’t fight the Fed,’ has been a convenient way to explain rising prices across the board. It’s even true as far as stocks are concerned, but there are other – even more important markets – that are openly defying QE. Begging the question, when will the hammer hit stocks?... >> READ MORE...

There are times when short-term charts offer little to no guidance, and there are times when a chart just oozes with valuable clues about the market’s whereabouts. The later is true right now. Head-and shoulders, Fibonacci, trend lines, etc., this chart has it all.... >> READ MORE...

On Thursday the S&P 500 gapped below key support, trapping a lot of hopeful bulls. The down side target of this move has almost been reached. Although there is reason for stocks to rally, they must break above resistance first.... >> READ MORE...

‘Rally like you mean it!’ Up until recently, gold didn’t rally like it should off a major bottom. Even though gold has gotten some of its mojo back, we do well to ask if the rally is here to stay or just ‘fool’s gold.’ Here’s a look a various indicators.... >> READ MORE...

Gold mining is a labor and capital-intensive business. But there are times when investors can make money even in the gold mining sector. That’s either when gold prices soar or when blood is on the streets. Was the June low ‘bloody’ enough to buy gold mining stocks?... >> READ MORE...