How the US is becoming a 3rd world country
By Ron Hera, Hera Research, LLC The United States is increasingly similar to a 3rd world country in several ways and is accelerating towards 3rd world status. Economic data indicate a harsh reality that obviates mainstream political debate. The evidence suggests that, without fundamental reforms, the U.S. will become a post industrial neo-3rd-world country by…
Gold entering strongest time of the year
Gold has just entered its strongest time of the year, embarking on a major seasonal rally. Naturally this is very bullish for not only this metal, but the companies that wrest it from the bowels of the Earth. Gold’s well-established seasonality is important for speculators and investors to understand, as it offers many great insights…
Why LICs Find Favour In Times Like Now
To make profits in this market you need darn good stock picking skills combined with a modicum of good luck – or else, you need a well-diversified portfolio, and listed investment companies (LICs) are one way to achieve this. They’re well diversified, cheap, and the oldest LICs have track records spanning back to the early…
The Best Performing Market Over The Past 10 Years
How much would you have made over the last 5 or 10 years if you had invested in the US, Europe, emerging markets or Canada? And how do these market returns compare to Australia? Investing in the USA If you’d invested your money in the US sharemarket over the past ten years, it’s likely that…
Nickel’s Price Chart Gives Me Goose Bumps
I have to admit that nickel’s chart gives me goose bumps, and I am relieved that I was not on the wrong side of the market during the severe correction that started in 2007. Unlike other metals such as gold, nickel has only industrial use, and its price movements are more aligned with its fundamentals….
Australia’s Role In The Golden Age Of Gas
Natural gas has become even more desirable after the Australian government unveiled a plan to pass a carbon tax, which should boost demand for natural gas, since natural gas is a cleaner source of energy than coal. The last International Energy Agency (IEA) report paints a rosy picture for both supply and demand in coming…
Modern Gold-Digging: From Prospecting to Prospectus
After gold’s stellar run over the past decade from $275 to $1,500 an ounce, many investors who were slow to get on board are kicking themselves over missing the boat. However despite the recent volatility and a raft of downgrades to forecasts for commodities prices, many analysts are still gold bulls. HSBC analyst Jim Steel…
Why would I buy an ETF over a managed fund? What are the advantages of ETFs?
There are some major differences and advantages of ETFs over managed funds which investors should be aware of. The primary differences are summarised in the table below: Expanding on these characteristics: Risk Diversification – ETFs usually provide all the diversification benefits of traditional managed funds, providing an investor exposure to an entire index. The…
Want Growth and Value Shares? – Try the GARP Investing Strategy
With the exception of hard-core technical analysts, all investors want to invest in shares of companies that are “fundamentally sound.” Not even the most risk-tolerant among us wants to put money into a company that has minimal chance of some kind of future success. The question for all of us is how we define “fundamentally…
CANSLIM Investing – Does It Really Work?
Last week we introduced the CANSLIM investing strategy, pioneered by American investment guru, William O’Neil. Although it truly is a valid investing strategy for growth stocks, it is controversial to some who see O’Neil’s organisational support in the publication Investors Business Daily and at Investors.com as blatant efforts at commercialising the system. Somehow, investment gurus…
