Tag: The Federal Reserve

Rocks to Riches with Thomas Schuster

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The Gold Report: Thomas, the price of gold sank in October even as the stock market was rebounding. Can gold also rebound?

Thomas Schuster: Gold will rebound, it always has and always will. The mining market is almost violently cyclic. Deep lows are followed by spectacular highs. The tough question is when will the gold price rebound happen? There are a lot of nay-saying precious metal bears in the market right now. Many forecasters are predicting that gold will continue to trade within a narrow range around $1,1001,225/ounce ($1,1001,225/oz) over the next few years.

"Integra Gold Corp.'s project looks very promising."

But the fact is, on a global scale, we are not replacing reserves as fast as we're mining them. That simple fact supports only one outcome: higher prices. A recent report on gold production by SNL Metals Mining observes that when we look at the amount of potential future production from major discoveries made over the last 15 years, we could only replace, at best, 50% of gold produced during that same period. The report also points out that the average time to bring a newly discovered mine into production has been significantly increasing. For mines that went into production between 1985 and 1995, the average wait was eight years from discovery to production. For mines that went into production between 2006 and 2013, the average wait is 18 years.

There are many reasons for this more details are needed in feasibility work-ups, there are more stringent social and environmental standards, and more demanding permitting processes. Many of these mines are of lower grade. They are more remote, and require lots of capital for developing infrastructure and processing capacities. The capital market is poor at the moment; it is difficult to raise money and it takes more time to move into production than it did before.

TGR: Why was gold so high previously and what happened to the price, in your opinion? Why was it so high, and why did it fall so far? Continue reading "Rocks to Riches with Thomas Schuster" →

Fed Signals It Plans To Keep Key Interest Rate At Record Low

Posted on by The INO.com Team

The Federal Reserve signaled Wednesday that it plans to keep a key interest rate at a record low for a considerable period because a broad range of U.S. economic measures remain subpar.

The Fed said it planned to keep its benchmark rate near zero as long as inflation remains under control, until it sees consistent gains in wage growth, long-term unemployment and other gauges of the job market.

The central bank retained language signaling its plans to keep short-term rates low "for a considerable time" after it ends its monthly bond purchases after its next meeting in October.

Stock prices rose after the Fed issued its statement at 2 p.m. Eastern time. Traders appeared pleased that the Fed seems in no hurry to raise rates. Continue reading "Fed Signals It Plans To Keep Key Interest Rate At Record Low" →

Here's Your Market Roadmap For The Rest Of 2014

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By: David Sterman of Street Authority

When the Federal Reserve first suggested a gradual tightening of its monetary policy in May 2013, investors began to wonder if the long-running bull market would come to an abrupt end.

A quick spike in interest rates at the time gave a sense that times were indeed changing. Yet investors end up shrugging off that noise: The SP 500 rose an impressive 22% between July 1 of last year and June 30 of this year. Toss in dividends and investors garnered a 25% total return -- roughly the amount investors should expect to garner over a three year period in normal times.

But these are not normal times. The stunning 191% gain for the SP 500 since bottoming out in March 2009 is remarkable in light of the fact that the subsequent economic rebound after the Great Recession has been quite tepid. Low interest rates, a huge amount of global liquidity and very high corporate profit margins all get credit for the bull market that has exceeded the wildest expectations of even the most aggressive market strategists.

At this point, it might seem the wisest path to sit back and enjoy the ride, waiting for another 20% gain over the next 12 months.

Yet before you grow too complacent, you need to take a closer look at factors driving the market higher and assess what kind of backdrop we should expect in the six months ahead. Here are key events and factors you should be tracking.

The Economy

At this point, there are really only two points of economic interest: unemployment and inflation.

The former is falling and the latter may be rising. We now know that the U.S. economy created at least 200,000 jobs for the fifth straight month. That's the first time that has happened in more than a decade. The next payroll report comes on Aug. 8, and if that report also highlights a gain of at least 200,000 jobs, then it's hard to see how the Fed will stick by its "no rate hikes in the near future" policy. Continue reading "Here's Your Market Roadmap For The Rest Of 2014" →

Crude Oil, Iraq and The Economy – Are We On A Collision Course?

Posted on by The INO.com Team

Hello traders everywhere! Adam Hewison here, discussing the situation in Iraq and how it could possibly affect the US and world economy.

After spending over $1 trillion and having lost the lives of over 4,500 brave Americans in Iraq, the country has once again imploded. I don't have to reiterate what is going on with Muslim extremists, but it seems they are hellbent to take over Baghdad, the capital of Iraq, and the rest of the country. It would appear now, Muslim extremists feel empowered to push their views to the max.

The Middle East has always been a problem waiting to happen, ever since the British left in the 50s. Arab unity seems to be the major problem in this area and one that's been going on perhaps for centuries.

I've always believed that the west's principal interest in that region was because of the crude oil (NYMEX:CL.N14.E) under the sand. I'm positive we would not even be there if they did not have vast resources of energy that the world is addicted to. The question now is, what is going to happen if Iraq and the oil fields are taken over by Muslim extremists and Iran? Should that happen, and the odds are becoming more and more likely that it will, it will produce a world that is totally different from what we know now.

I have been positive on crude oil (NYMEX:CL.N14.E) since May 19th at the $101.98 level (currently trading at $106.98). This market has the potential to continue in a very positive manner and move substantially higher, possibly to the $120 to $125 a barrel area. Continue reading "Crude Oil, Iraq and The Economy – Are We On A Collision Course?" →

Ink + Paper Doesn't Equal Value: Prechter on Fiat Money

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By: Elliott Wave International

My dad will turn 84 this year. When he was born, you could walk into a Federal Reserve Bank or the Treasury and redeem your paper money for gold. It actually said you could on every piece of U.S. paper currency:

"Redeemable in gold on demand at the United States Treasury, or in Gold or lawful money at any Federal Reserve Bank."

You can't do that today, which helps explain why my dad is so grumpy.

But, seriously, I mention my father to make it personal. The move away from the gold standard did happen in the lifetime of some folks who are still around. Is that such a big deal?

Well, it is a big deal when the government unilaterally changes all economic and financial transactions, from having a basis in something, to ... Continue reading "Ink + Paper Doesn't Equal Value: Prechter on Fiat Money" →