Friday, June 17, 2022

Barron's: Gold Is Holding Up as Stocks, Bonds, and Crypto Plunge

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

Gold has once again shown itself to be a solid haven investment in the face of market turmoil. Even though bullion prices have dipped a little this year, they have massively outperformed other major asset classes such as stocks, bonds, and cryptocurrencies, which have all taken a beating.

It should be a reminder to prudent investors to consider allocating a portion of their portfolio to the yellow metal. Read more here.

Szaaman, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Tuesday, June 14, 2022

Forbes Japan: Stocks Won't Save You From Inflation

By SIMON CONSTABLE

株に投資すればインフレによる資産の目減りを避けられるのではないか。もしそんなふうにお考えだとしたら、残念ながら間違いだ。おそらく、逆に資産をさらに減らす結果になってしまうだろう。

「株式は投資家をインフレから守ってくれるというのは、長期的にみても神話にすぎない」。調査会社HCWEアンド・カンパニーは最近のリポートでそう警告する。

Read more here

Katsushika Hokusai , Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons


Thursday, June 9, 2022

Barron's: Lumber Prices Are Falling With a Thud. Softer Housing Sales Are Hammering Demand.

By SIMON CONSTABLE

You can almost hear the sound of falling lumber prices, with probably more to go. The Federal Reserve’s slow-but-steady war on inflation will crimp demand for wood used in the home-building industry, sending prices down by almost 50%, experts say.

“With reduced disposable income and higher interest rates, it’s very hard to see the confidence for buying homes at these prices,” says Shawn Hackett, president of Hackett Financial Advisors. Read more here

Tree fellers with the Madera Sugar Pine Company, circa 1911
Madera Sugar Pine Company, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

CBS Eye on the World with John Batchelor: #Commodities: #Scotland, #EU, #UK — Natural gas rising indefinitely.

 By SIMON CONSTABLE

Listen here.

Joshua DoubekCC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Sunday, June 5, 2022

Briefings Magazine: Energy Prices Hit the Gas

By SIMON CONSTABLE

On the surface, it sounds like the early 1970s, with shortages at gas pumps and homeowners suffering through soaring heat prices. But this isn’t the energy crisis of 1973, when a group of oil-rich Arab countries embargoed oil exports to the US and other countries. It’s actually what is happening in large pockets across the globe, only it has a new name: energy insecurity. Read more here.

NeoRetro, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, 

via Wikimedia Commons