By Lara Crigger

First there was peak oil, now there's "peak gold."

The idea that we may have already passed the zenith of worldwide gold production has never crossed many investors' minds, but now some industry insiders, like the CEO of Barrick Gold (ABX), are loudly hailing an impending mining decline. So have we hit the peak of world gold production—and more importantly, if we have, would it make any difference?

By Brad Zigler

Real-time Monetary Inflation (last 12 months): 4.6%

Data published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics this week shows U.S. inflation continuing to bottom. Year-over-year, the Consumer Price Index slipped 0.2% in October, its shallowest decline since March. Wholesale prices for finished goods, metered by the Producer Price Index, fell 1.9% annually, also the smallest decline since March.

By Julian Murdoch

As Brad Zigler wrote earlier this week, the new Market Vectors Junior Gold Miners ETF (GDXJ) is off to a good start, especially compared with the Market Vectors Gold Miners ETF (GDX). But what's really going on under GDXJ's hood?

By Brad Zigler

Real-time Monetary Inflation (last 12 months): 4.7%

The moderator of supply and demand is supposed to be price, right? Well, the report on third-quarter demand from the World Gold Council ought to be a real head scratcher, then. Supplies of gold are down 5% from year-ago levels, says the council, while demand has fallen 34%.

By Brad Zigler

Real-time Monetary Inflation (last 12-months): 4.7%

Reading the headline numbers from Wednesday morning's report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics would likely make you think that inflation's back. But you may not be positive. Month-over-month, prices measured by the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 0.3% in October, though the index is 0.2% lower than its year-ago level.

In the early summer, Paul Mendelsohn, chief investment strategist at Vermont-based Windham Financial Services, began shifting out of many of his lucrative equity positions and into commodities and commodity-related stocks and ETFs. In this Q&A session, HardAssetsInvestor.com asks Mendelsohn about the reasons for his focus shift, and what his forecasts are for 2010.

Daniel Harrison for HardAssetsInvestor.com (HAI): Which commodity sectors are you primarily focused on right now?

By Brad Zigler

Admittedly, it's a little early to test the mettle of the brand-new Market Vectors Junior Gold Miners ETF (NYSE Arca: GDXJ). After all, real-time trading only started on Nov.11. But with Monday's big gold run-up—COMEX spot climbed $22.50 an ounce to $1,138.60—we've got the better part of a trading week behind us. In a dynamic environment, no less. We might as well compare the fund's performance to other gold investments to see how it's faring. Think of it as sort of a stress test.

By Tom Vulcan

Cobalt is a divine color and there is nothing as fine for putting an atmosphere round things. Carmine is the red of wine and is warm and lively like wine. The same goes for emerald green too. It's false economy to dispense with them, with those colors. Cadmium as well."

By Brad Zigler

Real-time Monetary Inflation (last 12 months): 4.7%

Gold's race into new high territory and has left silver lagging far behind, much to the chagrin of investors anxious for some moderation in the gold/silver ratio.

With gold now trading above $1,100/oz, many investors are starting to wonder if the fundamentals really support the yellow metal's seemingly unstoppable upward rise. But it's not just a weak dollar and inflation fears driving gold upward, says precious metals expert Adrian Ash; it also depends on "hot money" from leveraged players—who might very soon decide to move on.

Adrian Ash is the editor of Gold News and the head of research at BullionVault, the world's fastest-growing online gold service for private investors. Formerly head of editorial at Fleet Street Publications, Mr. Ash now regularly contributes to 321gold, GoldSeek and Whiskey and Gunpowder, and his views on precious metals have been sought by the Financial Times, the Economist, Bloomberg and others.

By Brad Zigler

There was a time not so long ago when allocating investment capital was a pretty simple affair. Financial advisers used to recommend a basic "60/40" portfolio: 60 percent in equities and 40 percent in fixed-income securities. Investors might tweak their portfolios around the edges to allow for a cash hoard or a dollop of gold, but that was about as fancy as investing got.

By Brad Zigler

I got chided Thursday morning. There's nothing new in that. I get my chops busted regularly. But Thursday morning's rip was more intriguing than most.

By Brad Zigler

Real-time Monetary Inflation (last 12 months): 4.5%

Inflation-heralding commodities were at sixes-and-sevens this week as gold reached new highs without support from oil. Supply still weighs heavily on the oil market, especially after an unexpectedly large build in U.S. crude stockpiles was reported Thursday, along with further slackening in year-over-year gasoline demand. Ultimately, inflationary expectations continue to drive speculators into the gold market.

So far in 2009, the agriculture markets haven't witnessed the same sharp rebound as other commodities have; in fact, compared to oil or copper, humble ags seem downright sensible. And there's still plenty of room for upside, says Shonda Warner, founder of Chess Capital Partners—that is, if Mother Nature plays along.

Ms. Warner is the founder of Chess Ag Full Harvest Partners, an investment firm that focuses on purchasing undervalued farmland in the U.S. With over 20 years' experience in hedge fund environments, she has worked as co-managing director of U.K. based fund-of-funds Montier Partners and as an executive director for Bear Stearns and Goldman Sachs.

Is oil entering a bubble? That was the question on everyone's mind at last week's "Inside Commodities" conference, where keynote speaker Nouriel Roubini argued in his speech that oil prices had risen too far, too fast, too soon.

But oil can still go much higher, says Stephen Schork, editor of The Schork Report, a daily briefing on the energy markets. With over 17 years' experience in commodities trading and risk systems modeling, Mr. Schork is a highly respected voice in the energy markets, and has offered his expert opinion to CNBC, the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg and dozens of other media outlets.

At last week's "Inside Commodities" conference, the conversation returned again and again to one dominant theme: inflation vs. deflation. Some, like Nouriel Roubini, predicted the U.S. is set for a deflationary crash. But other speakers forecasted runaway inflation—including Peter Schiff, president of Euro Pacific Capital.

Author of 2007's "Crash Proof: How to Profit from the Coming Economic Collapse," Peter Schiff is an investment adviser, blogger and frequent commentator for dozens of financial print and television media outlets. Mr. Schiff served as an economic adviser to Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) during his 2008 presidential campaign, and he is currently running for U.S. Senate, opposite incumbent Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT).

By Brad Zigler

The U.S. Energy Department usually releases its weekly petroleum inventory report on Wednesday, but since it's Veterans Day, we won't see those numbers ‘til tomorrow.

By Brad Zigler

Yesterday's Desktop column ("Investors Thinking: Time To Hedge Gold Stocks?") recapped a strategy for hedging gold mining stocks originally presented in "More On Hedging Gold Stocks."

By Brad Zigler

As a kid, it was hard to imagine having too much of a good thing. How, I wondered, could more candy be bad? (Many thanks to the family dentists that subsequently saved my choppers from rot.)

By Brad Zigler

You'd think last month's earnings releases would have given a boost to gold stocks, since four of the five components of the NYSE Arca Gold Miners Index (GDM) reporting posted positive results. Yet, going into the last week of October, miners' stock prices slumped, only to emerge at the end even lower.