hammondholt

Don't Worry, We've Had an Even Higher Debt to GDP Ratio Before

the chart might be correct, but let's put it in perspective -- the US, after WW2, had a lot of growing and manufacturing to do as a result of just having crawled out of a Great Depression and WW2 -- and China, India, Germany and Japan couldn't compete with our production. we were an export positive country. just how exactly are we going to pay down the curve in the chart, when we can't pull down our trade deficits and are borrowing heavily just to sustain our current level of government, which continues to be a deficit every year! the thesis of this argument totally disregards the context of the past and our present.

Gold's Not the Best Investment in Inflationary Times

Isn't it "velocity" of money we need to worry about? which would allow for both non-economic activity and inflation.

also, there is no argument for the third rationale for purchasing Gold: 3) as a refuge in a bad economy sans inflation. Gold held its value in 08 WITHOUT inflation and WITH hedge fund selling and WITH a resurgent Dollar. Pretty durable.

I'm not a Gold Bull, and I'm not calling a de-coupling of Gold from Inflation, but it seems that an argument for Gold as a refuge WITH or WITHOUT inflation can be made.

Baltic Dry Index Signaling a Market Bottom?

I bought EXM when it was 5 and traded, but sold too early. Bought after Karen Finerman mentioned it as an "interesting" valuation, with a good div.

I'm watching the dry (and wet) shippers -- I agree with the oversold and no one will stop eating or using oil premise; there are some interesting articles about oil companies renting VLCC and ULCC and parking oil off-shore until oil prices rise -- the one's I like are hitting their resistance. But Knightsbridge and GMR, FRO I am looking at, but haven't bit yet.

So as a trade, I wait to see if they break thru or bounce back. Haven't done all the research today on these names to make a good call. But now that 920S&P is support, and Obamamania is a forward looking phenom, I'm thinking they'll push upwards. But it's only partial technical and partial tea-leaves on my part.