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Wednesday Outlook: Commodities, Global Markets

The 3X funds are fun - I like minimizing absolute exposure for a cheap ticket on the roller coaster. After pulling the trigger too soon around $100, I managed to average into FAZ at $58 these past weeks and fully unloaded it between $82 and $88 yesterday - noticing the trading-screen opportunity accidentally, on an Obama-screen afternoon.

Re C and MS, and the rest, I feel like Eddie Murphy: "I can't be mad at you!" for taking history's biggest tax refund and using it to short the world economy instead of lending it to more losers. It's been a mean old (morally hazardous) world. Now that Vice-President Caligari and his Somnambulist Commander-in-Chief are gone, who knows? Maybe the guy in the driver's seat is actually in charge.

The Safest Ways to Invest in Gold and Silver

I don't understand the premium to NAV for GTU over GLD. I've been in and out of GLD for years, and it always tracks close to the spot price for bullion. Lately I'm using the double-long/short ETFs instead, which are volatile by design, but what is it with the huge markup for a trust that simply holds the metal? Do they spin it from straw, like Rumpelstiltskin?

As I write, GTU is up 10.75% today while GLD is up only 1.17% (?)

Tuesday Outlook: Commodities, Emerging Markets

To the extent this is about Black Swans smashing into Manhattan, this is indeed reminding me of 9/11, slow motion this time, and I'd start to buy those lows. I would not be surprised to see a Santa trading (sucker) rally commencing soon, carrying through New Year, and revisiting the bargain basement early in the year. I'm nearly out of my doubleshort limbo dance positions - the fun challenge is going low while avoiding that backside flop.

Tuesday Outlook: Commodities, Emerging Markets

Interested in DF unloading doubleshort crude oil - I took today's gap down to do the same, as well as taking some quick gains on SDS and SKF, factoring a risk of some sort of relief rally or consolidation on FOMC action this afternoon. As a Canada booster, I'd say Russia has taken itself out of the optimistic "emerging market" category - how about more short ETFs for "submerging markets" as economies blessed with resources that are nevertheless drinking themselves to infertility and death under the direction of crooked autocrats.