Issues
5 Urgent Questions for 2013
No matter what Washington does at the 11th hour tonight, we end the year with one, absolutely indisputable, conclusion: The mammoth U.S. debt ... …
Why Haven’t We Seen the Inflation We Need Yet?
If you watch the markets as closely as I do, you can see that the United States is on course for a serious economic adjustment. From our unsustainable ... …
Are You Doing Business with These Ticking Time Bombs?
If you listen to the politicians and central bankers here in the U.S. and overseas, you’ll hear a remarkably happy tale: They’ll tell you the global financial crisis is ... …
Will Energy Go from Worst to First in 2013?
As investors look ahead to 2013, there’s much speculation about which asset classes and sectors of the stock market are likely to perform best ... …
Why Uranium is the Unexpected Beneficiary of the New Abe Administration
Last week, I wrote about Shinzo Abe’s victory in Japan. And I explained how many observers are focused on the monetary policy switch that will ... …
Happy Holidays
Our Money and Markets team is off today, spending some quality time with family and friends. But we wanted to take a moment to wish you all the best ... …
Thank you for one of the greatest gifts of all!
Please accept our warmest wishes for you and your loved ones during this holiday season. The rest of the year, my team and I focus on opportunities to help you ... …
3 ETFs to Put You in the Catbird Seat for 2013
The renowned British economist, John Maynard Keynes, said many years ago, “It is far better for an institutional investor’s reputation to fail conventionally ... …
How to put the power of Weiss’ global bank ratings to work for you!
When it comes to investing, great information is worth its weight in gold. It helps you cut through all the spin, half-truths, and outright lies coming out ... …
Forget the Fiscal Cliff … Watch these Key Indicators into the New Year!
Soon investors will close the books on 2012. The focus will be squarely on the New Year and what the economy and financial markets may ... …
Contrarian Opportunity for You in Japan
Along with the regular holiday cheer that comes each December, investors and traders also receive previews looking at the year ahead from just about ... …
The Worst Inflation in My Lifetime
Shortly after we took this family photo in 1951, Dad decided to buy a second home in Brazil, where we experienced the worst inflation of the 20th Century ... …
This ‘Rodney Dangerfield of Metals’ Deserves Your Respect
Gold and silver may be the metals of kings. But if you’re looking for potentially royal returns on bullion bars and coins, you may want to consider adding ... …
All That Glitters Isn’t (Just) Gold …
With the fiscal cliff deadline just two short weeks away, there’s no time to waste in preparing for what comes next — whether it’s economic fallout ... …
Start Your Stash of ‘Grab-and-Go’ Wealth Today!
With the stroke of a pen on July 23, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson made the first fundamental change to U.S. coinage in 173 years ... …
Your ONLY Protection from the Coming Currency Wars
Today’s world is as uncertain as any we’ve seen in some time. Sovereign-debt crises threaten major economies in Europe and Japan. And the fiscal ... …
Gold: Headed to $62,238 or Even $84,131 an Ounce?
I have some important ground to cover with you today, in this special column. So let me get started right away — and with a warning I want to get on ... …
At the Golden Crossroads: The West vs. the Rest
There’s no doubt that we live in times of momentous change. But it’s more than that: We live, quite literally, at the crossroads of history. It is a time of ... …
11 Shocking Forecasts for 2013
For the past week, you’ve told us what you see ahead in 2013 for stocks, oil and gold. And in your emails, you have also stressed how anxious you are to ... …
Why You Shouldn’t Touch this Stock with a 10-Foot Pole
It’s common knowledge that to achieve the best overall return when managing your portfolio, you need to make the right picks at the right time. And you ... …
Junk Bond Bubble Getting Out of Control! What to Do …
I’ve never been one to mince words when I see dangerous bubbles inflating. And I’ve never been afraid to really ramp up the volume of my warnings ... …
3 Post-Fiscal Cliff Investment Opportunities
The fiscal cliff debate playing out in Washington has predictably turned into a three-ring circus of political posturing and gamesmanship. …
Green Shoots in Europe?
The market’s attention is currently focused on the fiscal cliff. Meanwhile, the area of concern for most of the year, Europe, has quietly seen some ... …
Answers on stock splits, foreign dividends, and airline investments …
I’ve been getting a lot of great questions recently, so today I want to take some time to answer a couple of the most popular and important ... …
Fiscal Cliff: Now it’s getting PERSONAL …
No matter what they decide in Washington in the next 28 days, the Fiscal Cliff is going to impact us PERSONALLY — in our pocket book. It's going ... …
Ben’s Friend: QE IV Is Coming!
Quantitative Easing III, the much-talked-about “QE-Infinity†initiative announced in September, is still so new that it barely shows up as a blip on a ... …
Surprising New Developments in 2 Major Markets!
I’m seeing surprising new developments in two major markets that could have HUGE implications for you and your wealth. Before we get to those, I want to ... …
How to Play the ‘Ultimate Asset Bubble’
Since the Federal Reserve announced a much-anticipated third round of monetary easing known as QE III, financial markets simply have not ... …
A Simple Way to Capture Commodities’ Next Move
Since Election Day, when the correction in equities started accelerating in earnest, commodities have outperformed stocks. Today let’s look at why ... …
Beaten-down dividend bargains …
A chill has set in, and not just at my house here in Pennsylvania. It seems as though investors are once again turning a cold shoulder to stocks. There are plenty of …
2013: The wildest ride of our lifetime!
Exactly one week from today — on Monday, December 3 — we will give you our forecasts for next year, and I can tell you right now: 2013 is going to bring one ... …
Fiscal Cliff Talks Coming Down to the Wire!
I don’t know about you. But for me, Thanksgiving is one of my all time favorite holidays. I love getting together with family and friends, eating my fill ... …
A Quick Note of Thanks from Money and Markets
While we don’t often agree with Wall Street, we do appreciate its tradition of closing the U.S. markets to give investors the opportunity to enjoy the holiday ... …
How to Ride the Trend of the World’s Next Top Oil Producer
Last week the International Energy Agency (IEA) released its World Energy Outlook 2012. This annual report provides a long-term view of the global energy ... …
Lots of reasons to worry about muni bonds right now …
Last week, I explained why fears about new dividend taxes are overblown. But obviously investors are still worrying because many of my favorite ... …
Fiscal Cliff Weapons of Mass Political Destruction
Here we are, less than five weeks before the Fiscal Cliff deadline, and the games have already begun! Late last week, we saw the first round of ... …
My Challenge to S&P, Moody’s, and Fitch: Downgrade the Debt of the United States Before We Run Off the Fiscal Cliff!
I challenge you again to promptly take the bold action that you have so far avoided — to downgrade your long-term credit ratings of the U.S. government ... …
How I’m Investing Martin’s Retirement Money in Challenging Times Like These
In last week’s column, I wrote how Dr. Weiss is very conservative. And he is concerned about the global debt crisis, the looming fiscal cliff, and the ... …
New Challenges and Opportunities in Real Estate
The fiscal cliff story is playing out just as I expected: The early, happy talk of compromise is slowly dissolving like morning fog in the summer sun. President Obama is ... …
Fiscal Cliff-Hanger: 2 Key Indicators I’m Watching Now!
As I wrote last week in Money and Markets, there is a high degree of uncertainty impacting markets right now as the White House and Congress ... …
Why this $3.6 Billion Deal Signals Opportunity in Beaten-Down Sector
Over the past week, the market has focused mostly on the new political reality in Washington and the upcoming negotiations designed to avoid ... …
Should you worry about higher dividend taxes?
With election season behind us — and little meaningful change in Washington — investors are now turning their attention back to the looming fiscal cliff. I can see why! It’s not clear …
The Next Big Showdown
Voters have spoken. But the market has not. And a major new showdown between Washington and Wall Street is now in the making. So far, investors ... …
Why I Love this Surprising Sector, and Why You Should Too!
Last week, I gave you several reasons why the Technology sector should prosper in 2013 and beyond. We also named the subsectors bound to lead ... …
Election likely means more gridlock, more Fed insanity, and more economic stagnation!
By now, we all know the results of Tuesday’s elections: President Obama won the right to serve four more years in the White House thanks to narrow ... …
Trend Shift Underway for Emerging Markets … How to Target Them with Global ETFs
The American people have spoken ... now it’s up to our elected leaders to follow through in addressing the many challenges facing the U.S. economy ... …
How to Follow the Smart Money Betting on More Gridlock
The election has come and gone. And while all the media focus remains on the results, the market’s focus will almost certainly immediately shift to ... …
One type of bond I still recommend …
In response to last week’s article on interest rates, one reader wrote in to ask about savers using Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS) ... …
New Post-Election Dangers and Opportunities
Never before in my lifetime have I seen Washington play a bigger, more direct role in business and financial markets! And never before have I had the opportunity to talk with a …
Another ‘Rising’ Sector Newt Recommended for You
Like most Americans, I’ve been closely watching the presidential race. And I’m sure you have, too. We all know there are sure to be policy changes ... …
Is a Central Bank Gold Run at Hand?
On learning that French gold was being held by the U.S. Federal Reserve, French President Charles de Gaulle is reported to have said, ... …
Keep an Eye on These New Trends as ETFs Turn 20
Besides the dreaded fiscal cliff, U.S. investors have another big event looming in January 2013 ... but this one calls for a party! January is the ... …
What Hurricane Sandy’s Wrath Could Mean for 3 Sectors
This week Hurricane Sandy made landfall in the northeast U.S. And the historic storm’s impact caused markets to close, and industry and travel came to ... …
Are we in for four more years (of low interest rates)?
There’s no doubt that the outcome of our upcoming presidential election could have far-reaching effects on everything from the tax rates we pay to ... …
How to Avoid the Losers and Find the Winners
Which stocks and ETFs are the most likely to fall after the election and beyond? Which are the most likely to rise? What about your bank? Was it ... …
Where to Invest the Day after the Elections
On Thursday, Martin and I had the privilege to talk privately with a Washington insider, Newt Gingrich, who has more direct knowledge about the ... …
Is too much Fed medicine starting to make the banks sick?
I’ll be the first to admit I like cheap mortgage rates. Who doesn’t, right? If you’re going to buy a house, all else being equal, you’d like to pay 3.5 percent for a ... …
Follow the BIG Money … to Emerging Markets!
China has been one of the world’s worst performing stock markets in 2012, down 14 percent from its March high. Persistent worries about the health of ... …
Why Semiconductors Are Due for a Comeback
Since the market topped back in mid-September the Nasdaq has traded very poorly, falling more than 6 percent while the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 declined somewhat less. But …
Named inside: One of my latest stock recommendations
I continue to get some great feedback on Social Security and the general state of retirement in America ... and I want to keep the conversation going ... …
Monetary Explosion Goes Global!
While the most hotly contested presidential election in recent memory swings into its final two weeks ... While global investors sway between fear and hope about its consequences ... …
Bickering at IMF meeting signals which currencies you should target
Maybe it’s too much to say the global financial system is coming apart at the center. But when you consider the downward trend in global trade among ... …
What Bolivia, Iceland, and the Fed have in common — and what it means to YOU!
Man oh man are things getting surreal in the yield chasing saga I’ve been discussing. Just when you think that investors won’t venture any further into the ... …
Why this Earnings Season Could Be a Game Changer
Earnings season always adds an extra dose of volatility to the markets. But as third-quarter profit reports begin coming in fast and furious this week ... …
3 Reasons You Should Like Banks
Over the past several weeks the stock market, broadly speaking, has seen the summer rally stall, as lack of continued progress in Europe weighs ... …
More on the history of Social Security …
Last week’s article on Social Security generated a lot of comments and questions. For example, one reader said that President Obama was ... …
New Era of Monetary EXPLOSION! What will happen?
A few years before my father died, he and I studied the expansion of the Federal Reserve balance sheet with growing alarm. The Fed was pumping ... …
Why the IMF Cried “Uncle!,†and How Big Companies Are Preparing for a Euro Crash
This week we witnessed an intellectual revolt by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the key partner involved in this European crisis with the ... …
Yield Chasing Back in Vogue! What to Do …
Chasing yield. It’s an investing term that sounds so innocuous. And I hear it thrown around on CNBC and in print as if it’s nothing to worry about. But ... …
IMF’s Growth Forecast Highlights Disparity between Developed and Emerging World
The day before yesterday, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) confirmed what we have been discussing in Money and Markets for months ... …
How to Get a Contrarian “Leg Up†on the Market
Despite the market’s strong rally since mid-summer, many investors remain cautious due to multiple conflicting signals from market internals ... …
“Social Security is structurally sound.â€
I have a lot of problems with the current state of Presidential debates, including the fact that other parties’ legitimate candidates are effectively barred from ... …
Election BOMBSHELL! What happens on the day AFTER!
We have just partnered with John Zogby International to conduct a national poll of likely voters. And unlike any other poll we know of, we didn’t ask merely ... …
When Stocks Start Down, So Goes the Pound!
The Federal Reserve Bank has increased its balance sheet by about $2 trillion since October 2008. Meanwhile, the Dow Jones Industrial Average bottomed ... …
Bernanke wants you to act like a fool with your money!
Of all the things that the Federal Reserve has gotten wrong, nothing infuriates me more than what Chairman Ben Bernanke is doing now. He’s not even ... …
Here’s the One Investment That Stands to Benefit from QE3
Every investor is focused on the upcoming U.S. elections, little more than one month away. Then, all eyes will turn apprehensively toward the approaching ... …
Agricultural Offers You Two Opportunities Insulated from the European Crisis
As usual, the market’s focus was squarely on Europe last week, where announcements of the Spanish budget for 2013 and the bank capital short fall ... …
Your questions on MLPs, put writing, government retirement plans, and more …
I’ve been getting a lot of great questions in my editor’s mailbag, and today I’d like to address some of the most popular issues that have been ... …
Weiss Election Video Coming THIS Thursday
This is going to be a Red Letter week for Weiss Research — and more importantly, for you! …
What a German Departure Could Mean for Currency Investors
We all remember the term “Grexit.†It was coined when investors began thinking Greece might soon exit the euro zone. Not long after came similar ... …
Here we go again, European edition!
My wife Kim and I text a lot. It’s just easier to do these days when you’re running around, busting your tail at work, chasing after the kids, or what have you ... …
How You Can Cash In on America’s New Energy Boom
Crude oil prices have been on a wild ride lately. Like other global markets, oil has been impacted by a rapid-fire barrage of headline-making events ... …
4 Key Events in Spain to Watch this Week
2012 has been the year of Spain, and I’m not talking about their dominating the Euro Soccer Tournament earlier this summer. I’m talking about concerns ... …
Another income strategy using options …
In the past I’ve told you about covered call writing — a conservative strategy using options that can generate substantial income. And today, I want to ... …
The Simple Case for Gold
If you haven’t met my good friend Charles Goyette, now’s the time to do so. He’s the author of the New York Times bestselling book, The Dollar Meltdown and the recent ... …
Why QE3 will fail, and why that may be very good for the U.S. dollar
It seems to me the Great Depression has cast a long dark shadow over Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke’s thinking. The man seems obsessed by the ... …
Funny money versus fundamentals still the name of the game!
There’s no doubt about it anymore — the Federal Reserve has ventured into the Twilight Zone! Chairman Ben Bernanke has loudly declared that he will ... …
Why All Emerging Markets Are Not Created Equal … and Where Investors Are Heading
The latest monetary easing by the European Central Bank (ECB) and Federal Reserve has given financial markets on both sides of the Atlantic a positive ... …
Fed Ignites Potential Boom for Hard Assets!
By now you’re probably aware of the Federal Reserve Bank’s surprising and aggressive announcement last Thursday: Unlimited accommodation until the ... …
Three technical measures I use frequently …
I recently closed out two more big winners in my dad’s retirement portfolio — a 43 percent gain on Wal-Mart and an 18 percent profit on oil company ... …
Insanity at the Fed! Bernanke to Print $480 Billion!
Fed chief Ben Bernanke has just proven what many have suspected all along is indeed true: The U.S. Federal Reserve is patently INSANE! …
9 Reasons Why the Dollar Still Looks Like a Great Long-Term Bet
Now that the European Central Bank has “saved†the euro and our Federal Reserve has declared easy money as far as the eye can see, isn’t the dollar going to ... …
What if QE is already priced in?
Back in the olden days (i.e. just a couple years ago!), things like earnings and the state of the economy actually mattered. The warnings of ... …
Markets Hang in the Balance Awaiting the Fed
As I wrote in last week’s column, this will be a September to remember. Now the $64,000 question is: Will they or won’t they? Anticipation is running high ... …
ECB Meeting Doesn’t Change the Euro’s Ultimate Fate
One of the most anticipated ECB meetings in history occurred last week, and with it the European crisis entered a new phase. Generally speaking ... …
What I learned 11 years ago today …
Exactly 11 years ago today, right about the time this column is getting e-mailed out to you, I was walking through Hoboken, New Jersey toward the train that would take me into lower Manhattan. …
Saving the American Dream
There is little doubt that the massive fiscal cliff we are now approaching threatens to cripple the U.S. economy and stock market and to drive gold and silver ... …
Next on the ECB’s Collateral List: Goats, Wine, and Cheese Wheels?
Are there any limits to monetary policy? It sure doesn’t seem like it. But in the real world there is a limit: The amount of available collateral to lend ... …
Central Bank Fantasy Land vs. Real World Nightmare
Never before have I seen such a divergence between the “fantasy land†world central bankers and their faithful live in ... and the real world the rest of us inhabit. …
Buckle Your Seatbelts for a September to Remember!
It’s the first week of September and professional investors in Europe and the U.S. return from holiday and the Labor Day weekend facing a minefield of ... …
