Money Fest

In the immediate aftermath of the most recent global economic recession it is easy to look for ways to capitalize on the reemergence of the housing and credit markets.  If a slow but consistent climb out of the economic hole that was created last fall actually occurs it is likely there will be many new and different investment vehicles offered to investors eager to come back from the severe losses that have been felt over the past 12 months.  As attractive and lucrative as it sounds, investing in developed nations may not be the most rewarding activity.  There are plenty of economies around the world that would benefit from robust outside investment.  These economies are rich with potential and are waiting for a few visionary investors to really turn them into cash cows.

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StimulusThose who have been tracking the almost 800 billion dollar stimulus plan since it was passed are looking for real effects from this plan on the economy.  Some would argue that these effects have come in the form of a slowing of recent rises in unemployment figures, better than expected retail sales in June and July, and the simple fact that we seem to have averted a catastrophic economic meltdown.  It’s tough to say whether or not the optimism reflected by Bernanke and Paulson is here to stay or even real at all for that matter.  There is much talk of a commodities slow-down in the fall, so it’s little wonder that there is so much nervousness in the market.  Yet a curious fact has been mostly overlooked.  All of this positive economic data has occurred during a time period when only 10%-15% of the stimulus has been spent so far.

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The word on the street recently has been that stocks, commodities, and the economy in general may be poised for a late summer or fall pull back, given some of the key indicators reports that have recently come out involving retail sales and employment.  Certainly there was no expectation that the recession would draw to a close quickly, but we may be finding ourselves in the eye of the storm so to speak, rather than on the mend after a dangerous and severe recession.  There are a few sparks that may serve to ignite a rebound in early 2010, but hope is waning, and it will be more likely that these redeeming factors may only be able to help soften the blow of yet another, more intense recession.

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Precious metals investors have long looked for every conceivable edge in the market to get ahead in times of real price volatility.  It’s often very impractical to store hundreds or thousands of ounces of rhodium, palladium, silver, or gold and finding a safe and secure place to keep them is often a major concern.  It’s also tough to sell or liquidate an entire position in a short period of time, let alone a couple of minutes.  Precious metals ETF’s are wrought with accounting problems and other red flags, leaving investors no other option than to steer well clear of ETF’s when looking for new precious metals investment vehicles.  But pool accounts, which are becoming more and more mainstream, offer an excellent way for those investors looking for liquidity, safety, and security, to invest in the markets.

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