Axel Merk

Merk Funds

Contributor since: 26 Feb 2010

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• Ultra-low Volatility #ThisTimeIsDifferent

  Published 14 June 2017 | viewed 0 times

  We increasingly see claims low volatility in the markets may be structural. Even as we agree that some of the analyses we see make good…

• Best Investment Practices

  Published 04 May 2017 | viewed 0 times

  How does one construct a portfolio in an era of seemingly ever rising and highly correlated asset prices? Years of asset prices moving higher has…

• What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

  Published 05 April 2017 | viewed 0 times

  This time is different. Stocks will always go up. And pigs can fly. Given that pigs are highly intelligent, don't bet against them. That said,…

• What's Next for the Dollar, Gold and Stocks?

  Published 22 March 2017 | viewed 0 times

  Two rate hikes since last year have weakened the dollar. Why is that, and what's ahead for dollar, currencies & gold? And while we are…

• Fake Risk, Fake Return?

  Published 02 March 2017 | viewed 0 times

  With seemingly everyone from the blogosphere to the Tweeter-in-chief chiming in on fake news, have investors considered their risk/return profile may also be "fake"? When…

• U.S. Exorbitant Privilege At Risk?!

  Published 08 February 2017 | viewed 0 times

  If the road to hell is paved with good intentions, American's exorbitant privilege might be at risk with broad implications for the U.S. dollar and…

• Tweetonomics: Implications of @realDonaldTrump

  Published 25 January 2017 | viewed 0 times

  Faced with a Tweeter-in-chief, how are investors to navigate what's ahead? Is there a strategy behind President Trump's outbursts; and if so, how shall investors…

• Gold: What's Next?

  Published 16 November 2016 | viewed 0 times

  After an initial surge in the hours after Donald Trump's election, the price of gold has been under pressure. To gauge what's ahead for the…

• The End of Dollar Dominance?

  Published 04 October 2016 | viewed 0 times

  The end of U.S. dollar dominance may be unfolding in front of our eyes.   No, we don't think China's ascent is the key threat; instead,…

• Failure of Inflation Targeting?!

  Published 08 September 2016 | viewed 0 times

  It ain't working. Eight years after the outbreak of the financial crisis, central bank chiefs suggest they have saved the world, but have they? We…

• The Case for Absolute Return

  Published 12 July 2016 | viewed 0 times

  Talk about diversification comes cheap. Actually diversifying one's portfolio is far more difficult. We have been preaching for some time that in an era where…

• The Good, Bad and Ugly?

  Published 14 June 2016 | viewed 0 times

  Are we better off with "QE", the ultra-accommodative monetary policy pursued by major central banks around the world? Is it "mission accomplished" or are we…

• Precisely Wrong on Dollar, Gold?

  Published 18 May 2016 | viewed 0 times

  Since the beginning of the year, the greenback has shown it's not almighty after all; and gold - the barbarous relic as some have called…

• Gold More Productive Than Cash?!

  Published 27 April 2016 | viewed 0 times

  Is gold, often scoffed at as being an unproductive asset, more productive than cash? If so, what does it mean for asset allocation? There are…

• Dollar Outlook: Peak Dollar?

  Published 16 March 2016 | viewed 0 times

  Is the dollar's seemingly relentless rise in recent years coming to an end? What are the implications not only for the greenback, but other currencies…

• Gold Now?

  Published 24 February 2016 | viewed 0 times

  Gold never changes; it's the world around it that does. Why is it that we see a renewed interest in gold now? And more importantly,…

• Stay the Course! Which One?

  Published 13 January 2016 | viewed 0 times

  Each time I hear someone suggest investors should 'stay the course' as markets tank, I fear such well-intentioned advice fails to adequately capture the predicament…

• Merk 2016 Outlook: Markets, Dollar, Gold

  Published 02 December 2015 | viewed 0 times

  Up! Buy the dips! What could possibly go wrong? A hell of a lot, actually, so investors might want to take precautions before, rather after,…

• Gold for Bear Market?

  Published 13 October 2015 | viewed 0 times

  While some continue dancing, the music might have already stopped: are we already in a bear market in stocks? In this context, we study past…

• All Bad at 0%?

  Published 29 September 2015 | viewed 0 times

  We call on central banks to abolish their zero interest rate policy (ZIRP) framework before more harm is done. In our assessment, ZIRP is bad…