Clif Droke

Contributor since: 26 Feb 2010

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• Russia and the Next Oil Crisis

  Published 18 July 2013 | viewed 0 times

  On the global market scene, Russia has been one of the major laggards this year. The Market Vectors Russia ETF (RSX), a reflection of the…

• Rising Interest Rates, Gold and the Stock Market

  Published 10 July 2013 | viewed 0 times

  Many analysts predict that banks will be hurt by higher interest rates. Yet the best leading indicator of banks' future profits - financial sector stocks…

• Inflation's Shot Across the Bow

  Published 02 July 2013 | viewed 0 times

  On May 3, the bond market fired the proverbial "shot heard 'round the world." Treasury yields began a two-month climb to levels not seen in…

• A Stock Market Addicted to Stimulus

  Published 27 June 2013 | viewed 0 times

  Was former Fed Chairman Paul Volcker correct when he said concerning quantitative easing that its "beneficial effects...appear limited and diminishing over time"? That's the $85…

• Kress Cycle Deflation Pressure Increases

  Published 25 June 2013 | viewed 0 times

  To many observers, deflation was a thing of the past in the wake of the QE3. The Fed's asset purchases, which drove down bond yields…

• Will Rising Rates Ruin the Recovery?

  Published 20 June 2013 | viewed 0 times

  Sometimes words speak louder than actions. That has certainly been the case lately with the Fed hinting that it may taper off asset purchases by…

• A Summer 'Crash' Scenario

  Published 05 June 2013 | viewed 0 times

  Despite the recent weakness, the broad market has displayed a fair amount of resilience in the face of rising interest rates and falling commodity prices.…

• The Silent Killer of Every Bull and Bear Market

  Published 31 May 2013 | viewed 0 times

  Stocks have reached record levels thanks in large part to a coordinated central bank stimulus. The current financial market-led recovery is unlike previous recoveries in…

• When Central Banks Buy Stocks

  Published 16 May 2013 | viewed 0 times

  The investment story of the year to date is the central bank-led financial market recovery. While everyone is aware of the impact the Fed's $85…

• Margin Debt and the Next Stock Market Crash

  Published 10 May 2013 | viewed 0 times

  The latest fear on Wall Street is that record levels of margin debt may end up toppling the stock market rally. NYSE margin debt recently…

• How to Spot (and Avoid) Market Manipulation

  Published 08 May 2013 | viewed 0 times

  We often hear investors complain of financial markets (and the gold market in particular) being "rigged" or manipulated. The sad yet somewhat humorous tale of…

• How the Fed Creates Bull and Bear Markets

  Published 01 May 2013 | viewed 0 times

  Bull and bear markets don't just happen - they're created by the Federal Reserve. While few investors dispute the power that Fed interest rate policy…

• The Helping Hand of Deflation

  Published 24 April 2013 | viewed 0 times

  One of investors' biggest fears over the Fed's monetary stimulus (QE3) is that it will cause runaway inflation. While there are reasons for believing this…

• The Danger of Ignoring Technical Analysis

  Published 21 April 2013 | viewed 0 times

  The cyclical recovery that began in March 2009 has been impressive but is getting long in the tooth. Investors wonder when it will end, and…

• The Next Great War and the 24-Year Cycle

  Published 17 April 2013 | viewed 0 times

  The threat of war against the United States is making headlines and roiling investors' nerves. While full-scale war is likely not imminent, it's something worth…

• Why Bernanke Can't Stop Deflation

  Published 10 April 2013 | viewed 0 times

  While there are many risks to the current ultra loose money policy, consumer price inflation isn't one of them. Inflation remains persistently low despite the…

• Fed Can't Completely Stop the Kress Cycle

  Published 03 April 2013 | viewed 0 times

  Try as it may, the Federal Reserve can't seem to patch all the holes in the leaky inner tube that is the U.S. economy. While…

• Will Europe Eventually Sink Stocks and Boost Gold?

  Published 28 March 2013 | viewed 0 times

  Wall Street expressed relieved that Europe's central bank agreed to release 10 billion euros ($13 billion) of emergency rescue funds for Cyprus. In exchange, Cyprus…

• The Return of Dow 36,000

  Published 22 March 2013 | viewed 0 times

  Some of you may remember the unforgettable title of the 1999 financial best-seller, Dow 36,000. It made a lot of waves back during the heyday…

• Have Cycles Been Killed by Bernanke?

  Published 14 March 2013 | viewed 0 times

  Have cycles have been overpowered by central bank intervention? This is a question that many investors have been asking in view of the stock market's…