This Could Send Silver Prices Skyrocketing Silver prices are getting hammered, down for the last 13 sessions, which is the precious metal’s longest losing streak since 1950. Currently trading near $14.15 an ounce, silver prices are down 10% year-to-date and 72% off their high near $50.00, which was…

With the S&P 500 returning back to its all-time highs, the bulls are starting to break open the champagne. But for anyone willing to look past the rosy headlines, the chance of a stock market crash in 2016 is growing. October produced the best gains since 2011 as…

The good thing about the Federal Reserve is that it publically discloses its balance sheet. And from its balance sheet, we can see the Fed has created about $3.5 trillion in new money after the credit crisis of 2008 to stimulate the economy. The problem with the central…

U.S. economic data is very clear: we’re headed towards a recession, if we’re not already in one. There are three key indicators I closely follow that presently paint a gruesome picture of the U.S. economy: consumer confidence, manufacturing statistics, and business conditions as tracked by regional Federal Reserve…

It wasn’t too long ago that the Federal Reserve told us it expected the U.S. economy to grow by three percent on average, as measured by gross domestic product (GDP). After all, with years of historically low interest rates and trillions of new dollars printed, that’s the least…

The Canadian dollar has plunged this year. And this might only be the beginning, according to analysts at Macquarie Capital Markets. In July, the Canadian dollar dipped to its 11-year low against the mighty greenback. Right now, one Canadian dollar would only get you 76 cents in USD.…

If you have been holding small-cap growth stocks over the past several weeks, you have probably noticed that many of these higher beta stocks are being dumped indiscriminately. If you don’t actively monitor your portfolio, you’d better begin, as there could be more selling. Smaller companies, or those…

According to a Gallup survey, 51% of Americans say that they are in the middle or upper-middle class. Between 2000 and 2008, an average of 61% of Americans identified themselves to be in middle and upper-middle class. (Source: Gallup, April 28, 2015.) In the survey, the percentage of…

The National Association of Realtors’ Housing Affordability Index has dropped 12% in the first five months of 2015. (Source: National Association of Realtors, last accessed July 16, 2015.) In January, the qualifying income to get a mortgage for an existing median-priced home in the U.S. was $36,576. In…

In June, retail and food service sales in the U.S. economy declined 0.3% from May. When calculating these sales figures, the Census Bureau looks at 13 different kinds of businesses. In June, seven of those business types reported an outright decline in sales. (Source: U.S. Census Bureau, July…

Watching the stock market rise for the fourth straight day on Tuesday, I’m left wondering about the false confidence that appears to be on the surface. My view is that the current state of stock market investing should continue to be guarded with caution and selling into strength.…

The United States’ gross domestic product (GDP) contracted less than expected in the first quarter of 2015; uplifted by stronger household spending, inventories, and residential fixed investment. On Wednesday June 24th, the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) released its third and final estimate of the U.S. GDP for…

The Federal Reserve provides projections on U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) four times each year; in March, June, September, and December. Just a few days ago, the Fed released its June projections. The Fed expects the U.S. economy to grow between 1.8% and two percent this year. (Source:…

Just one day after Janet Yellen reported moderate economic growth, a crucial indicator confirmed the Federal Reserve’s analysis. On Friday, June 19th, the Conference Board released its widely-followed Leading Economic Index, a composite of indicators that hint at future growth. The index clocked in at 0.7% in May,…

Earlier this year in Profit Confidential, I wrote that I wouldn't be surprised to see the U.S. economy enter a recession in 2015. I got a lot of flak here from my fellow economists...even some of my customers thought that prediction was too far off. But, lo and…

On Friday, May 29, the Bureau of Economic Analysis released the second estimate for first-quarter gross domestic product (GDP) of 2015. (Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis, May 29, 2015.) According to the report, U.S. GDP declined at an annual rate of 0.7% in the first quarter of 2015.…

At 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, May 5, 2015, the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) released the U.S. trade balance for March of this year. It announced that the goods and services deficit was at $51.4 billion in March. This is more than a 43% increase from February’s $35.9…

For most of 2015, I have been writing about how the U.S. economy is growing at a very slow pace, if it’s growing at all. The just-released U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) numbers for the first quarter of 2015 confirm this; the economy grew at an annual pace…

When Germany recently announced some underachieving economic numbers, it was a red flag for the eurozone and Europe. When the stronger of the two pillars in the eurozone (France being the other pillar) begins to show some fragility, you have to take a step back to evaluate the…

The chart below shows us that between April and August of this year, home prices in the U.S. declined. The S&P Case-Shiller Home Price Index is only released 60 days after each month’s end, so while data for September and October are not yet available, based on what…