Margins: Effects on Precious Metals Prices by Ghamal de la Guardia, Global Economic Intersection Associate The recent margin hike in gold futures contracts has many traders crying foul over its timing. I thought it would be useful to take a look at ho… more »

by Steven Hansen With gold continuing to flirt with all time highs, investors have been bombarded with gold touts - buy gold, buy coins, buy, buy, buy.   When an investment heats up - it is time to exit. Gold, however is not a hot investment - just a… more »

Dollar-denominated Chinese silver futures were scheduled to begin trading on the Hong Kong Mercantile Exchange early today (Friday). This development will grant Asian investors direct access to the metal, and will blunt the U.S. dominance in silver-bullion trading. It's also highly bullish for long-term silver prices. more »

Guest Author: MacroTides. See About the Author at end of the article. Coming into 2011 we suggested there were three major themes that would play out in the course of this year. We have already discussed U.S. macroeconomic issues and investment outlo… more »