Tag: caseyresearch.com

The Real Inflation Rate and What to Do About It

Posted on by The INO.com Team

A little over a month ago we did a quick poll on what our readers thought the real rate of inflation was. The idea for polling our readers came from the disconnect between the official government rate of around 1% and what some had told me they were experiencing first hand.

Thank you to everyone who participated, particularly those who shared frustrating examples of the ever-increasing cost of living. There were close to 100 pages of reader comments, and I read them all... every single word.

This week's column is primarily written by you, our loyal readers. You will recognize the reader comments as they are indented. Here is one example to get us started: Continue reading "The Real Inflation Rate and What to Do About It" →

Hugo Chavez Is Gone, but His Oil Legacy Lives On

Posted on by The INO.com Team

On March 5, 2013, Hugo Chávez, one of the most iconic presidents in the world, died at the age of 58. While he was alive, Chávez was a highly controversial figure, calling George W. Bush a drunkard and a "psychologically sick man" and Tony Blair an "imperialist pawn who attempts to curry favor with Danger Bush-Hitler."

Like him or hate him, Chávez definitely had a huge following in Venezuela, as well as the entirety of Latin America. His anti-American and socialistic rhetoric made him an ally of Fidel Castro in Cuba and Ahmadinejad in Iran. Combined with Correa in Ecuador, Fernández in Argentina, and Morales in Bolivia, Chávez was able to make a front in South America against the "evil imperialist gringos."

But with him no longer in the picture, things will change, and cheap Venezuelan oil will be able to flow into the markets, right? Continue reading "Hugo Chavez Is Gone, but His Oil Legacy Lives On" →

How Rockefeller Parlayed Pipelines into Billions

Posted on by The INO.com Team

For at least two thousand years, the Chinese of Sichuan, in south-central China, have dug or drilled holes to tap a briny aquifer, the trapped remains of an ancient inland sea. They boiled down the brine to make crystals of sodium chloride – salt – a food preservative and seasoning so critical in the days before refrigeration that whole civilizations flourished or waned based on its commerce.

The story goes that one day a lightning bolt struck one of the wells, sending a pillar of fire tens of meters into the air. Excited locals named the phenomenon "Wells of Fire." They didn't yet realize it, but they had discovered that natural gas is often associated with salt resources. Continue reading "How Rockefeller Parlayed Pipelines into Billions" →

The Coming Crash in the Bond Market

Posted on by The INO.com Team

It is my contention that the 70-year debt supercycle has come to an end.

To put the current financial situation in perspective, here's a long-term history of the debt-to-GDP ratio, which reached a record high at the beginning of the current crisis. It was a dramatic change in 2009, unlike anything since the aftermath of the Great Depression. Continue reading "The Coming Crash in the Bond Market" →

5 Easy Tips for Picking Mutual Funds

Posted on by The INO.com Team

In one our recent issues subscriber Jory G. sent us the following question:

“I have a 401(k) with my present employer that has a number of investment options, virtually all of which are mutual funds. Is it possible for Mr. Miller to address in a future letter what we might do to maximize growth or minimize loss in such programs? I realize there are many different 401(k) programs out there, but I just feel overwhelmed when trying to decide which of the funds provide the best growth/protection.”

As all of our readers know, I am neither licensed nor qualified to give personal investment advice. However, I can sure discuss mutual funds in general.

Jory, I would like to back up and start at the beginning. Continue reading "5 Easy Tips for Picking Mutual Funds" →