Investing and Trading News, with a Contrarian, Sarcastic Twist!
This week Contrary Investing is coming to you LIVE from Vancouver, Canada, with coverage from the 13th annual Agora Financial Investment Symposium! Stay tuned this week for write ups on the presentations from Niall Ferguson, Rick Rule, Marc Faber, Michael Covel, Doug Casey, Barry Ritholtz, and more.
I was thrilled to be able to crash a presentation on Thursday from Martin Barnes, Chief Economist at BCA, who swung into town to present his outlook on the global economy and financial markets to the CFA Society of Sacramento. BCA produces highly regarded research that is priced at a premium, so this was a […]
Here’s a great 15-minute Jim Chanos interview, where he discusses the psychology of short selling, and of course, China. If you’re philosophically inclined, you’re really going to enjoy the intro. Chanos explains why the majority of life, including financial news and reporting, is a silent drumbeat of positive reinforcement (study hard, get good grades, get […]
We’ve discussed the pitfalls of investing in gold mining shares at length before. The junior miners are generally a sucker’s bet unless you know management (as we were fortunate to in the case of AuEx Ventures). And the larger miners have an inflation problem. Gold has been going up, but so has their input costs. […]
Another good Jim Rogers interview courtesy of our friends at Hard Assets Investor. Jim shared that he is currently short stocks – in particular emerging markets and Europe: Ludwig: What are you short right now? Rogers: I’m short stocks. Ludwig: Is that a broad type of shorting—say, index—or are you short particular sectors? Rogers: Broad-brush strokes—ETFs—like […]
by Carl Swenlin The Rydex Cash Flow Ratio gives an improved view of sentiment extremes by using cumulative cash flow (CCFL) into Rydex mutual funds rather than using the totals of assets in those funds (which we use for the Rydex Asset Ratio). It is calculated by dividing Money Market plus Bear Funds CCFL by Bull […]
Thanks at least partly to contrary investing legend Gordon “Goldfinger” Brown, who sold 395 tons (60%) of the UK’s gold reserves between 1999 and 2002 for a whopping average price of $275 per pound (Wikipedia), central banks have been known as contrary indicators on gold. With the masters of the universe now beginning to load […]
On Thursday I attended a presentation by hedge fund manager Rick Campagna, Chairman, CEO and CIO of 300 North Capital. Campagna’s fund has impressively returned +39.9% in its 18 months since inception, and the return to risk ratio has equally notable thus far, with low volatility (6% annualized monthly volatility), limited drawdowns (worst month was […]
Barron’s Midyear Roundtable continued with a bearish duel “heating up”, as Marc Faber weighed in with an outlook that didn’t see a lot positive in the short term, nor long term. (Also see Felix Zulauf’s gloomy outlook here). Faber sees no sustainable resolution in Europe, and cites the West’s problem again as too much government […]
While gold may be a barbaric relic to the Oracle of Omaha, tungsten is apparently a shrewd buy. Resource Investor reports: IMC International Metalworking, part of Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.A, NYSE: BRK.B) empire, recently invested $80 million in a tungsten mining project in South Korea. The deal gives Buffett a 25% stake in what used […]
Recent Comments