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With summer winding down many investors are wondering what Q3 has in store for its final month. August was a relatively quiet month especially when we compare to August 2011 when the market had 3% swings numerous times a week. In contrast this summer in general has been a return to the summer slump we […]

As we approach the end of another temperamental summer market we are reminded again of how important it is to assure the diversity of our portfolios. Volatility has again become exaggerated, due largely to a market severely starved of liquidity. Although summer markets are historically thin, this summer has been more dramatically affected due to […]

Contents: S&P Announcement Debt Ceiling Philosophical Clash Fiscal Scenarios Impact on Markets Conclusion Standard & Poor’s downgraded the credit rating oflong-term U.S. sovereign debt from a stellar AAA toAA+ based on “political risks and rising debt burden” with a negative outlook as of Friday, August 5.1Thisrepresents the first time that one of the three majorcredit […]

By Noble DraKolnFounder of Speculator Academy and Author of “Winning the Trading Game” and “Trade Like a Pro” Significant differences in the liquidity, leverage, and costs of futures and ETFs must be understood before making any investment decision. Gold has historically served as a legitimate hedge against inflation and an integral part of a diversified […]

By Michael S. Rulle Jr. There is only one history in financial markets. But there are almost an infinite number of time series one can analyze. Think of all the combinations of markets, units of time (for example, one second, one minute, one hour, etc.) and periods of time within which those units reside (for […]

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is an independent government agency aimed to better protect the futures market from fraud or manipulation. It is responsible for recording and monitoring the trading of futures contracts on United States futures exchanges. The CFTC has the authority to fine, suspend, or sue the company or individual in a […]

by Andreas DiessbacherWhite River Group CTA Instead of looking forward through the windshield, would you steer your car along the highway by only looking through your rear view mirror? Of course not. But, in my opinion, that’s what you’re doing when you rely entirely on systematic trading to decide which commodity futures and options to […]

In 1971 President Nixon imposed a 90-day wage and price control program and other various expansionary fiscal policies in what became known as the “Nixon Shock”. More importantly, Nixon closed the gold window to prevent foreign governments that had been holding dollar-denominated financial assets from demanding gold in exchange for their dollars. By January 1976 […]