Americans - Its Your Duty to Drink Kool-Aid

This video sums up all our feelings about the "Change You Can Believe In" kool-aid fest, currently ongoing.

Timmy G. Tumbling Down the Popularity Ladder!

A recent popularity survey conducted by the WSJ shows the expletive laden persona of Timmy Geithner has failed to impress American voters. At least 77% of them rate him a complete failure bestowing him with D’s and F’s, while a full 50% rated him an F. Aw…Shucks!

Source: The Wall Street Journal

Where to put your money? Choosing between Physical Gold and Gold Stocks/ETFs?

A frequently asked question by gold investors is “What is the difference between owning physical gold and gold stocks/ETFs? Between the two where should I put my money?” Below, we explore the various considerations in making this decision.

Choosing Between Owning Physical Gold or Gold Stocks/ETFs

For the Beginner Investor: How to Buy Gold Coins/Bars?

For the vast majority of us, our closest encounter with purchasing gold has been in a jewelry store. Although gold jewelry is a good way to invest, ounce for ounce it often works out to be much more expensive than buying gold coins/bars. So how does one go about purchasing gold coins/bars? What are the considerations and risks involved?

We publish here a brief primer with the aim of answering some such questions that a beginner investor might have.

A Primer on Purchasing Physical Gold

Gold: A Critical Holding in the Current Economic Crisis

We firmly believe that in the current economic enviornment, gold should be an essential part of every individuals asset portfolio. Just like we invest in stocks or save up to buy a home, so should we set aside some portion of our savings in physical gold. The following is a list of articles on 'Investing in Gold' by The Firecracker Report, as well as by some prominent thinkers we respect and admire.

The Firecracker Report
Is Shortage of Physical Bullion the Real Reason for the Recent Sharp rally in Gold ?
October 2009
For the Beginner Investor - How to Buy Gold Coins/Bars?
August 2009
Where to Put Your Money? Choosing Between Physical Gold and Gold Stocks/ETFs
August 2009


Sprott Asset Management
Once Gold Decisively tops US$1000, it'll Stay There
June 2009
China, Western Central Banks Out of Sync on Gold
May 2009
Monetary Measures Imply Big Movement for Gold
April 2009
Own Gold, the Metal, Not a Paper Promise
March 2009
As Safe as Gold
February 2009
Obama Team may not be Friendly to Gold
February 2009
Gold the True Refuge for the Current Crisis
January 2009
Cash or Gold
October 2008


Adrian Douglas of Market Force Analysis
The Dynamics of the Gold and Silver Market (Developing Shortage of Physical Gold)
October 2009
Pirates of the Comex (Using Futures Markets to Manipulate Gold Prices)

March 2009
Why Own Gold an Silver? (Scarcity Premium of Gold and Silver)
March 2009

Recommended Readings

Here is a list of articles and books that we think make for some informative and interesting reading.

A Grand Unified Theory of Market Manipulation
Article by The Precision Report, August 2009

An excellent analysis of intra-day trading in the Emini S&P 500 futures to evidence equity market manipulation on NY Fed's POMO days. These days are highly correlated with strong paint-the-tape closes, with the theory being that the large institutions that receive the capital injections are able to leverage this money by 100 to 500 times in the futures markets and then use it to ramp equities.

Greenspan's Bubbles: The Age of Ignorance at the Federal Reserve

Book by Bill Fleckenstein

A must read book for anyone wanting to understand the critical role that the Federal Reserve played in blowing the recent equity and real estate bubbles. A damning examination of Greenspan's reign as Fed Chairman.

Bad Money
Book by Kevin Phillips

A great book to understand the excessive public and private debt policies "bad money" that have caused the current economic crisis. The book lays out a convincing argument of why the U.S. is on the path to join its imperial predecessors - Rome, Spain, the Netherlands, and Britain in hitting a brick wall.

The Trillion Dollar Meltdown
Book by Charles Morris

Well-written book, explaining the arcane financial instruments, policy misjudgments, dogmas and delusions that created the greatest credit bubble in world history. The book is helpful in understanding how the world economy has been brought to the brink and the radically reshaped political and economic landscape that will define the post-crash era. 

Fooled By Randomness
Book by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Fun to read book detailing the short-comings of modern day quantitative finance and how mathematical models which can never fully capture the human psychology are relied upon as absolute truths.

Stock Market Wizards
Book by Jack Schwager

A must read for any aspiring trader or investor. The author interviews several legendary traders to bring out valuable lessons the reader can learn from their trading strategies.

About

The Firecracker Report is a financial and geopolitical analysis blog started by a team of ex-Wall Streeter’s with extensive banking and investing experience. We strongly feel that in the current era of corporatized propaganda driven news, the ‘real’ news often goes unreported. We have therefore chosen to lend our voices and join the growing ranks of independent bloggers that aim to bring insightful commentary and analysis to their readers.

We invite you to visit our blog and would love to hear your thoughts and comments. We can be reached at firecracker.report@gmail.com

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