Gold has ended the year with a small loss of 0.7%. This followed a larger loss of 31.2% in 2013, and the 2014 recovery when the gold price ended with a plus of 12.1%. Silver however continued its losing streak with a decline of 2%, after it also declined 9% last year, and 38.5% the year before.... »
Did 2015 Fly By? Read This and You Will Be Up-to-date Again
January 21 2016
Olav Dirkmaat
Central Bankers Are the Drug Dealers of an Addicted Market, While You Get to Pay the Bill
December 21 2015
Earlier this year I warned readers that December could prove to be an exciting month. As the dust has settled, we are able to draw some conclusions. The ECB cut its deposit rate (from -0.2% to -0.3%), while the Federal Reserve hiked its policy rate (from 0.25% to 0.5%). Both were within my line of expectation. However, it wasn’t the most important observation to be made this month.... »
Olav Dirkmaat
Do You Believe the Volkswagen Scandal Will Blow Over? Then Platinum Provides an Opportunity
December 7 2015
It is unlikely that you have missed it: in September, it was revealed that Volkswagen had been rigging its software in diesel cars for the past years. And guess what? It just so happens that the largest demand for platinum originates from the (Western) European diesel car market. So, does this
... »Olav Dirkmaat
Are Regulators Encouraging a Financial Bubble?
November 24 2015
It is interesting to see how legislation such as the Basel accords, designed to limit the risk of a banking crisis, in reality only shifts the risk. How is it possible that regulators are actually encouraging risk, rather than reducing it?
... »Olav Dirkmaat
