Gold is struggling. If you've watched the price of gold this year, you'll have seen how the yellow metal has struggled to maintain any gains made.
It kicks off the week wallowing at a 15-month low. And gold isn't the only precious metal struggling.
So what's going on with the gold price?
Let's take a closer look…
The dollar took strength from positive US jobs data
The gold pri... ››› more
The resources sector is renowned for its volatility. Resources by their very nature are cyclical. And investing in them isn't for everyone.
But there is a way you can improve your chances of investing in shares that should go on to perform well.
Let's take a closer look at what this is…
How to uncover the next opportunity in the resources market
If you want to successfully invest ... ››› more
Over the last few months, the oil price has come down sharply.
This is in spite of rising geopolitical tensions in key oil producing regions. As it stands, traders don't seem to be concerned about the impact this could have on the availability of oil.
So what's in store for the oil price? Can we look forward to lower or higher oil prices?
Let's take a closer look…
The lower oil pr... ››› more
The gold-silver ratio describes how many ounces of silver it takes to buy an ounce of gold.
You can use this ratio to look at the relationship between silver and gold to indicate where the gold price is going.
Let's take a closer look at how this works…
The current gold-silver ratio
At the moment, it takes about 68 ounces of silver to buy one ounce of gold.
When silver hit its ... ››› more
Commodities have taken a tanking over the last couple of months.
Gold, oil and platinum are just some of the commodities falling in price.
So is a fall in commodity prices just bad news for companies concerned with natural resources? Or could it indicate problems with the global economy?
Let's take a closer look…
The effect of a strong dollar on commodities
The dollar has been... ››› more
A recent survey of on international stock exchange, the ASX, found that as much as a third of the 2,100 companies listed there are at risk of financial catastrophe.
In fact, 58% of the bottom 500 companies on the ASX published warnings they could go bust within 12 months.
But surely this isn't the case in South Africa, is it?
Well if that’s what you thought, you’re sadly mistaken my fr... ››› more
Over the last few months, the price of crude oil has continued to ebb. It's now just sitting at over $97 a barrel.
But is the price of oil expected to fall further? And what is leading to this fall in the crude oil price?
Let's take a closer look…
Is the price of crude oil going to continue to fall?
The price of crude oil has been trending lower since mid-June. Have a look at th... ››› more
Having a small allocation of your portfolio to gold can make good investment sense.
It acts like an insurance policy against financial catastrophes. When other assets fall hard, gold tends to perform.
If you're a gold bug, you'll have watched in angst as the yellow metal continues to wallow.
So what's going on with gold? Is there any chance that it's going to recover any time soon?
Le... ››› more
If you like silver as an investment, you'll probably have noticed that its price has slid once again.
So why is there so much pressure on the silver price?
Let's take a closer look…
Why is the silver price sliding?
A report by Reuters last week showed that silver holdings of exchange traded funds (ETFs) reached all-time highs.
Unfortunately this is a very bearish signal, Domini... ››› more
Holding a portion of your portfolio in gold and other precious metals like silver is like having an insurance policy against bad things happening in the market. When shares and other asset classes drop in value, gold tends to rise in price.
So if you want to have some exposure to precious metals in your portfolio, what's the best way to go about it?
Let's take a closer look…
How to i... ››› more
The commodities market is a vast one. With South Africa being so rich in commodities, like gold and platinum, perhaps you're interested in putting some money into the market?
Before you make any decisions, you need to know more.
So what exactly is the commodities market? How can you trade and invest in it? And how is investing in commodities different from investing in other financial instru... ››› more
Over the past few months I've been recommending investors buy these ‘Losers' because I believe some of them could be the best performing stocks of the next three years.
I know this sounds odd. But let me explain…
Losers are shares that have fallen dramatically. Shares in a market that have underperformed or lost you money for a multiyear period.
And the market I see the best value in ... ››› more
If you're prepared to go against the market masses, natural resources could be presenting themselves as a perfect investment opportunity.
These stocks have had it hard. They include companies involved in gold, coal, uranium, platinum and copper.
But there are a few factors that suggest now is the time to get into natural resources.
Read on to find out more…
If you’re a value inv... ››› more
Over the last two decades, China has seen growth on a phenomenal scale.
This growth helped fuel massive demand for many commodities.
But as demand for heavy commodities starts to wane, which commodity is next in line to benefit from this Asian giant?
Let's take a closer look…
China’s use of commodities
No-one could have quite predicted the growth that’s taken place in Chin... ››› more
The last couple of years have been hard on the gold price.
From the dizzy heights of over $1,900 an ounce in 2011, the price is now hovering around $1,230 an ounce.
So the big question now is, when will the price of gold recover? And when it recovers, how high will it go?
Let's take a closer look…
Why the gold price could soar in a few short years
Rob McEwen, the CEO of the wo... ››› more