Bumble

There is too much debt, whether government, corporate, municipal or personal. There is no realistic prospect of a sharp increase in economic growth that would allow us to afford it, so the debt must be reduced. It can be reduced in nominal terms, i.e. by defaulting on it, or in real terms, i.e. by inflating it away. The latter is the soft option and is what governments will do. To bring debt under control will require negative real interest rates of probably -4% to -6% for years to come. So, we may reasonably expect inflation to stay at the 4% to 8% level, while interest rates remain very low at about 0% to 2%.
High levels of inflation cost governments money, because they have outgoings, such as benefits and pensions, that are index-linked. So, governments are always motivated to understate inflation. Also, economic performance is often measured as real GDP growth, so the inflation rate acts as a negative factor. Understating inflation makes the real GDP performance look better than it actually is.
Invest accordingly. The worst thing to hold in an inflationary environment is cash. Commodities that will retain their value, such as precious metals, are better. Better still are productive assets, such as farmland or rental properties. Better again are businesses with pricing power that can benefit from higher prices. Best of all is to invest in your own skills and knowledge so that you can always earn a living.

Closed at $1818 today, with the upper Bollinger Band at $1819. That's good, but we really don't want to see the price push through the upper BB next week, because algo traders will sell on that signal. RSI is not overbought and MACD is pointing upward, which is also good. Ideally, it would be nice to see some consolidation at this level, with the price settling at around the $1820-$1825 level.

Only just saw your post, Midas. Yes, there are seasonal variations with the gold price, and Oct-mid-Dec is usually weak, while mid-Dec-Feb is usually strong. The latter is because of seasonal demand in the Far East because the Chinese New Year is a time when people give gifts of gold. The former is partly due to weak demand and partly because in the USA and many countries, the tax year is the same as the calendar year, and the end of year is a time to sell things in order to manage your capital gains/losses for the year.
That said, the last two years have been highly atypical, because of the virus. We had an unusual strong run up in Jun-Jul 2020, and prices have been drifting down ever since. The other big difference is that gold is now competing with cryptos for safe haven money. If the current run-up in cryptos were to end, gold could benefit greatly. But 50% retrenchments in crypto are not unusual and do not scare people away.

Only just saw your post, Midas. Yes, there are seasonal variations with the gold price, and Oct-mid-Dec is usually weak, while mid-Dec-Feb is usually strong. The latter is because of seasonal demand in the Far East because the Chinese New Year is a time when people give gifts of gold. The former is partly due to weak demand and partly because in the USA and many countries, the tax year is the same as the calendar year, and the end of year is a time to sell things in order to manage your capital gains/losses for the year.
That said, the last two years have been highly atypical, because of the virus. We had an unusual strong run up in Jun-Jul 2020, and prices have been drifting down ever since. The other big difference is that gold is now competing with cryptos for safe haven money. If the current run-up in cryptos were to end, gold could benefit greatly. But 50% retrenchments in crypto are not unusual and do not scare people away.

Only just saw your post, Midas. Yes, there are seasonal variations with the gold price, and Oct-mid-Dec is usually weak, while mid-Dec-Feb is usually strong. The latter is because of seasonal demand in the Far East because the Chinese New Year is a time when people give gifts of gold. The former is partly due to weak demand and partly because in the USA and many countries, the tax year is the same as the calendar year, and the end of year is a time to sell things in order to manage your capital gains/losses for the year.
That said, the last two years have been highly atypical, because of the virus. We had an unusual strong run up in Jun-Jul 2020, and prices have been drifting down ever since. The other big difference is that gold is now competing with cryptos for safe haven money. If the current run-up in cryptos were to end, gold could benefit greatly. But 50% retrenchments in crypto are not unusual and do not scare people away.

FIssion Uranium (FCU.TO and FCUUF) up 32% today. GCL should move tomorrow morning.

FIssion Uranium (FCU.TO and FCUUF) up 32% today. GCL should move tomorrow morning.

I've noticed that some days, Geiger Counter (GCL.L) lags about half a day behind the stocks that it contains. If you check its price at about 4 p.m. London time (before market close) it often simply isn't moving, even when the big uranium stocks are. Then it catches up the next morning. It is not a pure arbitrage play, because there are several hours for the mainly US and Canadian listed uranium stocks to move after London close. Also, GCL often has quite a large bid/ask spread. But on days when the uranium stocks are making large moves, it's worth taking a look.
Today (Thursday 30th) is a case in point. GCL didn't move and closed at 50.00. Most uranium stocks are up, with the exception of a few such as Uranium Royalty. If I'm right, we should expect GCL to gap up a few percent at market open on 31st. The buying opportunity is gone: it would have been before market close today.

I've noticed that some days, Geiger Counter (GCL.L) lags about half a day behind the stocks that it contains. If you check its price at about 4 p.m. London time (before market close) it often simply isn't moving, even when the big uranium stocks are. Then it catches up the next morning. It is not a pure arbitrage play, because there are several hours for the mainly US and Canadian listed uranium stocks to move after London close. Also, GCL often has quite a large bid/ask spread. But on days when the uranium stocks are making large moves, it's worth taking a look.
Today (Thursday 30th) is a case in point. GCL didn't move and closed at 50.00. Most uranium stocks are up, with the exception of a few such as Uranium Royalty. If I'm right, we should expect GCL to gap up a few percent at market open on 31st. The buying opportunity is gone: it would have been before market close today.

Nice video on Uranium:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdebMTuzetk
 

Nice video on Uranium:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdebMTuzetk
 

Some commentators I follow reckon that there will be a significant shortfall in copper production in the next few years, because of demand from electric cars and other areas of electrification. The slack will have to be taken up by aluminium, since this is the only other plausible candidate for an inexpensive and abundant metal with a high conductivity. Obviously, good news for copper too.

Some commentators I follow reckon that there will be a significant shortfall in copper production in the next few years, because of demand from electric cars and other areas of electrification. The slack will have to be taken up by aluminium, since this is the only other plausible candidate for an inexpensive and abundant metal with a high conductivity. Obviously, good news for copper too.

If you would prefer to buy a fund, there is the Global X Uranium ETF (URA), or on London there is Geiger Counter (GCL.L). If you just want to own uranium rather than uranium stocks, there is Yellow Cake (YCA.L). If you want to keep your own uranium at home, don't store it all in one place, because your home insurance probably doesn't cover you for the risk.

Moving out of oil may be a decision motivated by ESG considerations. Potash is a good thing to be in, because it is needed for fertilizer, and prices have slumped in recent years. Dropping the London listing will mean that funds that track FTSE 100 will no longer own it, but I doubt it will make much difference. I own some and I will continue to hold, along with some other big miners like Rio TInto, Glencore and Vale. All of these pay attractive dividends. I would sell all of them if demand for iron ore and copper collapsed.

For information, the following table shows the electrical conductivity of some common metals. The densities are also noteworthy. Lead is similar in density to silver, and tungsten is very similar to gold. The magnetic susceptibility indicates whether the metal is paramagnetic (+ve) or diamagnetic (-ve). Tungsten is paramagnetic, so it will be attracted by a permanent magnet, while gold, silver and copper are diamagnetic.

I used to be a scientist when I was younger.

For information, the following table shows the electrical conductivity of some common metals. The densities are also noteworthy. Lead is similar in density to silver, and tungsten is very similar to gold. The magnetic susceptibility indicates whether the metal is paramagnetic (+ve) or diamagnetic (-ve). Tungsten is paramagnetic, so it will be attracted by a permanent magnet, while gold, silver and copper are diamagnetic.

You are quite right. The slowing up effect is an instance of Lenz's law, and is in effect a form of magnetic braking. It has nothing to do with diamagnetism. What the test is measuring is the electrical conductance of the metal. Lead, for example, has less than a tenth of the conducitivity of silver, so the difference would be very marked. Copper on the other hand is almost as conductive as silver, so the magnet test would be no good on a copper coin or bar that was silver plated.

You are quite right. The slowing up effect is an instance of Lenz's law, and is in effect a form of magnetic braking. It has nothing to do with diamagnetism. What the test is measuring is the electrical conductance of the metal. Lead, for example, has less than a tenth of the conducitivity of silver, so the difference would be very marked. Copper on the other hand is almost as conductive as silver, so the magnet test would be no good on a copper coin or bar that was silver plated.

For information, the following table shows the electrical conductivity of some common metals. The densities are also noteworthy. Lead is similar in density to silver, and tungsten is very similar to gold. The magnetic susceptibility indicates whether the metal is paramagnetic (+ve) or diamagnetic (-ve). Tungsten is paramagnetic, so it will be attracted by a permanent magnet, while gold, silver and copper are diamagnetic.

For information, the following table shows the electrical conductivity of some common metals. The densities are also noteworthy. Lead is similar in density to silver, and tungsten is very similar to gold. The magnetic susceptibility indicates whether the metal is paramagnetic (+ve) or diamagnetic (-ve). Tungsten is paramagnetic, so it will be attracted by a permanent magnet, while gold, silver and copper are diamagnetic.

You are quite right. The slowing up effect is an instance of Lenz's law, and is in effect a form of magnetic braking. It has nothing to do with diamagnetism. What the test is measuring is the electrical conductance of the metal. Lead, for example, has less than a tenth of the conducitivity of silver, so the difference would be very marked. Copper on the other hand is almost as conductive as silver, so the magnet test would be no good on a copper coin or bar that was silver plated.

Ex-Dividend Dates - LSE Main Market (dividenddata.co.uk)
 
I've found this link very useful over the years, covers the whole UK market inc Aim & Investment trusts.

Has anyone looked at investing in funds that buy and trade carbon credits? I mean things like KraneShares Global Carbon ETF (KRBN). The idea is that carbon taxes and carbon credits are going to be a big deal in the next few years, and many companies are underestimating the impact. Companies that generate credits are currently selling them cheaply and may soon wake up to the idea that if they hold them for a year or two they will be worth a lot more. Companies that face carbon taxes will be increasingly incentivised to buy at ever higher prices. The prospect looks pretty good.