Inflation Hedging: Four Ways To Protect Your Investment Portfolio

by David Fessler, Advisory Panelist

Right now, the markets are caring about one thing: inflation. And they’re starting to get a little edgy. They need inflation hedging…

Why? The U.S. Treasury is printing money and dumping it into the financial system at historically unprecedented rates, in an effort to stimulate the economy.

Chances are good that the Fed won’t know when to stop the printing presses. Continuing to print money only exacerbates the inflation problem and deepens the hole.

And it’s quite a hole.

Jessica Hoversen - Fixed Income Analyst at MF Global - had this to say yesterday on CNBC: “The ratio of U.S. budget deficit to [gross domestic product] GDP is at the highest level since World War II.”

The government thought process goes something like, “If some stimulation is good, more will be even better.” And most politicians, who are

Only one of the 19 financial institutions that received a bank stress test would require additional capital, the controversial government initiative has reportedly concluded.

The identity of the bank that is alleged to have failed the bank stress test was not revealed.

The bank-stress-test findings were reported yesterday (Sunday) by CNBC.com, which said it obtained the information from a source that it did not identify. The source did not identify the company, CNBC.com reported.

“At least one firm – under the [bank] stress test assumptions – will require more capital,” the source said.

The bank-stress-test results were contained in a two-dozen-page report that the government released Friday. But the results had already been “conveyed” to the firms, meaning the bank in question is aware of the U.S. central bank’s assessment, according to the published report.

This round of bank stress tests was essentially a two-step process. The

David Fessler says WW Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW) is a great way to protect your portfolio by investing in infrastructure. The company literally provides the nuts and bolts for businesses and public institutions throughout America. And its earnings are growing despite the economic downturn. Now GWW is targeting Chinese infrastructure projects with massive potential.

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