History tells us that gold is the “ultimate antidote to fiat money” says John Pugsley. He says gold’s dollar price relative to other goods is now higher than the long-term trend. But no one really knows how much the buck has been inflated in recent years. And as price inflation returns “with a vengeance”, the gold bull run should resume.

This from Sovereign Society:

“Lenin said the day would come when gold would serve to coat the walls and floors of public toilets.” -Premier Nikita S. Khrushchev

Ancient, mysterious gold is being pushed to the forefront of investors’ minds these days, as the inflationary policies of the worlds’ central banks meet uneasily with the deflationary pressures of the housing industry’s collapse. Most expected this year’s air of uncertainty to push gold prices into the stratosphere, and all seem to be relatively shocked by the yellow metal’s lackluster performance thus far.

But for

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Will November’s emergency global financial summit result in a “new global financial order”? European leaders are pressing for a fundamental change in the US-centric monetary system. Jason Simpkins says a similar crisis meeting in 1944 gave birth to the Bretton Woods gold standard. But there are reasons to doubt such a major reform this time around.

This from Money Morning:

The leaders of 20 of the world’s most developed nations, the G20, will convene in Washington D.C. on Nov. 15 for an emergency financial summit considered by many to be the 21st century version of the Bretton Woods initiative of 1944. This will be the first chance for European leaders – many of whom blame the current financial contagion on U.S. free market capitalism run – to press for an overhaul of a global financial system the United States has dominated for more than 60 years.

The summit will

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Mueller Water Products Inc. (MWA) manufactures and markets infrastructure and flow control products for use in water distribution networks and treatment facilities. As part of the Industrial Equipment and Components industry, they trade on the New York Stock Exchange and have their corporate headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. They market a diverse range of products including engineered valves, hydrants, ductile iron pipe, and pipe fittings. Municipalities, commercial and residential construction, oil and gas, HVAC, and fire protection industries use their products.

Mueller consists of three main operating segments. These are Mueller Co., U.S. Pipe, and Anvil. The company as a whole employs approximately 6,600 people. As of September 30, 2007, their installed products included approximately three million fire hydrants and nine million iron gate valves. Their products have specific clearance for use in the top 50 metropolitan areas in the U.S. They are also a distributor for other companies’ products, especially in

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In last week's edition of Trading Tools, Cincinnati-based grocery guru Kroger (KR) was examined, as it showed up on the Zacks Unusually High Options Volume screener. This week, I'm utilizing the Zacks Put/Call Ratio Greater than 1.0 filter in an effort to find stocks surrounded by heavy pessimism in the options arena. Digging through the results, one equity caught my attention: New Hampshire-based e-learning company SkillSoft (SKIL).

Before we begin, let's explain the contrarian stance that makes Schaeffer's so unique. When searching for a bullish pick, we like to see heavy skepticism toward an outperforming stock, as this leaves ample room for upgrades or other positive catalysts to fuel the stock higher. When searching for a bearish pick, on the other hand, contrarians are looking for significant bullish sentiment toward an underperforming stock, as we believe an excess of optimism is a sign that everyone

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Headquartered in Elkhart, Indiana, CTS Corporation is a designer and manufacturer of electronic components and sensors. Trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), they are also a provider of electronics manufacturing services to various clients. As part of the Diversified Electronics industry in the Technology sector, CTS Corporation has a market capitalization of $448.29 million.

Founded in 1896, and with a rich history, CTS Corporation operates their Electronic Components, Automotive Products, and Electronics Manufacturing Solutions segments. The company’s manufacturing operations, sales representatives, and distributors operate globally to serve their diverse customer base. Manufacturing operations reside in Albuquerque, New Mexico; Elkhart, Indiana; Londonderry, New Hampshire; and in Burbank, Moorpark, and Santa Clara, California, as well as Streetsville, Ontario, Canada. They also reside in Matamoros, Mexico; Glasgow, Scotland; Singapore; Bangkok, Thailand; Kaohsiung, Taiwan, and in Dongguan, and Tianjin, People’s Republic of China.

CTS’s Electronic Components segment provides customers with platform-based engineered components

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Republicans have long counted on the rural vote to help them win battleground states. It seems like McCain should be able to do the same, especially with the view that Obama is elitist (remember “bittergate”?). Unfortunately for McCain, the economic strife that rural voters perceive to be caused by the Bush administration is causing more and more rural voters to either side with Obama or not vote at all. Rural voters have in the past been shown to have a significant impact, especially in swing states: Rural voters accounted for more than 10 percent of the total vote in all but three of 12 closely contested battleground states in 2004, and more than 20 percent in four of them — Iowa, Minnesota, New Hampshire and Wisconsin — according to exit polls. In all but two of the states, Bush won the small-town ...