More bad news for gold

Today's <i>Breakfast with Benjamin:</i> If rates rise, gold won't. Plus: Warren Buffett's $1B tease, a new twist on stock valuations, bitcoin marches on, another solar energy push and, what's good about hoping for a flat market.
FEB 04, 2014
  • It is more bad news for gold bugs. The historical relationship between gold and interest rates suggests that if Treasury yields hit 4%, gold could fall to $831 an ounce. A 5% yield equates to $471 an ounce. Current ratio says gold is overvalued
  • Instead of just focusing on price divided by earnings, it also makes sense to value stocks based on earnings divided by price to determine the earnings yield. Comparing stocks to T-bills
  • If you don't quite understand bitcoin yet, join the club. But the ignorance of many is apparently not slowing the momentum of this enigmatic digital currency. Deal with it. The Napster of finance
  • Solar energy stocks are once again attracting some attention and at least one analyst believes the time is now for an upswing. Proceed with caution because we've been here before. Just because you want something to be true doesn't make it reality. 47 gigawatts of world demand vs. 45 gigawatts of supply
  • In the category of the most optimistic outlook for a stock market that has climbed to scary heights, we now find hopes of a “sideways correction.” In essence, instead of correcting the old-fashioned way, why not give us a less painful flat market this year? 'Sideways Works'
  • As if enough workplace productivity isn't already lost to March Madness basketball pools, the Oracle of Omaha this year is offering $1 billion to anyone who fills out a perfect bracket. The odds of getting it perfect: one in 9.2 quintillion. I'm in. 40 annual installments of $25 million

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