Features of the week

What's happening with the dollar, Asian currencies, and the Gulf (GCC) currencies? How does $100 oil fit in with the falling US dollar? Will the US economy and consumer spending power through higher energy prices, or will an impending bear market in US stocks signal a weaker economy ahead?

The answers to these questions are here, in our, "Features of the week".

1. The stock market closed higher on Friday, with the DJIA rallying to 12980.88 in a holiday-shortened trading session.

Holiday shoppers are out in force. But watch out for that Dow Theory sell signal, which could foreshadow a coming bear market.

2. Gulf parties over $100 oil, and wonders it what to do about its currencies.

3. Investors Khiem Do and Jim Rogers discuss the strength of Asian currencies and the recent weakness in the US dollar.

4. Gold shares may beat bullion, says investor Trevor Steel, of Baker Steel Capital Management.

5. Jim Wyckoff thinks the Countinuous Commodity Index (CCI) charts might be signaling a coming correction in the commodity markets.

6. The Continuous Commodity Index (CCI) explained.

7. Are we finally beginning to see a decline in the art market?

8. Carbon capitalists grab gas from pig waste.

9. Three steps to protect your investment funds.

10. Scenes from Zimbabwe's hyperinflation. Hat tip to Mises blog.

11. The future of the commodity price boom, an Austrian perspective.

12. Ron Paul expects to raise $12 million in the 4th quarter. Here's a recent clip of Ron Paul on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

Thanks for reading, and remember to bookmark Finance Trends Matter. Enjoy your weekend.

Nasdaq credit rating junked.

S&P cut Nasdaq's credit rating to junk status citing debt burdens and its questionable strategy to buy a controlling interest in the London Stock Exchange. Financial Times reported that the exchange's counterparty credit & bank loan rating were lowered fromm BBB- (lowest investment grade rating) to BB+. The change will increase Nasdaq's borrowing costs should it wish to pursue aquisition targets. For an earlier look at the exchange consolidation trend that brought about Nasdaq's push for a stake in the LSE, please see "Exchange fever" .

Clean Money - John Rubino: Book review

Clean Money by John Rubino 274 pages. Hoboken, New Jersey John Wiley & Sons. 2009. 1st Edition. The bouyant stock market environment of the past several years is gone, and the financial wreckage of 2008 is still sharp in our minds as a new year starts to unfold. Given the recent across-the-board-declines in global stock markets (and most asset classes) that have left many investors shell-shocked, you might wonder if there is any good reason to consider the merits of a hot new investment theme, such as clean energy. However, we shouldn't be too hasty to write off all future stock investments. After all, the market declines of 2008 may continue into 2009, but they may also leave interesting investment opportunities in their wake. Which brings us to the subject of this review. John Rubino, author and editor of GreenStockInvesting.com , recently released a new book on renewable energy and clean-tech investing entitled, Clean Money: Picking Winners in the Green Tech Boom . In Clean ...

Jesse Livermore: How to Trade in Stocks (1940 Ed. E-book)

If you've been around markets for any length of time, you've probably heard of 20th century supertrader, Jesse Livermore . Today we're highlighting his rare 1940 work, How to Trade in Stocks (ebook, pdf). But first, a brief overview of Livermore's life and trading career (bio from Jesse Livermore's Wikipedia entry). "During his lifetime, Livermore gained and lost several multi-million dollar fortunes. Most notably, he was worth $3 million and $100 million after the 1907 and 1929 market crashes, respectively. He subsequently lost both fortunes. Apart from his success as a securities speculator, Livermore left traders a working philosophy for trading securities that emphasizes increasing the size of one's position as it goes in the right direction and cutting losses quickly. Ironically, Livermore sometimes did not follow his rules strictly. He claimed that lack of adherence to his own rules was the main reason for his losses after making his 1907 and...

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