Kara Crawford at kara@traderplanet.comadmin@traderplanet.comhttp://www.traderplanet.com/TraderPlanet.com offers its popular content for commercial syndication via RSS. The feeds include backlinks for the full articles and automatically assign author attribution, which is required. To syndicate these RSS feeds on a commercial Web site, TraderPlanet.com, LLC requires the execution of standard linking agreement. Contact Kara Crawford at kara@traderplanet.com for further details.en-ushttp://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/107530-away_for_a_few_dayshttp://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/107530-away_for_a_few_days<p>Article written by Prieur du Plessis, editor of the Investment Postcards from Cape Town blog.</p> <p>I will be away from my desk for the next four days. Running away from the carnage on the gold market? Not quite, as a bullion pullback was overdue. I’m just going on a short business trip to Europe to take care of a board meeting and other important matters.</p> <p>Blog posts will be lite over the next few days, if at all. In my absence, please follow me on Facebook and Twitter where I will still be posting...</p><a href='http://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/107530-away_for_a_few_days'>Read More at TraderPlanet.com &#187;</a><p align=center><a href=http://www.traderplanet.com/tradertube/index/834/?a=1070><img src=http://www.traderplanet.com/themes/trader_plain/gfx/wyckoff.gif border=0 /></a></p> Prieur Du PlessisPrieur Du PlessisThu, 25 Aug 2011 06:20:50 +0000http://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/107313-earnings_outlook_worsens_but_growth_cycle_still_alivehttp://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/107313-earnings_outlook_worsens_but_growth_cycle_still_alive<p>Article written by Prieur du Plessis, editor of the Investment Postcards from Cape Town blog.</p> <p>One of my major concerns regarding stock market valuations is the earnings outlook, and specifically that profit growth would not be at a level to support share prices. What are the chances of a profits recession? The chart below, courtesy of Citigroup , provides the answer based on a proprietary model comprising factors that historically have predicted profits recessions. Interestingly, Europe bears...</p><a href='http://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/107313-earnings_outlook_worsens_but_growth_cycle_still_alive'>Read More at TraderPlanet.com &#187;</a><p align=center><a href=http://www.traderplanet.com/tradertube/index/624/?a=1067><img src=http://www.traderplanet.com/themes/trader_plain/gfx/dinapoli.gif border=0 /></a></p> Prieur Du PlessisPrieur Du PlessisWed, 24 Aug 2011 08:00:43 +0000http://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/107314-rosenberg_economy_prognosis_negativehttp://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/107314-rosenberg_economy_prognosis_negative<p>Article written by Prieur du Plessis, editor of the Investment Postcards from Cape Town blog.</p> <p>The Treasury market is giving you a recessionary signal, says David Rosenberg, Gluskin Sheff &amp; Associates, who adds that a decline in the GDP will not be that catastrophic but it could last a long time; with Doug Dachille, First Principles Capital Management.</p> <p>Rosenberg’s points were summarized by Josh Brown of the Reformed Broker blog as follows:</p> <p>* We are already in recession, and while this one may ...</p><a href='http://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/107314-rosenberg_economy_prognosis_negative'>Read More at TraderPlanet.com &#187;</a><p align=center><a href=http://www.traderplanet.com/tradertube/index/815/?a=1071><img src=http://www.traderplanet.com/themes/trader_plain/gfx/murphy.gif border=0 /></a></p> Prieur Du PlessisPrieur Du PlessisWed, 24 Aug 2011 07:50:01 +0000http://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/107315-is_the_u_s_dollar_losing_its_safe_haven_statushttp://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/107315-is_the_u_s_dollar_losing_its_safe_haven_status<p>Article written by Prieur du Plessis, editor of the Investment Postcards from Cape Town blog.</p> <p>“Since the bursting of the tech bubble in early 2000, the dollar has been inversely correlated with risky assets,” says a research note from BCA Research. “However, the recent weakness in the dollar is at odds with the historical relationship.”</p> <p>Notwithstanding the sharp declines on global stock markets and surge in volatility, the dollar has not strengthened and the trade-weighted dollar index remain...</p><a href='http://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/107315-is_the_u_s_dollar_losing_its_safe_haven_status'>Read More at TraderPlanet.com &#187;</a><p align=center><a href=http://www.traderplanet.com/tradertube/index/815/?a=1071><img src=http://www.traderplanet.com/themes/trader_plain/gfx/murphy.gif border=0 /></a></p> Prieur Du PlessisPrieur Du PlessisWed, 24 Aug 2011 07:40:10 +0000http://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/107316-faber_says_s_amp_p_won_t_surpass_2011_high_of_1_370http://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/107316-faber_says_s_amp_p_won_t_surpass_2011_high_of_1_370<p>Article written by Prieur du Plessis, editor of the Investment Postcards from Cape Town blog.</p> <p>Marc Faber, publisher of the Gloom, Boom &amp; Doom Report, appeared on Bloomberg Television’s “Street Smart” with Carol Massar and Matt Miller yesterday. Speaking from Sao Paolo, Brazil, Faber said that the S&amp;P 500 Index won’t surpass the 2011 high of 1,370 this year, and that investors are “better off in equities than bonds”.</p> <p>Source: Bloomberg, August 23, 2011.</p> <p>Did you enjoy this post? If so, click her...</p><a href='http://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/107316-faber_says_s_amp_p_won_t_surpass_2011_high_of_1_370'>Read More at TraderPlanet.com &#187;</a><p align=center><a href=http://www.traderplanet.com/tradertube/index/624/?a=1067><img src=http://www.traderplanet.com/themes/trader_plain/gfx/dinapoli.gif border=0 /></a></p> Prieur Du PlessisPrieur Du PlessisWed, 24 Aug 2011 07:30:43 +0000http://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/107317-technical_talk_daily_market_update_tuesday_august_23_2011http://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/107317-technical_talk_daily_market_update_tuesday_august_23_2011<p>Article written by Prieur du Plessis, editor of the Investment Postcards from Cape Town blog.</p> <p>Adam Hewison, charting strategist of INO.TV, brings you another edition of his invaluable service of daily technical updates on the ups and downs of various markets. This short analysis is a great tool for keeping one’s finger on the pulse and timing the markets. I have personally been using the INO/Market Club software for about two years and can vouch for these tools being extremely useful.</p> <p>Click t...</p><a href='http://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/107317-technical_talk_daily_market_update_tuesday_august_23_2011'>Read More at TraderPlanet.com &#187;</a><p align=center><a href=http://www.traderplanet.com/tradertube/index/815/?a=1071><img src=http://www.traderplanet.com/themes/trader_plain/gfx/murphy.gif border=0 /></a></p> Prieur Du PlessisPrieur Du PlessisWed, 24 Aug 2011 07:20:58 +0000http://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/107318-oil_market_rectifying_the_broken_paper_pricing_modelhttp://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/107318-oil_market_rectifying_the_broken_paper_pricing_model<p>Article written by Prieur du Plessis, editor of the Investment Postcards from Cape Town blog.</p> <p><em>This post is a guest contribution by Dian Chu, market analyst, trader and author of the </em><em>EconMatters</em><em> blog.</em></p> <p>It has become quite apparent that major changes are necessary in the oil futures market after the latest year of volatility which had little relation to the actual fundamentals of supply and demand in the marketplace.</p> <p>Oil is too an important commodity to have such a large dislocation from the act...</p><a href='http://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/107318-oil_market_rectifying_the_broken_paper_pricing_model'>Read More at TraderPlanet.com &#187;</a><p align=center><a href=http://www.traderplanet.com/tradertube/index/744/?a=1072><img src=http://www.traderplanet.com/themes/trader_plain/gfx/firman.gif border=0 /></a></p> Prieur Du PlessisPrieur Du PlessisWed, 24 Aug 2011 07:10:35 +0000http://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/107319-pimco_s_crescenzi_on_fed_moody_s_japan_downgradehttp://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/107319-pimco_s_crescenzi_on_fed_moody_s_japan_downgrade<p>Article written by Prieur du Plessis, editor of the Investment Postcards from Cape Town blog.</p> <p>Anthony Crescenzi, executive vice president and strategist at PIMCO, talks about Federal Reserve monetary policy, Japan’s credit-rating downgrade and the outlook for global financial markets. Crescenzi speaks from Newport Beach, California, with Bloomberg’s Susan Li.</p> <p>Source: Bloomberg, August 24, 2011.</p> <p>Did you enjoy this post? If so, click here to subscribe to updates to Investment Postcards from Cap...</p><a href='http://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/107319-pimco_s_crescenzi_on_fed_moody_s_japan_downgrade'>Read More at TraderPlanet.com &#187;</a><p align=center><a href=http://www.traderplanet.com/tradertube/index/815/?a=1071><img src=http://www.traderplanet.com/themes/trader_plain/gfx/murphy.gif border=0 /></a></p> Prieur Du PlessisPrieur Du PlessisWed, 24 Aug 2011 07:00:11 +0000http://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/107320-us_economy_in_august_moving_sidewayshttp://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/107320-us_economy_in_august_moving_sideways<p>Article written by Prieur du Plessis, editor of the Investment Postcards from Cape Town blog.</p> <p><em>This post is a guest contribution by Rebecca Wilder, author of the News N Economics blog.</em></p> <p>With the 11% decline in US equities year-to-date, talk of a US recession has resurfaced. Through mid August, the high frequency economic indicators point to further weakness, rather than a double dip.</p> <p>In my view, whether or not the US is IN a recession – defined as the coincident variables followed by the NBER a...</p><a href='http://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/107320-us_economy_in_august_moving_sideways'>Read More at TraderPlanet.com &#187;</a><p align=center><a href=http://www.traderplanet.com/tradertube/index/834/?a=1070><img src=http://www.traderplanet.com/themes/trader_plain/gfx/wyckoff.gif border=0 /></a></p> Prieur Du PlessisPrieur Du PlessisWed, 24 Aug 2011 06:50:46 +0000http://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/107321-laugh_out_loud_the_krugman_zonehttp://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/107321-laugh_out_loud_the_krugman_zone<p>Article written by Prieur du Plessis, editor of the Investment Postcards from Cape Town blog.</p> <p><br /></p> <p>Source: Michael Ramirez, Townhall.com,  August 23, 2011.</p> <p>Did you enjoy this post? If so, click here to subscribe to updates to Investment Postcards from Cape Town by e-mail.</p> <hr /><p>Laugh out Loud: The Krugman Zone was first posted on August 24, 2011 at 7:00 am.<br />©2011 "Investment Postcards from Cape Town". Use of this feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this article in your f...</p><a href='http://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/107321-laugh_out_loud_the_krugman_zone'>Read More at TraderPlanet.com &#187;</a><p align=center><a href=http://www.traderplanet.com/tradertube/index/834/?a=1070><img src=http://www.traderplanet.com/themes/trader_plain/gfx/wyckoff.gif border=0 /></a></p> Prieur Du PlessisPrieur Du PlessisWed, 24 Aug 2011 05:00:15 +0000http://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/107322-south_african_building_cycle_severely_distortedhttp://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/107322-south_african_building_cycle_severely_distorted<p>Article written by Prieur du Plessis, editor of the Investment Postcards from Cape Town blog.</p> <p><em>By Cees Bruggemans, Chief Economist of FNB.</em></p> <p>Historically, South Africa’s building industry has known long interruptions in modern times, especially after major political and financial events.</p> <p>One thinks of Sharpeville and its aftermath in the early 1960s.</p> <p>Also, the fallout from the 1969 stock market crash, first 1974 oil shock and 1976 Soweto uprising .</p> <p>The gold boom bust of 1982 followed by prime 25...</p><a href='http://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/107322-south_african_building_cycle_severely_distorted'>Read More at TraderPlanet.com &#187;</a><p align=center><a href=http://www.traderplanet.com/tradertube/index/815/?a=1071><img src=http://www.traderplanet.com/themes/trader_plain/gfx/murphy.gif border=0 /></a></p> Prieur Du PlessisPrieur Du PlessisWed, 24 Aug 2011 04:00:14 +0000http://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/107103-stock_market_valuation_remains_stretched_on_long_term_basishttp://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/107103-stock_market_valuation_remains_stretched_on_long_term_basis<p>Article written by Prieur du Plessis, editor of the Investment Postcards from Cape Town blog.</p> <p>Although grossly oversold as far as short-term technical indicators are concerned, the S&amp;P 500 Index remains expensively valued on a long-term cyclically adjusted PE basis, according to Robert Shiller‘s methodology. Shiller is economics professor at Yale and author of, among others, Animal Spirits, Subprime Solution and Irrational Exuberance.</p> <p>In order not to work with notoriously unreliable forward-l...</p><a href='http://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/107103-stock_market_valuation_remains_stretched_on_long_term_basis'>Read More at TraderPlanet.com &#187;</a><p align=center><a href=http://www.traderplanet.com/tradertube/index/744/?a=1072><img src=http://www.traderplanet.com/themes/trader_plain/gfx/firman.gif border=0 /></a></p> Prieur Du PlessisPrieur Du PlessisTue, 23 Aug 2011 08:00:29 +0000http://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/107104-split_rated_we_re_standard_and_we_re_poorhttp://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/107104-split_rated_we_re_standard_and_we_re_poor<p>Article written by Prieur du Plessis, editor of the Investment Postcards from Cape Town blog.</p> <p>Dark days inspire dark humor. In the video below versusplus partnered with friends Merle Hazard and Curtis Threadneedle on SPLIT-RATED, an original econosong about the S&amp;P downgrade of the U.S.</p> <p>Source: versusplus and YouTube, August 21, 2011.</p> <p>Did you enjoy this post? If so, click here to subscribe to updates to Investment Postcards from Cape Town by e-mail.</p> <hr /><p>Split-rated: We’re standard and we’re poor ...</p><a href='http://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/107104-split_rated_we_re_standard_and_we_re_poor'>Read More at TraderPlanet.com &#187;</a><p align=center><a href=http://www.traderplanet.com/tradertube/index/815/?a=1071><img src=http://www.traderplanet.com/themes/trader_plain/gfx/murphy.gif border=0 /></a></p> Prieur Du PlessisPrieur Du PlessisTue, 23 Aug 2011 07:50:05 +0000http://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/107105-china_update_manufacturing_improvinghttp://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/107105-china_update_manufacturing_improving<p>Article written by Prieur du Plessis, editor of the Investment Postcards from Cape Town blog.</p> <p>The HSBC Flash China Manufacturing PMI was released this morning. This measure differs significantly from the official CFLP manufacturing PMI, but it does give some insight into what to expect from the CFLP PMI for August . Although still contracting fractionally according to HSBC, the manufacturing PMI and manufacturing output index are both at two-month highs. Other important points gleaned from HS...</p><a href='http://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/107105-china_update_manufacturing_improving'>Read More at TraderPlanet.com &#187;</a><p align=center><a href=http://www.traderplanet.com/tradertube/index/744/?a=1072><img src=http://www.traderplanet.com/themes/trader_plain/gfx/firman.gif border=0 /></a></p> Prieur Du PlessisPrieur Du PlessisTue, 23 Aug 2011 07:40:05 +0000http://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/107106-stephen_roach_promoting_economic_growthhttp://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/107106-stephen_roach_promoting_economic_growth<p>Article written by Prieur du Plessis, editor of the Investment Postcards from Cape Town blog.</p> <p>An open-ended stimulus should be promoted, says Stephen Roach, Morgan Stanley Asia non-executive chairman.</p> <p>Source: CNBC, August 22, 2011.</p> <p>Did you enjoy this post? If so, click here to subscribe to updates to Investment Postcards from Cape Town by e-mail.</p> <hr /><p>Stephen Roach: Promoting economic growth was first posted on August 23, 2011 at 9:30 am.<br />©2011 "Investment Postcards from Cape Town". Use of this fee...</p><a href='http://www.traderplanet.com/commentaries/view/107106-stephen_roach_promoting_economic_growth'>Read More at TraderPlanet.com &#187;</a><p align=center><a href=http://www.traderplanet.com/tradertube/index/834/?a=1070><img src=http://www.traderplanet.com/themes/trader_plain/gfx/wyckoff.gif border=0 /></a></p> Prieur Du PlessisPrieur Du PlessisTue, 23 Aug 2011 07:30:33 +0000