Newshour

This week Jim and Cathlyn discuss the situation of investors who would like to diversify an over-allocation in metals, but are waiting for the market to “recover” before they make any changes. Jim uses the case study of Thomas Leaderman to illustrate the costs of waiting for “the right time”. Jim’s guest this week is best-selling author Robb Wolf, author of “The Paleo Solution- The Original Human Diet”. Robb, a former research biochemist, has transformed the lives of people around the world via his podcast, books and seminars.

Ryan Puplava does double duty this week, giving his technical analysis on the markets as well as his weekly Market Wrap-up. Technically, Ryan sees a cyclical rotation of stocks into what he refers to as The Taper Trade, and out of more defensive stocks such as health care and utilities. Ryan is bullish on energy and copper as they are tied to more robust economic activity. Ryan also discusses bonds, gold and currencies. In addition, Erik Townsend looks at Commodities and Rob Bernard has the Fixed Income Report.

The first Big Picture topic this week is “Game of Thrones - the Dollar vs. Gold”. Jim looks at the massive global currency debasement among central banks, and in that current game the dollar is king. Gold is in the background and not a major player. Jim believes this will not last, but for now the dollar is winning the game. The next topic, “Forget a QE Exit Plan, Serial Money Printing is the Wave of the Future”, Jim notes that 14 central banks around the world have cut interest rates, and are printing money with no exit strategy in sight. He notes that the next Fed Chairperson, widely assumed to be Janet Yellen, will make Ben Bernanke look conservative when it comes to money printing.

In this segment of the Big Picture, Jim looks at how the price of oil has affected the economy and growth over the past three years, and how his concept of the Petro Business Cycle looks like it will be the “New Normal” in the years ahead. He also references recent interviews with oil experts Dr. Robert Hirsch and Dr. Oliver Inderwildi who concurred with his analysis on the Petro Business Cycle. Jim also answers your Q-calls in this segment of the program.

Jim welcomes back Rick Santelli, On-Air Editor at CNBC and veteran trader and financial executive. Rick refers to current central bank policies as a world-wide “money fest”, given by the Central Banking Country Club. Rick sees the US adopting the “entitlement society” as current economic policy, which he asserts has never worked globally. He advises taxpayers to hold onto their wallets. Taxes will be going higher to pay for ever increasing government spending.

Jim is pleased to welcome back Dr. Oliver Inderwildi PhD, Research Fellow at Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, University of Oxford, UK. Dr. Inderwildi speaks to the high degree of oil price volatility over the past four decades, and its damaging and destabilizing effects on the global macro-economy. He discusses the main drivers of oil price volatility and how it has influenced both the level of inflation and the level of unemployment within economies affected by it. Dr. Inderwildi notes while there is no energy “silver bullet”, he discusses economic policies that could help prevent or minimize oil price volatility.

Jim is pleased to welcome back Steve Forbes, Chairman, CEO, and Editor in Chief at Forbes Media and an internationally respected authority in the worlds of economics, finance, and corporate leadership. They cover a number of issues, including the recent plunge in gold, the Fed’s manipulation of the economy and the potential for future inflation, and the government’s relentless search for more revenue to raise federal spending. Mr. Forbes believes there is a determination in Washington to increase taxes on wealth, following the French model.

Jim welcomes Dan Steffens, the President of Energy Prospectus Group (EPG), a networking organization based in Houston, Texas. Dan publishes EPG’s newsletter, “The View From Houston”. Dan discusses his views on natural gas, and lays out the case for higher natural gas prices ahead. Dan and Jim also discuss the energy stocks, and Dan advises investors to look for companies that balance natural gas and oil production, and can switch back and forth as market conditions warrant.

This week Jim and Cathlyn discuss the dilemma of those sitting on the sideline in cash. When is the right time to make a move? They illustrate the issue by discussing the case study of a retired couple, David and Michelle, who are unhappy with the meager returns on cash and CDs, but have not been ready to make a move into the market. Jim lays out a strategy to boost their income, but warns that time may be running short for income investors. This week’s guest is Peter Bell, president & CEO of the National Reverse Mortgage Association.

Jim welcomes back Shelley D Moen CMT, Senior Market Strategist at Vermilion Technical Research, LLC. Shelley tells Jim that this is the best she has felt about the market since the bottom in 2002. She notes the Dow Theory buy signal, and believes this market has room to move higher. Shelley mentions that the Technology, Energy and Industrial sectors are all undervalued and very attractive at current levels. Also in this segment, Ryan Puplava has this week’s Market Wrap-up, Erik Townsend discusses commodities, and Rob Bernard has the Fixed Income Report.

In this week’s first topic on the Big Picture, Jim looks at the global problem of low interest rates for investors, and how difficult it is for those who need interst income to survive. Jim sees time running out in that any significant yield in the future will come with higher risk. Jim disucsses what a yield-starved investor should do. In the next Big Picture topic, which relates to the first topic, Jim lays out the case that dividend-paying stocks are still the best game in town. Jim also looks at specfic sectors within the dividend stock universe and explains why these blue-chip dividend plays are the best alternative in the current environment. Jim also answers your Q-Calls in this segement of the program.

Jim is pleased to welcome Jeffrey Saut, Managing Director of Research at Raymond James Financial. Jeff mentions that many investment managers and other professionals are feeling “performance pressures” from having missed the recent rally, as well as others that have underperformed by emphasizing international equities over US-focused equities. Jeff does not think the dividend play of recent years is extended, as payout ratios average only 32% of earnings on the S&P index, compared with historical norms of 50% payout ratios.

Jim is pleased to welcome back Michelle Caruso-Cabrera, an award-winning financial television journalist working for CNBC. Michelle and Jim discuss her on-the-ground reporting from Cyprus during its financial crisis. She believes Cyprus was treated unfairly by the European powers, and didn’t receive the same treatment as Greece, which was kept afloat with massive bailouts. Michelle notes that Cyprus runs on its banking system, and Cyprus was treated as an off-shore tax haven, not a sovereign country. She also points out that Cyprus did not cut government spending, but raised taxes instead. Michelle also discusses the European economy and the chances of the Euro surviving longer term.

Jim welcomes Ronald Stoeferle, publisher of the respected annual report, “In Gold We Trust”, and a gold fund manager in Vienna, Austria. Ronald tells Jim that we were close to a run on the bullion banks during the recent chaotic drop in gold. He also sees a growing movement to remove gold from the financial system, as paper gold is creating too much counterparty risk, as witnessed by the Dutch bank ABN Amro’s recent gold default. Ronald sees the divergence between paper gold plunging in price and record demand for physical gold as a loss of confidence in the banking system by the public. The next issue of “In Gold We Trust” will be published in June.