Clif Droke's Contributions

As several market technicians have pointed out recently, price oscillators and sentiment indicators for the U.S. stock market point to an excessively “overbought” condition, both technically and psychologically.

Earlier this year commodities prices were fairly buoyant thanks in part to strong demand in Asia. The strength didn’t last long, however, and by summer weakness was evident in Europe and China.

Lacking a distinctive catalyst, gold prices have languished in recent weeks after a failed turnaround attempt earlier this month. Gold’s primary form of price propulsion is fear and uncertainty; as long as investors are worried what the future might hold...

Throughout most of 2014, economists were convinced that the threat of deflation had been successfully bypassed thanks to Fed intervention. Indeed, many celebrated economic forecasters have been loudly cheering the mostly solid-looking economic data throughout most of this year.

Gold recently fell to its lowest level in seven-and-a-half months as the dollar rose to a 14-month high. Easing tensions in Ukraine and the Middle East also acted as a drag on gold and silver prices. Investors have been asking the obvious question...

Among the components of the 60-year economic super cycle due to bottom this fall is the 10-year cycle. It is this cycle which is the core component of the super cycle and is responsible for this year’s financial market behavior.

The upcoming bottom of the 60-year cycle will drastically alter the U.S. economic landscape. The ending of the long-term disinflationary/deflationary undercurrent will soon give way to a new long-term cycle of re-inflation/inflation...

As the 60-year cycle enters its final few weeks of descent, a few conclusions can be made. We can also make some projections as to what the foreseeable future might hold based on the upcoming bottom of this important economic cycle.

Gold has once again begun to assert its safe haven value after the recent drop in equity prices. Last week’s Argentina bond default scare coupled with rising tensions between Russia and Ukraine have combined to spook global equity markets.

There are some analysts out there who maintain that the precipitous decline in commodity prices this year bodes ill for the stock market. Witness for example the dramatic drop in the price of corn.

One of the recurring headlines adding to the “wall of worry” is the battle between U.S. hedge funds and the Argentina government over payment of the country’s bond debt stemming from the country’s 1998-2002 economic crisis.

If you get the feeling that M&A is becoming bubbly, you’d be right. According to the Business Insider web site, the first quarter of 2014 witnessed the largest aggregate deal value since 2007 and the largest average deal size since 2007

While the path of least resistance for U.S. stocks is still up, there are still potential pitfalls this summer from obstacles overseas.

One of the most salient features of the market environment of recent months is the evolution of investor psychology. From March through May, stocks experienced a classic internal correction in which the most overbought and overvalued stocks declined while fairly valued large caps remained buoyant.

With a war between Ukraine and Russia averted, will gold find a "fear catalyst" to launch a new bull market anytime soon?

Beginning later this year a new long-term cycle of inflation begins. Here's what the future might hold for the U.S. in the years immediately following.

Why the next six months have the potential to be the most exciting period for investors since the 2010 financial crisis in Europe.

For all the bullish 2014 expectations among Wall Street analysts, few if any consider the impact of the long-term cycles. After all, it’s in late 2014 when several major long-term yearly cycles are scheduled to bottom in unison...

Institutional banks and their bearish forecasts are propelling the yellow metal to higher levels as the "wall of worry" gains strength.

A final bout of deflation is a real threat in 2014 before the long-term Kress cycle bottoms and how investors and central bankers are responding to it.