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Hard Assets Investor submits: By Brad Zigler Real-time Monetary Inflation (last 12 months): -2.3%The tango has long been known as the dance of love. Around the NYMEX trading ring, the ‘tango—the locals' shorthand for contango—has as many lovers as detractors. Contango is the pricing phenomenon characterized by successively higher back-month prices. For example, a $2.98 contango was evident on Friday when October 2010 WTI crude oil finished at $75.17 a barrel, and January 2011 crude settled at $78.15.Complete Story »

Hard Assets Investor submits: Last week, the World Gold Council launched its quarterly Gold DemandTrends report, and it had lots of lovely statistics to ponder as it surveyed what the gold market looked like for the second quarter of 2010.ETF Buyers Outweigh Jewelry BuyersComplete Story »

Hard Assets Investor submits: By Lara Crigger It's no secret that gold is a highly emotional market. But exactly which emotions drive which investors might surprise you, says Frank Holmes, CEO and chief investment officer of U.S. Global Investors, an investment adviser managing 13 natural resources and emerging market mutual funds. Complete Story »

Hard Assets Investor submits: By Brad Zigler According to the Brothers Grimm fairy tale, Rumpelstiltskin could spin straw into gold. Investors can do the same. Not literally, mind you, but one can obtain a long gold position (or a proxy position in gold futures, a gold trust or a mining stock) without actually touching bullion, futures or stock.Complete Story »

Hard Assets Investor submits: By Tom Vulcan Anyone with children is familiar with talcum powder—that loose, white powder used to prevent diaper rash. But talc itself isn't just white. It can also be black, blue, brown, grey, pink, silver and violet. It all depends upon the talc's chemical composition, and what proportions of such elements as aluminum, iron, manganese and titanium may also be present.Complete Story »

Hard Assets Investor submits: Mike Norman, anchor, HardAssetsInvestor.com (Norman): Hello everybody, and welcome to HardAssetsInvestor.com. I’m Mike Norman, your host. Today, my guest is Jason Toussaint. He is the managing director of investments at the World Gold Council. Jason, thank you very much for joining me here today. Jason Toussaint, managing director of investments, World Gold Council (Toussaint): Pleasure to be here. Thank you. Norman: I’m really happy to have you. The World Gold Council is a very important organization, representing the gold industry. Why don’t you tell us a little bit about your organization and what its mission is.Complete Story »

Hard Assets Investor submits: By Brad ZiglerNo market exemplifies uncertainty better than palladium. Over the past four months prices for platinum's poorer relation have vacillated more than $130 an ounce and now are in middling ground at the $477 level. Well, they were at that level. This morning, palladium jumped $7, breaking above near-term resistance as it was swept up in a metals rally.Complete Story »

Hard Assets Investor submits: By Lara Crigger Gold looks, well, golden, to Joe Foster, precious metals expert and portfolio manager for Van Eck Global. Foster joined Van Eck in 1996, and currently serves as lead team investment manager for the company's flagship mutual fund, the International Investors Gold Fund. He is also a team investment manager for the company's Global Hard Assets Fund and VIP Global Hard Assets Fund, and acts as a consultant for the Market Vectors Gold Miners ETF (GDX).Complete Story »

Hard Assets Investor submits: By Brad ZiglerReal-time Monetary Inflation (last 12 months): -1.3%Gold continued to rally against Continental currencies this week but lost 0.3% against the Japanese yen. Bullion rose 2.0% in euros, 1.7% in sterling and 1.3% in Swiss francs.Complete Story »

Hard Assets Investor submits: by Lara CriggerIt's official: China, not the U.S., is now the world's top consumer of energy, according to a report released Monday by the International Energy Agency.Complete Story »