"SELL TODAY -  BUY TOMORROW"
Is that a statement of fact or a question? 

Please wait one minute while I look at my crystal ball.  Sorry, I need another minute or two. The crystal ball is still cloudy. The answer is not clear. I see money massively flowing out of precious metals and into stocks.  Such has been the clear trend for the last several years.  I see gold under $1150 an ounce, and silver well under $20 an ounce.  I do not see the floor.  I see Western speculators and Asian buyers. I see real estate prices that have never fully recovered and tech stocks of the 1990's that no longer exist.  I see my parents saying, "nothing lasts forever." I see myself selling my gold and silver today with the expectation (and prayer) that I will buy back "tomorrow." Yep.  That's it. That's what my crystal ball tells me what to do.

You will have to look at your own crystal ball to tell you how to manage your financial portfolio in an intelligent, reasoned way. :) 

Just when analysts were writing gold off and predicting the price to be the same as a man's good suit, the precious metals market has found new life.  The price of gold has increased over $230.00 in little over a month.  Why the dramatic increase?  There are  many possible reasons.  Physical gold was oversold.  Players had to cover shorts.  The dollar weakened. Global political tensions, particularly in the Middle East, have dangerously escalated.  Safe haven buying of gold has dramatically increased. And, as always, conspiracy theories abound. What does this significant increase in gold portend? I confess I do not know with any degree of certainty.  And, I further believe that the necessary information to predict the short-term future of gold is only available to a special few, who have the power to influence prices.  In the meantime, technicals portend higher prices in the near future.  Let's enjoy the ride while hoping that the world calms down.

Gold Prices Could Drop to $1,000 As Employment, Economy Improve.
By Neils Christensen of Kitco News
Friday July 5, 2013 10:23 AM

(Kitco News) - A stronger-than-expected U.S. employment report was the latest headwind to hit gold Friday, and as a result, analysts are expecting to see lower prices in the near term.

The government reported an increase of 195,000 jobs in June, when expectations were for 155,000 to 166,000. Further, the tallies for the previous two months were revised higher. With the revision, June’s job report showed that the U.S. economy created about 100,000 more jobs than economists expected, said Peter Buchanan, senior economist at CIBC World Markets.

As of 10:14 a.m. EDT, August gold was down $40.70 to $1,211.20 an ounce; one minute before the report was released, the contract was trading at $1,241.

“There is just no reason to be long gold right now,” said Sterling Smith, futures specialist with Citi Institutional Client Group.

Although the jobs report was positive, Smith said he doesn’t think it will be enough to force the Federal Reserve to cut back on its $85 billion monthly bond-purchase program right away. He said he could see the Fed waiting to see at least two more jobs report and then perhaps act in November.

Buchanan said he expects the Fed will begin to taper in October. While the employment numbers were better than expected, he said some of the other data points haven’t been as strong as expected.

For now though, both analysts expect that the markets will continue to price in an exit strategy sooner than later, which will be negative for gold. Smith said in the short term, gold could test support at $1,000 an ounce.

“Can we go lower than that? We certainly can,” he said. “If you are looking for good news in gold, you are holding onto fairy tales and hope. Right now, the market is caught in a bear trend.”

Michael Widmer, metals strategist for Bank of America Merrill Lynch, agreed that prices could hit $1,000 if the U.S. economy continues to pick up and interest rates continue to move higher.

“There isn’t a lot in favor for gold right now,” he said. “Growth is picking up and we don’t have any signs of inflation.”

Adding to the gold’s weakness is the strong U.S. dollar, which not only jumped Friday after the jobs report but rallied significantly on Thursday after the Bank of England and the European Central Bank released dovish monetary policy statements.

By Neils Christensen of Kitco News [email protected]

My customers frequently ask me, "Are the prices of gold and silver going to go up or down?"  And I reply, "If i knew, I would not be here in the coin shop.  I would be on an island with a drink in one hand and my cell phone to my broker in the other hand."
Well folks, it's pretty obvious that  the bull market is over - at least for now.  Since the last quarter of 2012, there has been a  stampede of heavy hitters and mutual funds exiting the precious metals.  The deterioration in price appears to be accelerating without a floor in sight.  The U.S. dollar has gained strength, and the U.S. stock market keeps going up notwithstanding the concern that the market is overpriced.  So, in response to my customers' inquiries, I now suggest, "Don't buck the trend."  I believe that the precious metals will rebound some time in the future.  Unfortunately, last time, the rebound took about 25 years.  We will see as history tells us that all markets can change "on a dime."

Who are these people who come into town and take out full pages in the Plain Dealer? Who are these people who pay a small fortune to advertise on TV? Who are these people who rent kiosks and storefronts over town to buy your gold? We have NO IDEA, and we've been in this business for over 50 years. BUT, you do know who we are. We are Shaker Coin Company - family owned and operated in Cleveland, Ohio since 1959. 

Just about every coin ad I've read says, "We Pay Top Dollar!!"  To be honest, I think we have also used that phrase.  How can everyone pay "top dollar" when we all know that different shops pay different amounts of money for your goods?  So, how is it that we pay more than our competitors?  Here are a couple of reasons: 

       1. Our reputation and, as a result, the strong customer base that we have built in the Cleveland, Ohio area for over 50 years. We pay the best price possible so our customers will return with their family and friends.
      2.  Our strong established relationships with our refiners and national coin dealers.  
      3.  Our modest advertising expenditures.  We don't need to spend much because our customers are our best advertisement.  
      4   Our prime location in Woodmere, Ohio, just off of 1-271 and Brainard, and our easily accessible business entry.
      5.   Keep in mind that the spot price of gold is the same for all dealers, big and small, Cleveland, Ohio and New York city. So there's no advantage to dealing out-of-state or with "bigger name" firms.  The end of the line is the same for all of us.