It's about time they published this... I can understand pride in one's financial system; but come on!!! A little too late... A 5 year old can spot that the US is in recession right now with one question "Mommy, what am I getting this christmas?" and to this the mother only replies "You are getting the wheels for a new bike, for your birthday you might get the frame, and the horn is what you got on thanksgiving". There, the five year old got it in one question and these people analyze an endless amount of data to arrive at this conclusion. Just get your heads out of the ground and when
you begin to see that Americans have already begun buying medicines from Canada or fuel from Mexico or that CostCo. (Discount Store where you buy in large quantities for a fraction of the price) sales have gone up you might notice this too. In brief, here's what the geniuses had to say...
"…a peak in economic activity occurred in the U.S. economy in December 2007. The peak marks the end of the expansion that began in November 2001 and the beginning of a recession. The expansion lasted 73 months; the previous expansion of the 1990s lasted 120 months… A recession begins when the economy reaches a peak of activity and ends when the economy reaches its trough. Between trough and peak, the economy is in an expansion."
For all you wanting investment tips, I would suggest investing in the following...- Obesity: store you hard earned money on your hips, cheeks and arm flaps.
- Buy an Iraqi oil field: "Iraqi Oil Fields open to bidders (CNN)" Why worry about rising energy cost when YOU could be making tons of money with it. Forget about the puny little discussion about drilling offshore and get the Oil directly from the Middle East. Secure your claim NOW!
- Become a gun dealer: undercut competition and import some guns from Russia and China (if it's from China be sure to get your money upfront and go for one-time deals... they might be faulty or cheap knockoffs).
- Open a Guinea Pig restaurant: Guinea Pigs are nutritious and thanks to recession overly abundant in pet stores. Start your own Guinea Pig restaurant and be one of the first to cash in on the new fashion trend.
- Rice: Invest in Rice! Check the recent development of Rice on the global markets and you will realize that the price has nearly tippled. There is no end in sight and the price of rice will keep going up and if it does not, you can still eat your investment. What other investment does nourish you during bad times? Essentially you cannot go wrong. Either sell the rice back to the market or live off it.
But seriously, what I suggest as good investments (NO JOKES HERE) are the following...
- Precious Metals: Precious metals, such as gold, silver and platinum, are a tried and true investment for those looking to get out of the stock market. Many currencies were tied to precious metals in the past, which solidified their place as a currency hedge. Gold, silver and platinum, while they correlate somewhat to each other and the stock market, do not correlate absolutely, which makes ownership of each precious metal a good diversification option.
- Timber: Timber is a solid commodity with steady demand that does well during stock market declines because it is not correlated to the market. Its returns reliably outperform the market, and its value increases over time, even without investor input.
- Foreign Currencies: As the U.S. economy weakens and the dollar continues to lose value, it makes sense for investors to consider owning blocks of foreign currency. “Currencies have different pricing mechanisms, and low correlation to other dollar based assets, therefore providing an excellent diversification tool, and hedge against a falling dollar,” Chuck Butler, president of the EverBank World Markets, said.
- Equities in countries with low correlation to the mother country: Investments in foreign countries whose economies aren’t tied to the U.S. economy could be helpful for investors hoping to diversify their portfolios in case of recession. (Risky at time of Global Recession)
- Real Estate: Real estate can be a prime investment in times of recession. In times of financial uncertainty, real estate investors should focus on cash flow (Rental Properties) rather than appreciation. Cash flow is easy to see—the numbers either work from the start or they don’t.
