A month ago, at an investment conference in Baltimore, my colleague Eric Fry asked if I think there’s another “bubble” out there that’s going to pop. My reply was that I believe the “education” bubble is destined for doom. It’ll be just one more thing to smack down the US economy, and makes for another reason — as if we need more — to hold precious metals as portfolio protection.
November 15th, 2011 | Byron King | 0 comments | ContinuedArchive for Byron King
Byron King currently serves as an attorney in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He received his Juris Doctor from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 1981 and is a cum laude graduate of Harvard University. Byron is also co-editor of Outstanding Investments.
The “Other” Precious Metal
When you hear the term “precious metals,” you likely think of gold and silver. But there are other metals of great value besides these. So what is platinum, really? What’s the big deal? Why is it important? What makes it the basis for an investment idea?
August 17th, 2011 | Byron King | 1 comment | Continued
Beryllium…Still Sexy
The market for Rare Earths is completely out of whack. It’s due to distortions from the Chinese monopoly. The West has spent the past 20 years sitting on its collective butt not understanding the seriousness of this strategic resource-based issue.
July 6th, 2011 | Byron King | 0 comments | Continued
The Future of Energy
Byron King of Agora Financial speaks to Midday with Dan Rodricks: The future of energy – a picture of the year 2031. What does the world look like? What sort of power-related technologies will be in wide use that are not in wide use now?
July 4th, 2011 | Byron King | 0 comments | Continued
What if Past is Prologue?
My investment letter, Outstanding Investments, looks for opportunities in resource plays. Hence, our portfolio is chock-full of oil and gas companies, uranium diggers, gold and silver miners and technology companies that enable basic resource production.
June 9th, 2011 | Byron King | 0 comments | Continued
Beryllium…Even Sexier Than it Sounds
The young Marine sniper lays motionless in a shallow bed of sand and broken rock on the mountainside in Afghanistan. The sun blazes down, and he’s sweating. He’s spent the morning scanning a valley for Taliban fighters who keep a low profile in their maze of spider holes.
June 8th, 2011 | Byron King | 3 comments | Continued
Handicapping the Rare Earths Stampede
Over the past couple of months, we’ve learned plenty about the future of Chinese demand for rare earths. Bottom line is that the Chinese will likely become net-importers of rare earths within three years – certainly within five years.
April 11th, 2011 | Byron King | 1 comment | Continued
China’s “Rare Earths” Exports Collapse, World Prices Soar
Let’s think back to September 2010. Japan confronted China at sea in a dispute over fishing rights. The Japanese arrested a Chinese fishing boat captain. The Chinese soon imposed an embargo on rare earths exports to Japan.
April 8th, 2011 | Byron King | 6 comments | Continued
Exactly How Does This Turn Out?
“It’s hard to know exactly how this turns out,” said Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, this past Sunday, in answer to a question about the US-French-British-et al. aerial assault on Libya. Oh, really?
March 25th, 2011 | Byron King | 0 comments | Continued
Disasters… Both Natural and Unnatural
Looking at history, there are often major international economic declines after big natural disasters. The example I like is how the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 led to the bankruptcy of many insurance carriers and to an outflow of cash from London and New York money centers.
March 15th, 2011 | Byron King | 1 comment | Continued
Greasing the Wheels of Oil Production
There’s a common theme to my efforts on behalf of my Outstanding Investments subscribers. Yes, I like companies that control real resources like oil, natural gas, copper, gold, silver, etc. I look for the basic resource value. But beyond these basics, I look for companies that control resources and have the technology to extract them and add value.
February 8th, 2011 | Byron King | 0 comments | Continued
Stealth Symbolism, and a Rare Earths Update
When US Defense Secretary Robert Gates visited China last week, his hosts chose that particular time to test-fly their new “stealth” aircraft, dubbed the J-20. There appears to be symbolism at work here. The most direct interpretation is that the timing of the first flight of this new Chinese airplane was meant to insult Sec. Gates, the man who last year canceled the – far more advanced – US F-22 program.
January 24th, 2011 | Byron King | 0 comments | Continued
The Biggest Resource Stories for 2011…and Beyond!
I’m going to countdown three of 2010′s biggest resource stories – not to reminisce about profitable investments from the year gone by, but to highlight what I believe will be very profitable investments in the year ahead…
January 12th, 2011 | Byron King | 0 comments | Continued
Buy Silver…Again!
With the ongoing recession looming over the US and foreign economies, China seems to be coasting through with continuing growth through its exports. This trend does not seem likely to continue in the coming months. Below I will explain why and what steps you can take to secure your investment portfolios.
December 14th, 2010 | Byron King | 0 comments | Continued
More Nukes!
In a world with growing population, growing prosperity, increasing demand and decreasing availability of energy and mineral resources, there have to be great investment opportunities in these resources. Indeed, that’s where the money is.
October 26th, 2010 | Byron King | 5 comments | Continued
