The Importance of Having Gold in a Balanced Portfolio

Last 4 or 5 months gold has gone up on a huge spike - China has lost faith in the U.S. Dollar. - Public opinion of Obama's plan is driving people to invest in gold. - Warren Buffet acquires two of the largest gold manufacturers. - 10,000 financial advisors across America encourage investors to invest in gold as a hedge.

Extreme short positions in silver | Ed Steer of Casey Research

Ed Steer is a market analyst for Casey Research LLC and is based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Effects of Spain foreclosure laws

Effects of Spain foreclosure laws


Fallout from the recent global economic crisis has hit homeowners hard around the world.

But the system in Spain is especially harsh for those who can no longer afford to make their mortgage payments.

For many Americans facing foreclosure, that would be the end of it. But for Luis Marti and thousands of other Spaniards, it is just the beginning of their troubles.

In Spain, foreclosure and eviction do not terminate the debt, so after losing their homes, many people owe the remainder of the mortgage. Therefore, people cannot escape the debt through bankruptcy either, because mortgage debt is specifically excluded from the bankruptcy laws.

Al Jazeera's Barbara Serra reports from Barcelona.