Off the Cuff: Market Mayhem

In this week's Off the Cuff podcast, Chris and Alasdair MacLeod discuss:

• The Market Meltdown
  • What the heck just happened?
• The Next Round of Bailouts
  • If you hate the problem, wait till you see the solutions
• Gold
  • Ready for a return to the limelight?
• Ebola
  • Is the media selling us too much fear?

Wow. What a week!

When last week's Off The Cuff aired, the S&P 500 was over 100 points (6%) higher that it is today. That's a pretty big drop for one of the world's largest equity indices in just 5 trading days.

Chris and Alasdair summarize the recent carnage and attempt to determine the main triggers of the decline. In retrospect, collapsing sovereign bond yields were signaling that capital was seeking safer haven. Investor confidence was shaken by the many recent reports indicating a slump in GDP of many of the world's major Economies. And, for certain, the startling pace of decline in the price of oil was clearly a force that weighed heavily on the market this week.

And, valid or not, fears around Ebola have added to the jitters.

Gold and silver has showed a fortitude during the chaos of the past week that we have not seen in years.