RBS chooses gold to beat inflation in new expatriate fund « Peter J. Cooper...

"The role of gold in this new account is bound to raise eyebrows and comes as the bank is warning customers to expect turmoil in equity and credit markets over the next three months, an unusal statement for the second largest UK bank. "

Sudden gold and silver drop on Monday suspicious « Peter J. Cooper’s Weblog

"You only have to look at the gold and silver charts for Monday to sense that more than market forces have been at work. The chart slumps suddenly at the 8 am Eastern Time opening of trading and then flat lines. "

What next for the economies of the Gulf States? « Peter J. Cooper’s Weblog

"For the time being the US economic slowdown remains a positive for the Gulf States, and only a much deeper economic recession will seriously dampen oil prices and impact regional prosperity."

Burj Dubai, June update on world’s tallest building « Peter J. Cooper’s ...

"Completion is now scheduled for September next year but the Burj Dubai is almost fully clad and the next stage will be to add the final spire to the top, which is under construction in Jebel Ali. What a statement about the brash, bold self-confidence of this amazing city...

RBS warns of Black Monday within three months, buy precious metals « Peter J...

" In a Daily Telegraph scoop today the bank warns that the S&P 500 will fall by more than 300 points to around 1050 by September. This Wall Street crash will reverberate through Europe, Asia and the emerging markets, and amount to ‘one of the worst bear markets over...

Gold and silver break out of trading range, up 3%, 5% « Peter J. Cooper’s ...

" Chartists hold that a head-and-shoulders formation indicates a change in direction for a trend: either down or up. Gold seems to have taken a decisive step up, and broken out of its channel and should head higher now."

New Dubai mortgage options will keep house prices moving up « Peter J. Coope...

" Now we have Amlak Finance’s Easy Start mortgage which offers lower payments over the first four years of a home loan with increased payments from year five. On a Dhs1 million loan this cuts payments from Dhs9,500 on the normal finance rate of 7.75 per cent to Dhs6,458,...

Is Saudi Arabia about to repeat its oil policy error of 1998? « Peter J. Coo...

" So I wonder if Saudi Arabia really decided to screw down oil prices next week, how long will this last? The emerging economies will soon swallow up any surplus production and we will be back to square one, and prices will go up again. Only at that point Saudi Arabia may...

UK housing: my future scenario, it will get better eventually « Peter J. Coo...

" As a property journalist of two decades standing – with some successful property calls under my belt – it therefore seems only fair to flesh out what was a very broad-brush prediction: namely that the selling prices of houses will fall by 60 per cent in this downturn...

MoneyWeek editor, latest on the UK house price crash « Peter J. Cooper’s W...

"Money Programme interview with the Editor of MoneyWeek, Merryn Somerset Webb on UK house prices which have been falling at their fastest pace in history over the past two months. This lady has been proved right for steering buyers away from property in recent years. Listen...

Asian stock markets slump, Wall Street flat « Peter J. Cooper’s Weblog

"China led the Asian markets sharply lower with shares down 5.7 per cent in Shanghai, 3.5 per cent in Hong Kong and 2.5 per cent in Sydney. But after last Friday’s plunge the big cannons were out on Wall Street to steady nerves and head off a likely Black Monday."

Black Monday, all eyes on Western markets « Peter J. Cooper’s Weblog

"Some have interpreted remarks by the European Central Bank chief Jean Paul Trichet last week about raising interest rates as similar to comments from the Bundesbank which triggered the 1987 dollar and equity crash. Last Friday’s oil price surge has echoes of the 1970s and...

Gold heading quickly back above $1,000 and silver $22 « Peter J. Cooper’s ...

" Depressed gold and silver junior exploration stocks are the best buy but anything linked to precious metals will gain in price as the metals rise in value. Gold is a safe haven for investors and a hedge against inflation but silver generally has the better performance in a...

Will the UAE suffer or prosper in the global economic slowdown? « Peter J. C...

" It is tempting therefore to conclude that the global economic slowdown is going to have no impact on the Emirates. Indeed, the oil boom should be seen largely as a beneficial phenomenon with any problems being those of success and not failure. But beneath the surface there...

Wall Street will crash on Monday! « Peter J. Cooper’s Weblog

" Last Friday Wall Street suffered its worst losses in more than two months after crude oil prices spiked over $138, an increase of nearly $11, and the unemployment rate rose more than expected to 5.5 per cent. The Dow fell by 3.2 per cent or 394.64 points. Expect a bigger...