Population growth is a fairly common and straightforward driver of economic growth; as the number of people in a given market increases, so too does demand for products and services. Generally a positive development for the overall health of the global economy, there are some potential hazards to consider. In recent years various analysts have been warning of a developing resource crisis as the world population climbs steadily higher. Currently sitting at roughly 7 billion people, the surge is not expected to slow anytime soon; worldwide population is predicted to hit 8 billion by 2025 and 9 billion as early as 2045. That means a lot of new mouths to feed in coming years, with limited resources for increasing food production. [click to continue…]
Following the massive injections into capital markets in recent years, inflation has become a major concern of many investors, and the quest to uncover assets that offer portfolio protection against a potential uptick in the CPI has taken on many forms. While inflation-protected bonds are the instrument of choice for some, others have turned their [...]
With the rapid declines in the equity markets over the past year and increasing worries about inflation, many investors have been looking for alternative ETF investments to reduce volatility in their portfolios and establish at least a partial hedge against deteriorating economic conditions. One of the most popular options for doing so has been commodity [...]
