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I am up 17% for now. Was up 30% at the peak. My biggest position is physical gold which is up nicely in Euro's and my mining stocks did ok although they did gave up a lot of their gains these last months. All in all I'm ok with my performance this year. Could have been a lot better if I...

Most likely the workers received a German pension for the years worked there, which is now retroactively being taxed. This is the link but it's in dutch. http://www.standaard.be/artikel/detail.aspx?artikelid=DMF20111119_011

If you were European and forced to work in the German labour camps you have to pay 17% taxes on your years working there to the German state. If your grandfather died 3 years ago? Doesnt matter. Pay up. Thousands of people got their letter in the mail these last weeks. Lol at Germany...

Werent the biggest riots this year in London? Yeah, I think they were. People and politicians were actually crying to send in the army and shoot their own youth.

It saddens me to say this but I think Belgium could make global headlines and fast. We had 3 global banks going into the crisis. Fortis, Dexia and KBC. A 2 trillion USD monster at the peak. BNP took over Fortis in 08. Dexia, well, everyone knows about that. The third one, KBC is...

Maybe thats why they have a deficit higher then Greece. And what happens in a few years when North sea oil profits disappear? An anual 15 % deficit rate? The EMU has no lessons to learn from the UK.

Great Britain is not a EMU member. It's like Obama telling China where the Yuan should be.

Very interesting discussion on if and why one should listen to who. :)

I agree. To me he is a legend that has thought me a whole lot. I have one of his books on audio tape (he reads them himself, lol). The year is 2000 or something and he is walking around Athens talking about how they cooked the books and it will all end badly...Classic. Having said that...

It's a tricky business being a talking head. The first thing Jim Rogers says every time he is on TV is don't listen to a word I say, do your own homework. Then after the interview everybody says he is just talking his book. :p

In my view the medium of television has the advantage of offering a wide range of views. You have one talking head who says the Dow is going to 20K, the next says it's going to 0. Take a side. When confronted with a personal advisor of any kind chances are reasonably high you end up in a...

Agreed.

Yes, so no difference then is there...

Martin, why do you frown upon people coming on to TV telling about their economic views and investment strategies? You realise how fragile most people are listening only to their bank clerk or portfolio manager and how costly this has been to so many these past years? You know my grandma's...

Flemish.

If Belgium falls we will just move to Germany. :)

Belgium, the ultimate disgrace. http://www.businessinsider.com/the-ultimate-disgrace-in-belgium-2011-11 :p

Germany's refound respect after WWII is their biggest asset. They will be very carefull not to lose that.

Most of it is probably because of the rise in the price of energy. That set of a cascade of effects that will be felt for some time to come. Although my worst investment ever was buying Canadian oilsands who are still down 50% from 2008 so what do I know right...:p

You guys read about Paulson selling GLD? I thought he was holding strong...:p And buying BAC? Jeez...