Top Twenty Smaulgld Blog Posts Through September 2013

Smaulgld.com was launched on April 28 this year with the blog post “Student Loans and Unemployment are Holding Back the Economy and Real Estate Market” (#17).

Since then we have published seventy posts and the site has received nearly 20,000 unique visitors and over 42,000 page views.

While the bulk of Smaulgld.com’s visitors come from the United States (86%), we have received visitors from Australia, New Zealand, every country in North America and Europe, from every country in South America except Bolivia and Suriname and every country in Asia except Papua New Guinea, Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan,Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, and from sixteen countries in Africa.

Rounding out the top ten countries sending visitors to Smaulgld.com are: Canada, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, Singapore, Finland, Brazil, Malaysia and Germany.

The Smaulgld You Tube Channel featuring weekly podcasts with former CBS Radio host Ryan Sloper has received nearly 1,500 views.

Thanks to everyone for reading and listening.

Here are the twenty most viewed posts in Smaulgld’s five month history:

1. The Coming Real Estate Supply/Demand Inventory Reversal 3,576

A particularly prescient piece published in June that predicted the then high demand/low inventory dynamic that was driving real estate prices higher would reverse as more inventory came on the market and demand slackened due to higher interest rates and a poor economy.

2. The Recovery Has Reversed Course – Welcome to the Revocery 2,002

This post declared the end of the short recovery that was characterized by real estate and stock market gains fueled almost entirely by artificially low interest rates in spite of an economy marked by low job and wage growth and productivity. This post was republished in part in the Boston Globe and in full in Inman News.

3. Why the End of Quantitative Easing May be Bad For The Dollar (& Good For Gold & Silver) 1,786

A provocative post that argues that the Fed’s willingness to print dollars is what keeps the dollar strong and ending QE might have the unintended consequence of weakening the dollar rather then strengthening it.

4. The Disconnect Between Home Prices and The Economy 1,590

This blog post was aimed at the housing recovery cheerleaders who scoffed that higher interest rates would derail the housing recovery.

5. Twelve Ways Silver is Different Than Gold 1,486

Twelve key relatively unknown differences (other than color and price) between gold and silver are explored.

6. Real Estate’s Underwater/Down Side Sticky Catch-22 1,200

This blog post discusses the unique dynamic of underwater home owners and reluctant home sellers and their impact on restraining housing inventory and prices.

7. Can the Housing Recovery Continue? 974

Published in early August, this blog post questions the sustainability of the housing recovery.

8. The Dark Side of Rising Home Prices 974

Provides seven reasons rising home prices are not a good thing.

9. Gold and Real Estate Are Assets, Not Investments 916

A discussion of the relative characteristics of gold and real estate.

10. Why Interest Rates are Rising – Podcast 8.2.13 792

A blog post with a companion podcast that discusses the reason interest rates rose all summer-the Fed threatening to taper quantitative easing;not an improving economy.

11. You Can’t Get There From Here – Straining to Regain Real Estate’s Promised Land 791

A blog post that refutes those arguing real estate prices weren’t in a bubble because they had not reached the levels in the last real estate bubble.

12. The Gold Silver Ratio vs. The Silver Gold Sales Ratio 772

Discusses the supply demand interplay with the price of silver and reports on retail sales of gold and silver at the U.S. Mint. Now a monthly update.

13. The King is Surrounded: Bernanke’s No Exit Dilemma 702

Discusses the limited options the Fed has as it continues its quantitative easing program.

14. The Recovery is Worse Than the Recession 669

Highlights how limited the recovery has been given wages were higher during the recession.

15. Is College Worth It? 574

This blog post makes the argument that success, even world changing success can be achieved without going to college. See the impressive list of successful people who either never went or never graduated from college.

16. Bernanke Warns of Tanking the Economy 514

A blog post covering the stark admission by Ben Bernanke, Chairman of the Federal Reserve, who stated in Congressional testimony “the economy is weak, inflation rates are low, if we were to tighten policy, the economy would tank.”

17. Student Loans and Unemployment are Holding Back the Economy and Real Estate Market 495

The first blog post published on Smaulgld.com. It highlights the impact that a poor economy and he poor state of the economy and the plight of Millennials will have on the real estate market.

18. FOMC Meets- And Their Decision?……. 477

Not really at post at all, but rather a short video of a little rascal tossing money out of a window.

19. …as the Band Played on, the Crowd Called For an Encore 468

Published in May, this post covers the difficulty that the Federal Reserve will have unwinding its quantitative easing program-dubbing the issue “No Fed Exit”

20. The Price of Silver and Real Estate 460

A comparison and analysis of the historical prices of silver and real estate.