silver

More people have been selling their gold jewelry in the past year, many to cover expenses, others to just to take advantage of record high prices. Prices have dipped a bit from their recent highs, but expect more people to sell in the months ahead, and expect the prices to rise again.

The odds that the U.S. will default on its debt increase each day, and even if a short-term deal is reached, the ratings agencies may downgrade U.S. debt anyway. If that happens, turmoil could roil the markets. So where can the smart money flee for safety? 24/7 Wall St. offers 10 safe options.

Earlier this year, the Utah state legislature passed a law making gold and silver coins legal tender. Now, a Salt Lake City-area numismatist hopes to set up a depository system that will allow Utahans to use gold and silver to pay for anything they want.

Over the past year, the prices of many commodities have risen at record paces to record highs. But recently, those prices have begun to plunge, and consumers should begin to see the effects of those declines fairly soon, in the form of less-expensive groceries and clothing.

Some are convinced the precious metal will keep rising, others that it's tracing out a classic speculative bubble that's ready to burst. Nobody has a crystal ball, but an "agnostic" technical analysis of the charts provides some good clues about gold's future.

According to two Paul supporters, the Texas Republican isn't ready to go directly back to the gold standard. Instead, he wants to keep the dollar and add three more currencies. Those would be based on gold, silver and copper.

Among the questions investors should consider in the new year: Is Chinese the new language of the Internet? Will the demand for silver continue into 2011? Does the January Effect really work in the stock market?

Silver prices touched a 30-year high Monday as investors sought the safety of precious metals. Inflation concerns are running high after Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke said the central bank is considering a third round of qualitative easing.

Among Monday's top online stories for investors: why silver could be the best commodity investment right now, ten new iPad killers you can buy this year, and good investment book gift ideas.

Adjusted for inflation, the current stock market hasn't recovered nearly as much as it seems if you look at only nominal prices. At best, you've gained just 3.6%. But more likely, you're down by some 23%. And if you measure the Dow in something other than dollars -- say, oil or silver -- the return is even more distressing.