The Gold Report: What is the consensus among Haywood analysts on what 2012 will bring for mine commodities, particularly precious metals?
Joe Mazumdar: Last year, risk aversion was a common market theme. In 2012, some of the same global economic concerns, such as the ongoing Eurozone crisis and the future of the euro, will continue to draw attention. But we also believe there is potential for positive economic indicators, primarily from the U.S., where there have been upticks in manufacturing and GDP growth. Also, unemployment in the U.S. is down to 8.5%, generating some consumer confidence.

Click Here for Why Trading Forex Now Beats The Stock Market

In case you haven’t heard, the S&P 500 closed the year at 1257.60 this past Friday. That’s just a hair down from the 2010 closing price of 1257.64 — essentially even in the grand scheme of things.

Despite the flat performance overall, the past year was anything but uneventful. Don’t believe me? Check out the graph below.

The markets will be pretty quiet this week as many traders extend their holiday. Stocks jumped last week when we learned that European banks borrowed €498 billion from the ECB. They used the proceeds to pay down more expensive debt, fortify balance sheets and to purchase short-term sovereign debt. This temporarily soothed nerves. The ECB's balance sheet has grown to a level not seen since the peak of the financial crisis in 2008. Most analysts see this as the "bazooka" they were looking for to stabilize financial conditions.

Dow Futures: -216.92
Crude Futures: +189.32
Stocks: +110.44
Russell Futures: +3131.96
Swing trade: -1005.00
Dividend: +250.00
----------------------------
net: +2459.80
============================