The US dollar has been rallying strongly for several months. That’s what we call a “gift horse.” And just as the saying goes, “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.” Instead, look for ways to exchange your strong dollars for other currencies and investable assets that don’t fly out of Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke’s printing press.

For many Americans, foreign investments are more of an accident than an objective. They might own a few foreign stocks through a global mutual fund. Or they might have some exposure to foreign economies and currencies through the shares of an American multinational corporation like Johnson & Johnson or GE.

But American stocks and bonds remain the steak and potatoes of traditional American investment portfolios. Foreign stocks and bonds are merely the spices and sauces. This provincialism — epitomized by the spectacular success of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway — has served American investors very well for several decades. But a reassessment may be in order.

Simply stated, the America of the future may not reward investors as handsomely as the America of the past. For example, despite doubling from its lows of March 2009, the S&P 500 index has produced a negative total return during the last five years… and only a miniscule return during the last 10 years.

The US dollar’s role as the ultimate “safe haven” currency is also due for a reassessment. While the dollar may be safer than the euro, for example, the dollar is hardly safe in any absolute sense. The dollar is safer than the euro… just as a rabid squirrel is safer than a rabid wolf. But you don’t really want to cuddle up at night with either one.

America’s federal debt has exploded to more than 100% of GDP — an astonishingly large Greek-like debt load. Yet none of America’s political or financial leaders seem to have any plan for reducing the nation’s debt… except maybe to add a graveyard shift to the dollar-printing production line at the Philadelphia Mint.

Our advice: Spend your strong dollars while you can. Reallocate them into other currencies and asset classes.

Throughout the eurozone crisis of the last few months, the US dollar has been attracting widespread “flight to safety” demand. But the dollar is not merely rallying against the euro; it is rallying against almost every investable asset on the planet. For example, a dollar buys 36% more silver today than it did six months ago. A dollar also buys 20% more wheat, 13% more corn… and even 2% more “American house.”

If we broaden out our analysis to include stocks and currencies, the results are similar. A dollar buys 32% more French stocks today than it did six months ago… as well as 34% more Indian stocks and 18% more Japanese stocks. Among world currencies, a dollar buys 11% more Norwegian kroner today than six months ago… as well as 15% more Swiss francs and 8% more Canadian dollars.

It is that last financial asset — the Canadian dollar — that we find particularly compelling as an alternative to holding US dollars. The Canadian dollar, known affectionately as the “loonie,” possesses many virtues.

In no particular order:

• Canadian government finances are fairly solid; US government finances are spiraling out of control. Canada stands out as being one of the few countries that is not only rated AAA by the major credit agencies, but actually possesses a AAA balance sheet… or at least something close to AAA.
• Canada’s GDP growth is outpacing US GDP growth.

Canadian employment growth is booming; U.S employment growth is moribund. The Canadian economy has created nearly 800,000 jobs during the last five years, while the US economy has lost more than 5 million! In other words, the Canadian labor force has expanded by 4%, while the US labor force has contracted by 4%!

As a result of these trends, Canada is becoming an increasingly attractive investment destination, relative to the US The Canadian dollar, in particular, is increasingly attractive. The Canadian dollar’s appeal is hardly a new story, but it remains a very relevant story.

As the nearby chart illustrates, the Canadian dollar has been trending higher against the US dollar for several years. We expect this trend to continue — more or less — over the next several years. But investors should expect some bumps along the way. Currencies can sometimes bounce around even more than stocks. The Canadian dollar plummeted more than 25% during the depths of the 2008 credit crisis, for example, as terrified investors piled into the US dollar. Once the crisis eased, the Canadian dollar recovered. But the lesson is clear: Currencies can be volatile.

If you have a mind to Fed Reserve-proof a strong dollar, we like the Canadian dollar.

Regards,

Addison Wiggin
for The Daily Reckoning

Joel’s Note: It’s hard to put one’s finger on the exact date it began, but harder still to deny that the American Empire is in gradual, inexorable decline. It’s nothing personal. All things come to an end…even world dominance.

Some say the beginning of the end ticked over in 1913, with the passing of the Federal Reserve Act and the introduction of the Income Tax. Others argue all was well until Richard “Tricky Dick” Nixon cut the dollar’s last, tenuous ties with gold in 1971. Or maybe it was when the military industrial complex found the excuse it needed to kick into overdrive at the beginning of this millennium. Who knows?

In any case, the writing has been on the wall for some time. What we do know is that, as the managed economy attracts more and more meddlesome parasites, each with a nosier fix than the last, the boom-bust cycle increases in both frequency and magnitude. This general trend has led Addison to forecast the “Mother of All Bubbles.”

Find out what he’s talking about…and discover the safe haven investments you can employ to help protect yourself, right here.