What do you do when everyone is active on Facebook except you? You get with the program.
Last week I – naively – said yes to going live on Facebook for CNBC in what our head of social media said was "a little Q&A session on the markets."
But what a week to do it in. The whole process was a real baptism of fire. First you freak out as you discover how "personal" it suddenly feels (vulnerability comes in many guises, especially for those of us who, believe it or not, might naturally be a bit shy). Next you freak out again as you realize you're talking about "small unimportant things". Like the global stock markets (many of which are in bear market territory). Or like the unapologetic surge in the Japanese yen taking it to fresh 16-month highs. Or the the unexpected move by the Swedish Riksbank to take rates further into negative territory.
Add to that Fed Chair Janet Yellen's Congressional testimony and whether her tone should change. And what central banks around the world are doing. On top of that, banking stocks were tumbling and there was the ridiculous plonk lower in the U.S. 10-year Treasury yield amid fears that a recession is around the corner.
But somewhere in between…that's when the magic happens. That's when you start discovering how lots and lots of people are reacting during bonanza market moves.
Just as I started talking and figuring out how this live Facebook thing works, gold suddenly went nuts, jumping from around $1,200 per troy ounce to over $1,250 and completely catching everyone off-guard.
So many of you getting in touch with us during the session, continue to be gold bulls. But are you putting your money where your mouth? You also continue to be buyers of the safe and "boring" -- i.e. no yield stuff.