Asian Gold Premiums Hit New Highs as Europe Urged to Start “Agressive QE”

Asked yesterday on Bloomberg TV whether the Fed will start to cut its $85 billion program of monthly quantitative easing, New York Fed president William Dudley said “It really depends on how the economic outlook evolves…It’s too soon to make that determination.”
Even if the US central bank does slow its purchases of government debt and mortgage bonds with newly created money, Dudley said the Fed would only be “adding less stimulus” rather than actually “tightening” monetary policy.

Dudley’s colleague James Bullard, president of the St. Louis Fed, meantime warned Europe yesterday that it needs to start quantitative easing to avoid a long, Japan-style depression.   “You should worry about it, and then take policy action to avoid it,” said Bullard. “One way to get stuck would be to be passive in this situation and not take some aggressive action to try to get inflation back.”
Europe can draw lessons from Japan on the dangers of half measures.” agreed new Bank of England governor Mark Carney.

[Read more...]

Motive, Means, & Opportunity in the Gold Market

The various governments of the world and their central banks produce and distribute a product – paper currencies. Those currencies are backed by confidence, faith, and credit, but not by gold, oil, or anything real. Those currencies are digitally printed to excess, since almost all governments spend more than their revenues. The UK, Japan, and the USA are prime examples.
Central banks and governments have, to one degree or another, the motive, means, and opportunity to manage the price of gold. Clearly, their bias is to hold the price of gold low and to restrict its upward movement. Similarly, they want bond and stock markets to move higher, but that is another story.

YOU have motive, means, and opportunity to protect yourself and to profit from this process. [Read more...]

Deepcaster: Market Forecasts Nuggets

gold nuggetI am on record here as stating that the entire stock market rally is nothing but a Federal Reserve induced bubble brought about by artificially low interest rates starving investors for yield elsewhere. The Fed, along with the Bank of Japan and the ECB I might add, are determined to corral investors and herd them, unthinking like cattle, into equities; the goal being to create an atmosphere of general euphoria towards the economy boosting consumer confidence in the hopes of inducing them to take on more debt and spend.
This is akin to building a towering skyscraper on a foundation of PLAY-DO. It may look wonderful and draw gasps of admiration but it has no stability and will not be able to withstand any external shocks.” -Dan Norcini

Perceptive, Independent Market commentators like Trader Dan Norcini generally agree that The Fed’s (and Bank of Japan and European and other Central Banks) Easy Paper Money Policies are Creating An Asset Bubble in the Equities Market that is not justified by Economic Fundamentals.
And they generally agree that it can not last.  We agree.
That raises the Key Question of which Assets to Invest in Now, and “When the Bubble Will Burst,” questions which we address here: [Read more...]

11 Reasons Why The Federal Reserve Should Be Abolished

Federal ReserveIf the American people truly understood how the Federal Reserve system works and what it has done to us, they would be screaming for it to be abolished immediately.  It is a system that was designed by international bankers for the benefit of international bankers, and it is systematically impoverishing the American people.  The Federal Reserve system is the primary reason why our currency has declined in value by well over 95 percent and our national debt has gotten more than 5000 times larger over the past 100 years.  The Fed creates our “booms” and our “busts”, and they have done an absolutely miserable job of managing our economy.  But why do we need a bunch of unelected private bankers to manage our economy and print our money for us in the first place?  Wouldn’t our economy function much more efficiently if we allowed the free market to set interest rates?  And according to Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution, the U.S. Congress is the one that is supposed to have the authority to “coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures”.  So why is the Federal Reserve doing it?  Sadly, this is the way it works all over the globe today.  In fact, all 187 nations that belong to the IMF have a central bank.  But the truth is that there are much better alternatives.  We just need to get people educated.

The following are 11 reasons why the Federal Reserve should be abolished… [Read more...]

Will The New Housing Bubble That Bernanke Is Creating End As Badly As The Last One Did?

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has stated over and over that one of his main goals is to “support the housing market” (i.e. get housing prices to go up).  It took a while, but it looks like he is finally getting his wish.  According to USA Today, U.S. home prices have been rising at the fastest rate in nearly seven years…
This is not a real housing recovery.  It is an investor-led recovery that is mostly limited to the more prosperous areas of the country.  For example, the median sale price of a home in Washington D.C. just hit a new all-time record highBut this bubble will not last, and when this new housing bubble does burst, will it end as badly as the last one did? [Read more...]

Gold Heading Back Towards Monetary System? Long Awaited Gold $100 Note to Be Released Oct 8th

redesigned $100 gold noteThe Fed announced today that the long awaited and much anticipated redesigned $100 Federal Reserve note, which contains strong overtures to gold including a golden ink well, will be released on October 8th, 2013.   The golden hued C-notes, which have been delayed since 2010 due to “production issues” have been speculated by many in the precious metals community to signify a move by the Fed back towards a gold backing for the US dollar.

Is the dollar end game and a gold revaluation less than 6 months away? [Read more...]

Jim Grant: Gold is the Alternative to Central Banking & the Way to Short the Fed!

20121003_grant_0The Interest Rate Observer’s Jim Grant was back on CNBC Tuesday, again discussing the manipulation of interest rates and The Fed. When asked by Maria whether The Fed is getting ready to stop QE this summer, Grant responded that “they’re just getting into it!”
On gold, Grant stated: I’m still bullish, gold is THE ALTERNATIVE to Central banking! It’s the way to get short Central banks!   The single fundamental of the gold market is aggressive, unprecedented money printing and the institution of managed currency. As long as that remains in place, you are compelled to look at an alternative to Central Banks if you are serious about retaining the money you’ve earned, the principle alternative to Central banks is the ancient monetary asset they can’t create!

Jim Grant’s full interview on the Fed & gold is below: [Read more...]

BOE’s Carney’s DIESELBOOM: Policy-Makers Working Diligently to Devise an International “Bail-In” Regime

bail-inOutgoing Bank of Canada Governor (& Goldman alum and incoming BOE Governor) Mark Carney just released an epic Freudian slip today during a televised speech in Washington regarding the Western financial system’s co-ordinated move from bailouts to bail-ins as official policy to future bank crises.

It’s one thing when the editor of an obscure financial blog discovers bail-in language written into policy by the Fed, Bank of England, the Bank of Canada, Italy, & New Zealand and it goes viral throughout the alternate financial blogosphere, and it is another thing entirely when the incoming head of the Bank of England himself accidentally lets slip that Western financial policy-makers are working diligently to devise an international “bail-in” regime to prevent big bank failures.

Mark Carney’s DIESELBOOMesq retraction in 3…2…1…. [Read more...]

FOMC Minutes Released Early Due to Data Leak, Hints QE to End By 2014

The FOMC has just released their minutes early (scheduled release was 2pm EST) due to a leak of the minutes.
The MOPE continues, with the FOMC members reportedly stating that the pace of QE will slow mid-year, with QE ending altogether by the end of the year:

In light of the current review of benefits and costs, one member judged that the pace of purchases should ideally be slowed immediately. A few members felt that the risks and costs of purchases, along with the improved outlook since last fall, would likely make a reduction in the pace of purchases appropriate around midyear, with purchases ending later this year. Several others thought that if the outlook for labor market conditions improved as anticipated, it would probably be appropriate to slow purchases later in the year and to stop them by year-end. Two members indicated that purchases might well continue at the current pace at least through the end of the year. [Read more...]

The Day the Government Seized Americans’ Gold – April 5th 1933

April 5th, 1933, FDR confiscated every gold coin, bar, or certificate and people had to turn in their gold to the Federal Government or else they would face a fine of $10,000 or 10 years in jail. That is about $179,000 in today’s money.  You were able to keep a small amount or some rare coins and those that did give up their gold received about $20/oz.  “Why would the government do that?” asks Ms. Steel.  They did this for the following reasons:

  1. To prevent hoarding.
  2. To devalue the dollar during the Great Depression.
  3. The government set the gold price at $35/oz and pegged it to the dollar.

“But this could never happen again, right?” asks Ms. Steel. “Well tell that to Texas.” [Read more...]

SD Weekly Metals & Markets 4/5: BANK OF JAPAN GOES KAMIKAZE

SD WEEKLY METALS & MARKETS 4/5/13:

  • Trading recap:  Support holds.  Make that FIVE times silver has tested $26.  Gold closes strongly up off $1550, silver over $27

  • Physical silver shortage widens as wholesalers suspend sales of ASE’s, 90%, lengthening delays on all physical silver products seen in wholesale market!

  • Bank of Japan goes Kamikaze, announces ¥50 Trillion annual QE, will buy REITS, bonds of all maturities, and EFTs!

  • QE to infinity:  Jim Sinclair now has mainstream company:  Columbia Professor Michael Woodford and helicopter money

 The Doc and Eric Dubin give their perspective on the biggest stories of the week in the SD Weekly Metals & Markets  [Read more...]

The Chart That Should Disolve The Fed- 1775-2013: Hockey Stick Inflation

hockey stick inflationAs the chart produced by Reinhart & Rogoft in the following brief Bloomberg clip demonstrates, after remaining constant for approximately 150 years, consumer prices have risen nearly 30 FOLD since the Fed was created in 1913.

The chart that should dissolve the Fed: 1775-2013: Hock Stick Inflation: [Read more...]

FDIC & Bank of England Create Resolution Authority for Unlimited Cyprus-Style “Bail-Ins” for TBTF Banks!

bank failure*BREAKING SD ALERT*
Editor note: Bringing this massive story back to the top of the news feed for those who missed it over the holiday weekend.

On Wednesday, SD broke the news that Canada had buried a provision for depositor bail-ins for systemically important banks deep inside its official 2013 budget, and stated that the Cypriot bail-in was not just a one-off event, but is in fact the new collapse template for the entire Western banking system.

We suspected that the same policy change had been made by the US & the UK, but was simply yet to be discovered, buried in the website of a Federal agency.

We suspected correctly… [Read more...]

Rick Santelli: Paper Gold…Game, Set, Match!

paper goldRick Santelli today gave an EPIC RANT on the difference between physical gold and paper liabilities commonly traded on commodities exchanges.

I don’t even look at gold as gold anymore since they securitized it. If things went badly in the world that I used to observe as a gold bug; the gold would end up in the hands of the gold bugs. If things go badly now, they’re going to end up with checks from ETFs!
Sorry, it’s not the same! The reign of paper gold as the Ayn Rand endgame, to me, that’s over. Game, Set, Match!
[Read more...]

Jim Grant: Cyprus Fired A Warning Shot Across The Globe- Your Money is Not Really Yours if its Needed by the State!

20121003_grant_0Jim Grant was back on CNBC comparing the ticking shot-clock in a March Madness game to the artificially low interest rates via manipulation by the Federal Reserve, allowing the Fed to stall the game without any real recovery.

Grant also discusses his belief that the problems in Cyprus cannot be contained, and stresses the point that Your money in the Western banking system is not really yours if it is needed by the state!
Grant goes on to state that This is the greatest and most perilous experiment in the history of paper money! and  This will end in immense destruction of wealth!

Full interview is below:
[Read more...]