Tuesday, November 21, 2017

These Doomsday Preppers Are Starting to Switch From Gold to Bitcoin

Again, it's always prudent to spread out one's currency risk, whether conventional or alternative.

An all-in approach may reap spectacular returns short-term (e.g. Bitcoin), but could prove catastrophic long-term (e.g. USDollar).

Another point to note is how crypto-currencies can be used by financial media to slam gold, the ultimate store of value, even if it's not an ideal medium of exchange.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-11-20/can-bitcoin-survive-an-apocalypse

Monday, November 20, 2017

Friday, November 17, 2017

Swiss bank to launch bitcoin futures to allow betting against cryptocurrency

In the be careful what you wish for category, Bitcoin enthusiasts have been cheering the fact that the cryptocurrency is now traded in futures exchanges, inviting institutional investors. The problem is these said institutions are the biggest price manipulators, and they will surely do so in such a small market cap space. Expect even more volatility and many being wiped out for being on the wrong side of the manipulation.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-vontobel-bitcoin/swiss-bank-to-launch-bitcoin-futures-to-allow-betting-against-cryptocurrency-idUSKBN1DG2CX

Monday, November 13, 2017

Pension Ponzi Bailout: Democrats Sponsor US Treasury Bailout Scheme

I don't know how this could not be bearish for the dollar and bullish for any tangible asset, including precious metals.  Sure, asset prices could be manipulated either up or down short-term, but eventually, the manipulation stops working longer-term.

https://www.themaven.net/mishtalk/economics/pension-ponzi-bailout-democrats-sponsor-us-treasury-bailout-scheme-_RuDwkWLqkqISWkpsC0v9Q

Ray Dalio Goes On Gold Buying Spree, Adds 575% To GLD Holdings, Becomes 8th Largest Holder

This article does appear to be bullish for gold, and it is. However, read the comments as 95% of the commentators understand that Ray Dalio, founder of Bridgewater, the largest hedge fund in the world, did NOT buy physical gold, but instead, merely has exposure to the spot price of gold. He bought the GLD ETF, considered by many gold bugs in the know to be a ponzi scheme. As large as his GLD holdings are, he still won't be able to take delivery on physical gold, as he bought paper gold, a legal claim that will prove worthless when the $hit hits the fan.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-11-13/ray-dalio-goes-gold-buying-spree-adds-575-gld-holdings-becomes-8th-largest-holder

Monday, November 6, 2017

Saudi Banks Begin Freezing Accounts Of Arrested Royals, Private Jets Grounded

This coup on the Saudi establishment indicates the anti-dollar movement pivoting away from the US and toward China, Russia and Iran is gaining momentum. The geopolitical, financial and social infrastructure of the US economy is about to become unhinged. Get ready for inflation. Government and media attempts to mask and suppress inflation will finally be exposed as fraudulent.  The decades-long era of the petrodollar is about to end.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-11-06/saudi-banks-begin-freezing-accounts-arrested-royals-block-private-jets

Thursday, November 2, 2017

Peter Warburton: The debasement of world currency: It's inflation but not as we know it

http://www.gata.org/node/8303
What we see at present is a battle between the central banks and the collapse of the financial system fought on two fronts. On one front, the central banks preside over the creation of additional liquidity for the financial system in order to hold back the tide of debt defaults that would otherwise occur. On the other, they incite investment banks and other willing parties to bet against a rise in the prices of gold, oil, base metals, soft commodities or anything else that might be deemed an indicator of inherent value. Their objective is to deprive the independent observer of any reliable benchmark against which to measure the eroding value, not only of the US dollar, but of all fiat currencies. Equally, they seek to deny the investor the opportunity to hedge against the fragility of the financial system by switching into a freely traded market for non-financial assets.
It is important to recognize that the central banks have found the battle on the second front much easier to fight than the first. Last November I estimated the size of the gross stock of global debt instruments at $90 trillion for mid-2000. How much capital would it take to control the combined gold, oil, and commodity markets? Probably, no more than $200 billion, using derivatives. Moreover, it is not necessary for the central banks to fight the battle themselves, although central bank gold sales and gold leasing have certainly contributed to the cause. Most of the world's large investment banks have over-traded their capital so flagrantly that if the central banks were to lose the fight on the first front, then the stock of the investment banks would be worthless. Because their fate is intertwined with that of the central banks, investment banks are willing participants in the battle against rising gold, oil, and commodity prices.

Central banks, and particularly the US Federal Reserve, are deploying their heavy artillery in the battle against a systemic collapse. This has been their primary concern for at least seven years. Their immediate objectives are to prevent the private sector bond market from closing its doors to new or refinancing borrowers and to forestall a technical break in the Dow Jones Industrials. Keeping the bond markets open is absolutely vital at a time when corporate profitability is on the ropes. Keeping the equity index on an even keel is essential to protect the wealth of the household sector and to maintain the expectation of future gains. For as long as these objectives can be achieved, the value of the US dollar can also be stabilized in relation to other currencies, despite the extraordinary imbalances in external trade.

Will The New Bitcoin CME Futures Contract Benefit Gold?

Despite being a blessing short-term for Bitcoin, inclusion into the CME futures exchange opens the crypto-currency to price manipulation / suppression long-term.  Most Bitcoin aficionados don't know this yet, but will find out the hard way when Bitcoin gets monkey-hammered despite positive "fundamentals."

http://investmentresearchdynamics.com/will-the-new-bitcoin-cme-futures-contract-benefit-gold/