May 9, 2024

American Silver Eagle Bullion Coin Sales Soar To All Time Record High

January 29, 2013 by Leave a Comment

With two days remaining in the month of January, U.S. Mint sales of the American Silver Eagle bullion coins have already established an all time record high.   The latest numbers from the Mint show total sales of 7,420,000 silver bullion coins as January 29, 2013.  Total sales during January 2012 amounted to 6,107,000 coins.  During January 2011 (the previous monthly record high for silver bullion coin sales) the Mint sold 6,422,000 coins.

The public demand for silver seems insatiable.  To put the unprecedented demand for silver into perspective, prior to the financial crisis of  2008, total yearly sales of the silver bullion coin averaged only about 9.5 million coins per year.  With the Federal Reserve furiously printing money to keep the financial system glued together, investor demand for both physical silver and gold bullion is likely to increase dramatically.

The US Mint has been unable to keep up with the demand for American Silver Eagles for the past two months (see U.S. Mint Sold Out).  During December, unexpectedly strong demand resulted in the suspension of silver bullion coin sales during mid December after the entire stock of 2012 coins was sold out.  At the time the Mint announced that the 2013 American Silver Eagles would be available on January 7, 2013.

Opening day sales on January 7th for the 2013 American Silver Eagle bullion coins turned out to be the largest on record with sales of 3,937,000 coins.  Demand for silver bullion continued to climb and by January 17th, the Mint once again announced that sales of the silver bullion coins would be suspended until the last week of January.  When sales resumed this week, demand was again much higher than anticipated.  Due to record demand, the Mint previously announced that they may have to institute rationing of the coins.  Since the US Mint’s production schedule has been blown right out the window for two months running, it would not be surprising if rationing of the coins was implemented.

Sales of the American Eagle Gold bullion coins has also soared during the first month of the year.  January sales to date of 140,000 ounces of gold bullion coins is the highest monthly sales since June 2010 when the Mint sold 151,500 ounces.

Filed Under: Bullion Sales, Featured, Gold, Silver, US Mint Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Gold At $10,000 – Silver At $400 – Here’s How It Will Happen

January 29, 2013 by Leave a Comment

By GE Christenson:

This is not a prediction of future prices of gold and silver; it is an indication of what could happen in a speculative bubble environment based on the history of previous bubbles.

I’ll summarize a simple analysis of past bubbles.

Definitions

    • Bubble: A speculative mania in a market that is priced well beyond what the fundamentals and intrinsic value indicate.
    • Phase 1: The first phase of the bubble begins with the price bottoming and initiating a long rally. It is often indicated by a triggering event such as Nixon closing the “gold window” on August 15, 1971 – the beginning of the gold and silver bubbles that terminated in 1980. The market rallies for some years, hits a new “all-time” high, and then corrects.

When the market proceeds into a bubble phase, it rallies beyond that new high and continues much higher. The end of phase 1 and the beginning of phase 2 are the point at which the market rallies from its correction low and exceeds its previous high. See the graph of the silver market with the indicated beginning and end points for phase 1 and phase 2.

  • Phase 2: The final phase of the bubble starts when the price exceeds the “new high” and then rallies to a much higher and unsustainable level.

Click on image to enlarge.

I looked at the time and price data for the South Sea Bubble in England from 1719 -1720, the silver bubble from August 1971 to January 1980, the NASDAQ bubble from August 1982 to March 2000, the Japanese Real Estate bubble from 1965 to 1991, the gold bubble from August 1971 to January 1980, and the S&P mini-bubble from August 1982 to March of 2000. A spreadsheet will not display well, so I’ll list my results. Please realize that all prices and dates are approximate – this is “big picture” analysis.

The conclusion is that bubbles start slowly and then accelerate to unsustainable highs (on large volume) that are largely created by greed and fear but not fundamental evaluations. Bubbles generally follow the “Pareto Principle” where approximately 80% of the price move occurs in the LAST 20% of the time. Consider:

South Sea Bubble: (Extreme price bubble)

  • Phase 1: January 1719 to March 1720. Price from $120 to $180.
  • Phase 2: March 1720 to July 1720. Price from $180 to $900.
  • Time: Phase 1 – 75%, phase 2 – 25%.
  • Price: Phase 1 – 8%, phase 2 – 92%. Phase 2 price ratio: 5

Silver Bubble: (Extreme price bubble)

    • Phase 1: August 1971 to March 1978. Price from $1.50 to $6.40.
    • Phase 2: March 1978 to January 1980. Price from $6.40 to $50.
    • Time: Phase 1 – 78%, phase 2 – 22%.
    • Price: Phase 1 – 10%, phase 2 – 90%. Phase 2 price ratio: 7.8

 

NASDAQ Bubble: (Extreme price bubble)

    • Phase 1: August 1982 to February 1995. Price from $168 to $780.
    • Phase 2: February 1995 to March 2000. Price from $780 to $4,880.
    • Time: Phase 1 – 71%, phase 2 – 29%.
    • Price: Phase 1 – 13%, phase 2 – 87%. Phase 2 price ratio: 6.3

 

Japanese Real Estate Bubble: (approximate numbers)

    • Phase 1: 1960 to 1979. Price Index from 4 to 50.
    • Phase 2: 1979 to 1991. Price Index from 50 to 225.
    • Time: Phase 1 – 61%, phase 2 – 39%.
    • Price: Phase 1 – 21%, phase 2 – 79%. Phase 2 price ratio: 4.5

 

Gold Bubble:

    • Phase 1: August 1971 to July 1978. Price from $40 to $200.
    • Phase 2: July 1978 to January 1980. Price from $200 to $870.
    • Time: Phase 1 – 82%, phase 2 – 18%.
    • Price: Phase 1 – 19%, phase 2 – 81%. Phase 2 price ratio: 4.4

 

S&P Bubble: (Mini-bubble)

    • Phase 1: August 1982 to February 1995. Price from $100 to $483.
    • Phase 2: February 1995 to March 2000. Price from $483 to $1,574.
    • Time: Phase 1 – 71%, phase 2 – 29%.
    • Price: Phase 1 – 26%, phase 2 – 74%. Phase 2 price ratio: 3.3

 

Summary

Bubbles tend to follow the 80/20 ratio indicated in the Pareto Principle. Phase 1 takes approximately 70-80% of the time and covers approximately 10-20% of the total price change. Phase 2 accelerates so that it takes only 20-30% of the time but covers 80-90% of the price change. Extreme bubbles such as the South Sea Bubble and the Silver bubble experience approximately 90% of the price change in the 2nd phase. The ratio of the phase 2 ending price to beginning price is typically 4 to 8 – a huge price move. Such bubbles are rare; the subsequent crash is usually devastating.

Future Bubbles

In the opinion of many analysts, sovereign debt is an ongoing bubble that could burst with world-wide consequences. Should deficit spending and bond monetization (Quantitative Easing) accelerate in the next several years, as seems likely, that sovereign debt bubble will inflate further. Because of the massive printing of dollars, the value of the dollar must fall, particularly against commodities such as oil, gold, and silver. As the purchasing power of the dollar falls, an increasing number of people will realize their dollars are losing value, and those people will seek safety for their savings and retirement. Gold and silver will benefit from an increasingly desperate search for safety as a result of the decline of the dollar. Assuming the 80/20 “rule” and the phase 2 price change ratio of approximately 5, what could happen if gold and silver rise into another speculative bubble?

Assume that silver began its uptrend in November 2001 at $4.01 and that gold began its move in April 2001 at $255. Silver rallied to nearly $50 in 2011, and gold also rallied to a new high of about $1,900 in 2011. Assume that both surpass those highs about mid-2013 and accelerate into phase 2 thereafter. Using these assumptions, phase 1 for silver would measure 12.5 years and phase 2 could last until approximately late 2016 – early 2017. If we assume that phase 1 was a move from $4 to $50 and that represents 19% of the total move, the high could be around $250. The ratio of phase 2 ending price to beginning price would be 5:1 – reasonable.

Indications for gold suggest a similar end date and a phase 2 bubble price of perhaps $9,000 per ounce. The ratio of phase 2 ending price to beginning price would be 4.7:1 at $9,000.

The gold to silver ratio at these bubble prices would be approximately 36, much higher than the ratio from 1980. Perhaps silver would “blow-off” higher, like it did in 1980, and force the gold to silver ratio lower or perhaps gold might not rally so high. Time will tell.

Outrageous?

Well, yes, at first glance, those prices do seem outrageous. But consider for perspective:

  • Apple stock rose from about $4 in 1997 to over $700 in 2012.
  • Silver rose from $1.50 to $50.00 in less than 10 years.
  • Gold rose from about $40 to over $850 in less than 10 years.
  • Crude oil rose from less than $11 in 1998 to almost $150 in 2008.
  • The official US national debt is larger than $16,000,000,000,000. The unfunded liabilities, depending on who is counting, are approximately $100,000,000,000,000 to $230,000,000,000,000. Divide $200 Trillion by approximately 300,000,000 people and the unfunded debt per capita of the United States is approximately $700,000. That is outrageous!
  • The official national debt increases in excess of $3,000,000,000 per day, each and every day. The unfunded liabilities increase by perhaps five – ten times that amount. Outrageous!
  • We still pretend the national debt is not a problem and that it will be “rolled over” forever. That is outrageous.
  • Argentina has revalued their currency several times in the last 30 years – they have dropped 8 zeros off their currency since 1980. Savings accounts and the middle class were devastated several times. It can happen again.

Given the above for perspective, is gold at $5,000 to $10,000 per ounce unreasonable or impossible? Is silver at $200 to $400 per ounce unreasonable or impossible? Past bubbles have had an ending price 4 – 8 times higher than the phase 2 beginning price, so history has shown that such prices for gold and silver are indeed possible. Possible is not the same as certain – but these bubble price indications are certainly worth your consideration.

Would you prefer your savings in gold, silver, or a savings account? Read Ten Steps to Safety.
GE Christenson
aka Deviant Investor

Filed Under: Currency debasement, Featured, Gold, Silver Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Gold and Silver Will Protect You From The Looming Financial Hurricane

January 17, 2013 by Leave a Comment

By: GE Christenson

What Storm?

  • A hurricane of digital money created by central banks to purchase government debt and other dodgy assets from banks.
  • A tidal wave of deficit spending by governments around the world. It continues, regardless of whether you call it business as usual, stimulus, payoffs, or bailouts.
  • A perfect storm of derivatives – the weapons of mass financial destruction that continue to plague our financial system – but make $Billions (Maybe $Trillions) in profits for the huge banks.
  • A tornado of bailouts, giveaways, loans, and currency swaps from the Federal Reserve to backstop banks, politically connected individuals and corporations, European governments and others.
  • An approaching thunderstorm of new and higher taxes – perhaps a carbon tax, a VAT, and a wealth tax. We hope most of these will be downgraded to a hot air disturbance.
  • A tsunami of Japanese Yen based on the election of Prime Minister Abe and his avowed intention to weaken the Yen.

Why Do We Need Shelter?

  • Derivatives involve huge counter-party risk. The international financial system seems increasingly shaky. Those derivatives might be triggered by a Greek government default, another Lehman-like implosion, or a “black-swan” event that causes derivative contracts be paid. Will the counter-parties be able and willing to pay as required? Was sufficient margin set aside to protect all those derivative contracts? Doubtful!
  • It seems that the $700 Trillion in derivatives is largely based on $70 Trillion of sovereign debt, much of which is of marginal quality. When the collateral is worth less than face value, the derivative is worth considerably less than face value, or perhaps nothing.
  • Medicare and Social Security costs to the US government are huge and increasing. More deficits and accelerating national debt will be the result.
  • Will the dollar weaken against other currencies? Will the bond bubble finally burst?
  • Consumer price inflation is here and increasing.

Where Is The Shelter?

The problems are unbacked paper assets, excess debt, too much government spending, massive government deficits, derivatives that could implode, and lack of political will to correct the problems. We need a shelter that will minimize these risks.

One shelter is to divest out of paper assets and into gold and silver bullion and coins, land, farms, hobby farms, diamonds, and other physical assets. If you must stay in paper, consider using ETFs for crude, grains, sugar, gold, silver and other commodities. Read Ten Steps to Safety.

Conclusions

The investment world is increasingly dangerous. Few understood in late 1999 that an epic crash in the NASDAQ was about to occur. Housing crashed despite a wide-spread belief that real estate always goes up. There are several candidates for another crash – sovereign debt, derivatives, and the dollar.

We can depend less upon the safety of paper assets. We can depend less upon 1′s and 0′s on a financial server that claim we have assets in a brokerage account. When your government is seeking revenue, your assets are less safe. As Doug Casey says, your government currently sees you as a milk cow but may eventually view you as a beef cow.

Give your savings and retirement a chance to preserve their purchasing power. Minimize currency risk, find an alternative to a CD that pays 1% per year or a 30 year bond that pays about 3% per year for 30 years and is guaranteed to be repaid with increasingly depreciated dollars. Gold from 1/1/2000 to 1/1/2013 (13 years – from $282 to $1,655) has increased at a compounded rate of 14% per year. You have choices!

Doug Casey believes we are currently exiting the eye of the financial hurricane that started with the financial crisis of 2008 and that the next phase of the financial storm is imminent. Assets could be “blown away,” and supposedly safe structures might collapse in the financial winds of change.

If the financial hurricane is downgraded to a minor storm, you will still be sheltered in gold, silver, and other physical assets and have lost nothing. However, if the hurricane destroys many paper assets, then gold and silver will shelter you until the storm wreckage is cleared and financial life begins anew.

GE Christenson
aka Deviant Investor

Filed Under: Currency debasement, Featured, Gold, Silver, US Debt Crisis Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Silver’s Biggest Gains Are Yet To Come

January 17, 2013 by Leave a Comment

I think I am becoming a non-fan of infographics.  Maybe it’s just me, but many infographics are getting way too long and complicated.  With that in mind, the latest infographic on silver from the Visual Capitalist is worth a look – they keep the story focused and simple while explaining the investment facts on silver.

The fact that silver has corrected from its highs of 2011 is meaningless in the long term.  Every major multi-decade bull market will have sharp corrections along the way, especially when manipulated downward as was done by the COMEX in May 2011 (see How The COMEX Crashed The Silver Market).  Long term investors can calmly accumulate silver on sell offs and continue to build their wealth.

After breaking out of a long base, silver has had double digit gains in 7 of the past 10 years but is still super cheap as a competing currency to fiat money.  With virtually every major central bank in the world flooding the markets with newly created paper currencies, the value of money based only on  the “full faith and credit” of the issuer is guaranteed to decline against the value of real assets – especially gold and silver.

Silver as an Investment - The Silver Series Part 3

Filed Under: Currency debasement, Featured, Gold, Silver Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Gold Is The Only Asset With No Counterparty Risk

January 15, 2013 by 2 Comments

By: Axel Merk

While the introduction of a trillion-dollar coin has been shrugged off as nonsense, there are plenty of nonsensical concepts employed in our monetary system. Here we’ll shed light on a few of them.

Governments – or their central banks – can print a $100 bill. The value of such a piece of paper is worth exactly as much as the supply and demand of a currency dictates. Dollar bills are legal tender for payment of debt, but if someone does not like that the $100 bill is not backed by anything, then anyone is free to decline a $100 bill in exchange for services, and barter instead.

The problem arises when the government decrees that something is worth a certain amount, unless it becomes the basis of the government’s entire framework of reference, as in a gold standard. In my humble opinion, no one, let alone a government can precisely value anything. The value of goods, services, even debt, is in the eye of the beholder, and varies based on supply and demand:

  • Consumers buy goods or services because they believe they are “good value;” in other words, they only exchange money for goods in a deal where they see themselves benefiting. Consumers should not blame companies for “over-priced” goods or services; they should blame themselves for paying such prices.
  • The perception of what is good value varies from person to person. What may be a must-have $80 a month cable TV subscription, may be a waste to others. It also varies over time, as some may deem a vacation well worth the money during good times, but rather stay at homes when times are tough.
  • When monopolies or governments impose prices, distortions, such as supply disruptions can occur. Or conversely, when the government keeps the price of fuel artificially low, it can significantly erode the government’s ability to provide other services, possibly even bankrupt it.

The market currently prices platinum at over $1,600 a troy ounce. If the Treasury were to decree that a specially minted coin is worth $1,000,000,000,000 instead, no rational person would want to buy it. The argument is that the Federal Reserve could be coerced into accepting it at face value, crediting the Treasury’s account at the Fed with $1 trillion for it to spend. In our view, such a move, if it were upheld in the courts, would:

  • Highlight the not so well known fact that the Federal Reserve (Fed) does not mark its holdings to market. The lack of mark-to-market accounting leading up to the financial crisis is a key reason why the financial system was brought to its knees in 2008. A major loss at the Federal Reserve, such as writing down a $1 trillion coin to $1,600 may not be too worrisome for those that know that even a negative net worth won’t render a central bank inoperative. However, losses at the Fed would deprive the Treasury of what has become an annual transfer of almost $90 billion in “profits” (see MerkInsight Hidden Treasury Risks?).
  • Dilute the value of the dollar. If the Treasury whips up an additional trillion to spend through trickery, odds are that a trillion would no longer be worth what it used to be.

But wait, $1 trillion is already not worth what it used to be, and a $1 trillion coin has not even been minted. And I’m not talking about our grandparents: who had ever heard of trillion dollar deficits before the financial crisis? The Federal Reserve holds just under $3 trillion in assets, up by over $2 trillion since early 2008. When the Federal Reserve engages in “quantitative easing”, QE, QE1, QE2, QE3, QEn or however one wants to call it, the Fed buys securities (mortgage-backed securities, government bonds) from large banks, then credits such banks’ accounts at the Fed. Such credit is done through the use of a keyboard, creating money literally out of thin air. Even Fed Chair Bernanke refers to this process as printing money, even if banks have not deployed most of the money they have received to extend loans. However, the more money the Fed prints, the more debt securities it buys, the greater its income; it’s that argument that has allowed Bernanke to claim that his operations have been “profitable,” neglecting to state that such money printing may pose significant risks to the purchasing power of the dollar.

Note that we don’t need the Fed. Amongst others:

  • If the Treasury wants to issue debt, it can do so without the Fed.
  • If the Treasury wants to manage the maturity of the outstanding government debt portfolio, it can do so without the Fed’s
  • Operation Twist.

Congress and the Administration love the Fed because it is an off-balance sheet entity for the government with special features; the Fed has ‘unlimited resources’ (it can print its own money); and the Fed can have a negative net worth without defaulting.

The way a trillion dollar coin could work is if not just one, but all platinum coins of the same fine ounce content (say one troy ounce) were decreed to be worth $1 trillion. It would be the re-introduction of a gold, well, platinum standard, as it would link the value of a precious metal to the value of the currency. The government would quite likely want to punish any speculators that are front-running the idea of valuing platinum at $1 trillion, possibly even outlawing private ownership. But it would put the value into context and anyone could buy a substitute. Pricing of all goods and services would adjust to reflect the new value of $1 trillion for a troy ounce of platinum. In plain English, such a move would substantially move up the price level.

We deem the re-introduction of a precious metals standard to be rather unlikely, precisely because it takes away the power of Congress to spend: it could only spend money if it got hold of more platinum. Unless, of course, Congress realizes that it may get away with not backing all of the currency with platinum or resets the price of a platinum coin yet again. Soon enough, the “platinum window” would be closed again, just as Richard Nixon closed the gold window in 1971. Let’s call it a coincidence Nixon would have turned 100 years old this year, just as the Federal Reserve is celebrating its 100th anniversary.

While most agree that a $1 trillion platinum coin is a silly idea, few think that a $100 bill is also absurd. There are indeed key differences:

  • $100 bills are all one and the same. Well, almost. In some developing countries, newer bills are worth more than older ones (because of counterfeit bills in circulation).
  • A platinum coin has intrinsic value: its fine ounce content of platinum. In contrast, the $100 bill is worth the paper it is printed on.

To be precise, a $100 bill is a Federal Reserve Note:

  • The holder of a $100 bill may deposit such bill into his or her account.
  • The bank can deposit the $100 bill at the Fed. In turn, the Fed will credit the bank with $100 in checking account.
  • The bank can withdraw the deposit of $100 from the Fed.
  • The bank account holder can withdraw $100 from the bank yet again.

Importantly, the $100 is always an obligation: an obligation of the bank, the government (through FDIC insurance in case of default of the bank) and the Fed (currency in circulation appears on the liability side of the Fed’s balance sheet). Most currency is not issued in paper, but in electronic form. Banks receiving a $100 electronic credit can, through the rules of fractional reserve banking, lend out a multiple of such deposits. Because of this, currency always carries counter-party risk. By regulation, if the counter-party is the Federal Reserve or the Treasury, it is considered to be risk-free. But it’s still a debt security. Moreover, the rating agency Standard & Poor’s does not consider US debt risk-free, having downgraded it because of the dysfunctional political process in addressing the long-term sustainability of U.S. deficits.

In contrast, a coin in itself does not have counter-party risk. It’s a coin with intrinsic value. If a government decreed a value onto that coin, there’s a risk that such decree may change or be undermined.

Precious metals coins may be considered barbarous relics, but at least they do not carry counterparty risk. Indeed, we like the fact that gold in particular has comparatively little industrial application, making it a pure play on monetary policy.

So what is an investor to do? In our opinion, investors must gauge for themselves what something is worth, rather than rely on a government. That applies to the dollar as much as it does to a platinum coin or any security. Notably, forget about the notion that something is risk-free. Those trusting their governments to preserve the purchasing power of their savings will be the losers. Those throwing out the risk free component in their asset allocation models may well come out with fewer bruises.

And while the gold standard has some admirable features, democracies tend to favor spending over balancing books. Over the past 100 years, we have moved further and further away from the gold standard. While a collapse of the fiat monetary system might temporarily get us back on a gold standard, don’t trust a government to take care of you. In practice, this means that investors need to create their personal frame of reference as to how to deploy investments; rational investors are unlikely to mint a personal $1 trillion coin, realizing that no one would pay $1 trillion for it. It also means there is no single safe haven during times of crisis. The fact that precious metals have no counter-party risk is an attractive feature, but don’t kid yourself: if your daily expenses are in U.S. dollar, the value of your purchasing power will fluctuate. Investors must be able to sleep at night with their investments; if not, consider reducing your exposure.

Is volatility with regard to the U.S. dollar an argument against owning precious metals? No, but one needs to be keenly aware of the risks of any investment, including perceived safe havens. To manage the risk to the U.S. Dollar, investors may also want to consider actively managing dollar risk. Please join our Webinar this Tuesday, January 15, 2013, that focuses on our outlook for the dollar, gold and currencies for 2013. Please also sign up for our newsletter to be informed as we discuss global dynamics and their impact on gold and currencies.

Axel Merk

Axel Merk is President and Chief Investment Officer, Merk Investments.

Merk Investments, Manager of the Merk Funds.

Filed Under: Currency debasement, Featured, Gold, US Debt Crisis Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Non-Predictions For Gold and Silver

January 14, 2013 by Leave a Comment

 

Non-Predictions for 2013 and 2014

A train wreck is in process. We have been warned. Protect your finances, investments, and retirement. The official numbers may not represent reality.

By: GE Christenson

More of the Same

  • More money printing by central banks. A trillion here and a trillion there, printed money everywhere.
  • More deficit spending. $3 Billion per day, but who cares?
  • More useless commentary about controlling spending, but the result will be increased spending and more useless commentary.
  • More and higher taxes. More consumer price inflation.
  • More QE. Printing money props up the stock market, but for how long?
  • More debt. More student loans, more credit card debt, more mortgages, more sovereign debt, and eventually some nasty defaults.

Less of the Same

  • Less Congressional credibility – low and going lower.
  • Less belief in a better future. It is difficult to believe in a brighter future when the food stamps and welfare payments just don’t buy what they used to.
  • Less employment. People continue to drop out of the employment statistics because they have given up hope of finding work. This is called “structural unemployment.”
  • Less purchasing power for the dollar. The more the central banks print, the higher the cost of food, fuel, beer, and wine.
  • Lower standard of living. With much higher costs, the standard of living for most Americans will continue to decline.

About the Same

  • The media will continue to assure us that gold is in a bubble – a decade of nonsense – wrong then and wrong now.
  • The media will assure us that silver prices are volatile. That and $2.11 will buy a grande coffee.
  • Inflation and unemployment will continue to be under-reported, even in non-election years.
  • Congressional accomplishments will continue to be over-reported.
  • SNAFU: System Non-functional, All Funding Unlimited.
  • TBTF banks will remain Too Big To Fail.
  • European financial troubles will continue. Ditto for Japan, the UK, and the US.
  • The Federal Reserve will bail out banks and fund much of the government deficit. They will claim this benefits both employment and the economy. That benefit plus $2.11 will buy a grande coffee.

GE Christenson
aka Deviant Investor

Filed Under: Currency debasement, Featured, Gold, Silver, US Debt Crisis Tagged With: , , ,

Oversold Gold Stocks Set For Strong Rally

January 12, 2013 by 1 Comment

By: Vin Maru

In spite of the recent down turn in the price of gold and silver, we still remain bullish on precious metals and its equities. Regardless of its paper manipulated price (if you believe this is currently happening), history has shown us that gold is money (not fiat currencies) and it is no one else’s liabilities. When it comes to gold, as always we suggest owning the physical metals outright fully paid for and stored safely where only you have access to it. If you have a significant holding in the physical, it may be wise to diversify your gold internationally in order to minimize country and political risk by reading Getting Your Gold out of Dodge (GYGOOD). Gold seems to be gaining strong support under $1650 which should most likely hold, so now is a great time to be adding to physical holdings.

We could be at transition period in this bull market where the paper gold price dictatorship comes into question and the democratic free market physical price will start ruling the golden kingdom. The dictatorship by Western central planners over the gold price is ready to be challenged and we may come to a point in history where only votes based on actual physical holdings will be counted. There will be no hanging chads counted on this financial election ballet, its either you own the gold legally and outright, or you have paper promises for imaginary gold (similar to government bond and fiat money) where the question around ownership will arise. Trust us; you don’t want to be one holding paper receipts in questionable gold backed investments engineered by most western financial institutions. Ask yourself, can you trust the source of gold dictatorship to protect your financial assets, especially when it comes to your gold holdings?

HUI and the Gold Miners

When it comes to owning the gold miners, we actually believe we hit the bottom of the market this past summer and then most recently this December. Back in the summer we suggested adding to positions and selling into a September rally for trading positions and then look to add back position in the November/December time frame.

Looking at the HUI chart below, it seems this past December low finished off the correction that started in October. If this does turn out to be the lows, then I see some really positive signs in the charts. Since the beginning of December, the RSI, and MACD have been turning up after being in negative territory and they both look like they have room and momentum on their side to move higher. This means the HUI has a good chance at starting an intermediate uptrend which should last at least a month to two and go towards an initial target of 475 before taking a pause.

What is most encouraging is seeing HUI start to make a new trend upward from May 2012 in a series of higher highs and higher lows, this is a positive development especially if the December lows of 425 hold. What would be more encouraging would be to see the HUI start a new uptrend right now, go to 475 and then blow past it to test the resistance seen at 525 in September. If the gold miners do catch a strong bid and can get past the 525 hurdle that is in front of us, then we can be confident that we really do have a strong rally in the miners and that the uptrend will continue to make higher highs and higher lows moving forward. Eventually it may blow past the old highs of 625 which may come sometime towards the end of this year, but most likely in early 2014.

If you plan on trading these markets, pay attention to the above mentioned numbers on the HUI for places to lighten up on positions and then buy back in on any pull backs in a series of higher highs and higher lows. If we are right on this pattern and uptrend, then the next wave up should take out the September high of 525 and more likely run to 575 (hopefully by spring) before we see a significant correction going into the summer doldrums maybe back towards the 450-475 level. Then I suspect we could see a strong yearend rally that goes well into the early part of 2014 and at that time I expect the HUI to be back close to all time highs. This is what I see happening technically on the charts and hopefully the fundamentals will allow this to play out over the coming year and a half; of course this is based on normal market activity and no market manipulations. This is the strategy we have been planning for TDV Golden Trader subscriber and how to play this new uptrend that could be emerging over the next year.

If you enjoyed reading this article and are interested in protecting your wealth with precious metals, you can receive our free blog by visiting TDV Golden Trader. Also learn how you can purchase and protect your gold holdings by getting a copy of our special report Getting Your Gold out of Dodge or protecting the stock investments you currently own with Bullet Proof Shares.

Cheers,

Filed Under: Currency debasement, Featured, Gold, Gold Stocks, Silver Tagged With: , , , , ,

All Money Printing Schemes End Badly

January 10, 2013 by Leave a Comment

By: GE Christenson

William H. Gross (manages the largest bond fund in the world – PIMCO) has much to say about Quantitative Easing and money printing. His latest article, Money For Nothin’ Writing Checks For Free, discusses Quantitative Easing (printing money) and the inevitable consequences. He notes that central banks have printed over six trillion dollars in the last few years. This begs the question, “Why not print even more?” Mr. Gross and many others have suggested that central banks should be hesitant with money printing schemes since they tend to end badly. He also quotes Sir Isaac Newton regarding the temporary success (and subsequent crash) of the English government’s money printing in the early 1700s South Seas bubble, “I can calculate the movement of the stars but not the madness of men.”

What about the madness of men? Do YOU really believe the following are true?

  • Congress can NOT reduce spending! (Would the deficit be eliminated if members of congress lost their salary and benefits every year the government overspent revenues?)
  • We can solve an excess debt crisis by creating more debt! (Will vodka also cure alcoholism?)
  • Printing money (QE4Ever) will create economic prosperity! (It creates wealth for banks, but not for the economy.)
  • More government, at much more cost, will improve the economy!
  • 47,000,000 Americans on food stamps (SNAP) indicates a recovering economy!
  • Paper money will always have value and will always be accepted in payment for real goods! (History indicates otherwise.)
  • Loaning money to an insolvent government at about 3% per year for 30 years is a good investment when the government has assured us that it will devalue the dollars used to repay the loan!

What about the sanity of men? Is it more sensible to believe the following?

  • YOU can control your finances, wealth, and retirement.
  • Gold is real money.
  • Physical assets are safer than paper assets or digital “money” on a computer server. Avoid the train wreck.
  • Gold will retain its value, dollars will not.
  • If you own physical assets, you have less need to trust the safety of the stock market or the bond market.
  • Physical assets are much less vulnerable to the actions of central banks, the “Plunge Protection Team,” High Frequency Trading, and other market manipulations.

Conclusion

“A man sees what he wants to see and disregards the rest.” Simon & Garfunkel

If the government needs money for excessive expenditures, it sees loans and a central bank that “prints money” and disregards the inevitable inflation.

If a bank sees huge unrealized losses on mortgages, derivatives, and mortgage-backed securities, it sees bailouts from the Federal Reserve along with lobbyists purchasing favorable legislation and disregards the economic cost to the nation.

If an aware individual sees unbacked paper money being printed in quantity, he buys physical assets such as gold and silver and disregards the continual media noise and nonsense.

Avoid the madness of men, and seek the safety and sanity of gold and silver. We have been warned.

GE Christenson
aka Deviant Investor

Filed Under: Currency debasement, Featured, Gold, Silver, US Debt Crisis Tagged With: , , , ,

THE ONGOING COLLAPSE IN THE PURCHASING POWER OF THE DOLLAR IS IRREVERSIBLE – TEN STEPS TO PROTECT YOURSELF

January 8, 2013 by 1 Comment

By GE Christenson

  • Our financial system, as it currently operates, is unsustainable. Unproductive debt cannot exponentially increase forever. I assume this is obvious to almost everyone. Jim Sinclair says, “The financial system is simply FUBAR. It is that simple. The reason to own all things gold is that simple.” FUBAR has several meanings, but my interpretation of FUBAR is: “Fiscally Unbalanced Beyond Any Reconciliation.”
  • The U.S. government deficits are, on average, larger every year. This means that the total (official) national debt is not only increasing each year but also that the rate of increase is accelerating. Since 10/1/2000 the national debt has increased about 9.1% per year, but since 10/1/2007 it has increased 12.2% per year. Worse, this is only the official debt and does not even consider the net present value of unfunded Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and government employee pensions and liabilities. Depending on who is calculating the liabilities, the total unfunded liability is approximately $100 Trillion to $230 Trillion and the annual increase is perhaps $7 – $11 Trillion. (The entire U.S. GDP is about $15 Trillion per year – for comparison.) This will not end well.
  • In essence, the above two facts are incompatible – hence an economic train wreck is in process. What could happen? Follow the logic here.
  • When there is too much of something, it loses value. If we have too many eggs, the price drops. If too many autos are for sale, there will be lower prices for autos. Central banks around the world are currently producing amazing quantities of dollars, euros, yen, and most other unbacked paper currencies. Hence, their value will decrease against the commodities we need for survival – food, energy, and so forth.
  • There is too much debt in our financial system, whether measured in nominal value or as a percentage of GDP. Hence the value of that debt will decline. Some debts will default, bonds will decline in value as interest rates inevitably rise, and other debt will drop in value and purchasing power.
  • Politicians have made excessive guarantees for future benefits to Social Security recipients, Medicare recipients, government pensions, and others. Those guarantees cannot all be delivered as promised, hence they will decline in value and purchasing power, or the promises will not be fulfilled.

Why are the following ten steps necessary?

  1. The best time to start preparing was about a decade ago. The second best time is today. Make a plan and act. Start by reducing living expenses and eliminating credit card debt.
  2. Expect sweeping changes! I hope the inevitable currency collapse is slow and gentle, not rapid and destructive, but history suggests rapid and painful are more likely.
  3. Phase out of paper assets and into something real. Gold, silver, diamonds, farm land, rental property, and buildings come to mind.
  4. Perspective – Perspective – Perspective! It is better to be early than late. It is better to trust yourself than to depend upon a government agency for your food and shelter. To whatever extent you can, take charge of your own financial affairs, savings, and retirement.
  5. Plan on huge inflation in consumer prices for food, energy, transportation, medical costs, and more.
  6. The middle class will be hurt the most. Those who plan and prepare will, as always, survive and prosper. Make a plan!
  7. Government control over the economy will increase. Surveillance on individuals will increase; there will be much less personal and financial privacy. Act accordingly!
  8. Social change will follow a currency collapse. It might be violent. The government is preparing in many ways for social violence. Are you?
  9. Currency induced cost-push inflation appears inevitable. When? As a guess, well before 2016. Gasoline costing $8.99 or more per gallon is a distinct possibility. Don’t discount this just because it sounds extreme. It might be a low estimate.
  10. Economic manipulations, mal-investments, and unsustainable policies will self-correct. Plan on corrections and adjustments that will bring painful consequences. The bigger the bubble, the more catastrophic the collapse and the larger the collateral damage. The sovereign debt and paper money bubbles appear VERY large and ready to pop.

Summary

Unproductive government debt cannot increase forever, but our financial system currently depends upon ever increasing expenditures and debt. There are far too many dollars in circulation, more debt than can be repaid, and massive unfunded liabilities have been created by the promises made by politicians. The purchasing power of the dollar must decline, many debts will not be repaid, and many promises for future benefits will be reduced in value or will simply disappear. Hence, the FUTURE income stream from debt-based assets is increasingly risky. A few to consider are:

  • Social Security benefits. The government must borrow or print to pay current benefits. The value (purchasing power) of future benefits will almost certainly decline.
  • Municipal and state bonds and pension promises are increasingly risky. Will more cities and states default on their bonds? Why are their pension plans, on average, increasingly underfunded? Will your pension plan remain safe? Consider moving your IRA into physical gold and silver safely stored outside the banking system.
  • US government 30 year bonds and 10 year notes will decline in price as interest rates rise, and will also decline in purchasing power as the dollar devalues. Why would you lend money (long-term) to an insolvent government at less than 3% interest per year when that government has assured you it will debase the currency and reduce the value of the debt you bought? Is this a financial train wreck in process?
  • Mutual funds and money markets based on bonds and other debt are at risk. If the underlying debt defaults, the value of the mutual funds and money markets will decline. Counter-party risk is real.

Why is debt based future income increasingly risky? The payoff will be delayed, defaulted or executed in mini-dollars after inflation and counter-party defaults have ravaged the purchasing power of those paper debts. We have Been Warned!

Would you prefer hard assets with no counter-party risk? Reread the Ten Steps To Safety, and then take charge of your financial life to whatever extent you can.

GE Christenson
aka Deviant Investor

Filed Under: Currency debasement, Featured, Gold, Silver, US Debt Crisis Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Silver Investment Demand Soars In China

December 15, 2012 by 1 Comment

The use of silver as a monetary asset in China goes back for centuries.  As detailed in the latest report from the Silver Institute, China’s entire monetary system was based on a silver standard until 1935.  Things changed dramatically after the Communists came to power in 1949 and effectively nationalized the entire silver stock.  Private citizens were prohibited from owning silver or gold and private sales of silver and gold jewelry was banned.

As China slowly adopted free markets principles, government control over silver was liberalized and in 2000, China finally ended the government monopoly on silver trading.  Private exchanges were established which allowed both the supply and demand of silver to expand rapidly.

A momentous moment for silver occurred in 2009 when the People’s Bank of China finally allowed private investors to buy silver.  The opening of the silver market to the Chinese public along with explosive economic growth resulted in an exponential increase of silver demand.  A middle and upper class that was rapidly accumulating financial assets saw silver as the logical store of value to protect their wealth from inflation and currency debasement.

Removing the prohibition on the private ownership of silver resulted in explosive demand for silver bar, coins and metals.  Demand for coins and medals increased from 3.0 million ounces in 2009 to 5.8 million ounces in 2011.  Demand for silver bar increased from 1.3 million ounces in 2009 to 11.3 million ounces in 2011.

The Silver Institute projects that retail investment demand for silver will grow robustly as silver becomes more available to the growing masses of the Chinese middle class.  Currently, investor demand for silver accounts for only a small part of total silver demand.  In 2011, total Chinese silver demand was 170.7 million ounces, with investors purchasing only 17.1 million ounces of coins, medals and bars.  With a population of almost 1.4 billion people, demand for silver could surge exponentially.  If only 1 out of 4 people in China buy one ounce of silver each year, that would represent silver demand of a staggering 350 million ounces, which exceeds total annual silver supply of 281.5 million ounces in 2011.

Long term investors in both gold and silver who understand the underlying fundamental reasons for owning precious metals should ignore short term price fluctuations and increase positions on short term weakness.

Filed Under: Featured, Gold, Silver Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,