Tag Archives: Rule #1 Never Marry The Trade

Nov 23 2018

Goldman Sachs Going Down on the Pi Target?


Armstrong Economics Blog/Corruption

Re-Posted Nov 23, 2018 by Martin Armstrong

The Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund sued Goldman Sachs on the Pi Target, Wednesday, November 21st, 2018,  for allegedly conspiring against the Middle Eastern fund to further a criminal scheme by Malaysia’s scandal-plagued 1MDB. The suit, filed in a New York court on behalf of Abu Dhabi’s International Petroleum Investment Company (IPIC), names Goldman Sachs as well as former Goldman officials who were charged by the US Justice Department in indictments unsealed earlier this month. “This action seeks redress for a massive global conspiracy on the part of the defendants to defraud and injure plaintiffs,” said the lawsuit, which also named former executives from IPIC and its subsidiary Aabar Investments.

It was Alan Cohen who I believe was in charge of reviewing all deals as head of Global Compliance at Goldman Sachs and now he is at the top of the SEC. I believe he was given the job at Goldman Sachs because he threatened my lawyers to turn over all tapes I had of conversations with the various bankers including Goldman Sachs’ metal desk. It is now only logical that the Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund should also name Alan Cohen given he was the head of Global Compliance.

Here are just a few tapes that I found copies of. The bulk the SEC claimed were all destroyed in the 911 attack. There have continually been questions of the ethics inside Goldman Sachs. The entire crash in the world economy due to the Mortgage Back Securities were designed by Goldman Sachs. The major product they sold the day of the high of the ECM back in 2007 was widely touted as “Abacus 2007-AC1: Built to fail.”

As the Financial Post wrote: “Goldman has often been criticized for selling billions of dollars of debt securities, called credit default obligations (CDOs), filled with mortgages that the bank itself allegedly thought were overvalued.”

 

I believe it was Goldman Sachs who paid bribes to Russian politicians to recall Platinum from the market and temporarily stop sales to allegedly take an “inventory” of their stockpile. This sent prices soaring back in 1997. Russia stopped all shipments of Platinum and Palladium in December, was expected to resume exports. The hedge fund Tiger Management, a New York hedge fund back then, announced it sell some of its palladium holdings which it was believed held about one-fifth of the annual world supply of palladium (1.5 million ounces). This was followed by the silver manipulation in 1998 with most of the same firms involved.

The charging documents, unsealed in federal court on November 1st, 2018 refer to an unidentified Goldman executive as an unindicted co-conspirator who approved of the alleged bribery. The street rumor is that happens to be the executive Andrea Vella, who was Goldman’s co-head of Asian investment banking. Interestingly, Goldman Sachs suspended him the very same day that prosecutors unsealed the criminal complaints. It was also Andrea Vella was had to respond to cross-examination from Philip Edey QC, who was a lawyer acting on behalf of yet another government accusing Goldman Sachs of questionable dealings. That was the Libyan Investment Authority, which claims the investment bank took advantage of its financial illiteracy back in July 2008.

Let us not forget Goldman Sachs’ role in blowing up Greece and instigating the beginning of the Euro crisis. The crisis was created by a deal Greece struck with Goldman Sachs, that was engineered by Goldman’s CEO, Lloyd Blankfein. Blankfein and his Goldman team helped Greece hide the true extent of its debt, and in the process almost doubled it. The speculation back in 2015 was that Greece would file a lawsuit against Goldman Sachs for creating that debt crisis. There were the personal meetings between Greece and Gary Cohn to do that deal. When the client is a government, it ALWAYS involved the top people.

In 2001, Greece was looking for ways to disguise its mounting financial debt in order to just get into the Eurozone. The Maastricht Treaty required all Eurozone member states to show improvement in their public finances. Greece was heading in the wrong direction and Goldman Sachs came to the rescue. They arranged a secret loan of €2.8 billion and disguised it as an off-the-books “cross-currency swap” that was a complicated transaction in which Greece’s foreign-currency debt was converted into a domestic-currency obligation using a fictitious market exchange rate. They made 2% of Greece’s debt magically vanish from its national accounts. Goldman Sachs charged €600 million euros which was about 12% of Goldman’s revenue for 2001 giving them a record sales year.

Then the deal turned sour in the aftermath of 9/11 attacks when bond yields plunged. They resulted in a huge loss for Greece because of the formula Goldman had crafted to their benefit dictating the country’s debt repayments under the swap. By 2005, Greece owed almost double what it had put into the deal and thus we see the European debt crisis unfold.

Until 2008, European Union accounting rules allowed member nations to manage their debt with these so-called off-market rates in swaps. In the late 1990s, JPMorgan enabled Italy to hide its debt by swapping currency at a favorable exchange rate, thereby committing Italy to future payments that didn’t appear on its national accounts as future liabilities. However, what Goldman did to Greece made Italy look like child’s play.

 

Goldman Sachs’ share price is going down hard into 2019. The 159 level will be critical on a closing basis for the year. If that is breached, then we could see very major implications for the firm whereby it may no longer survive. There is technical support between 174 and 164. From a cyclical perspective, Goldman Sachs has peaked as an institution as of 2017. It was founded in 1869 and 17.2 x 8.6 = 147.92. That means, in fact, the 2017 closing was the all-time high for Goldman Sachs and this incident is its Death knell. Goldman Sachs may be going down for the count.

  • August 2003 – Goldman Sachs creates Mortgage Back Securities & AIG Insures them
  • February 2006 – AIG Stops writing CDS on subprime mortgages
  • December 2006 – Goldman turns bearish on mortgage/real estate market
  • July 2007 – Goldman Sachs demands $1.8 billion in insurance from AIG
  • August 2007 – AIG posts $450 million as collateral
  • November 2007 – AIG posts $2 billion with Goldman on $3 billion demand
  • March 2008 – Goldman Sachs demands $6.6 billion from AIG
  • March 2008 – Bear Stearns collapses on 13th
  • August 2008 – Goldman Sachs takes a bearish view on AIG on 18th
  • September 2008 – Gov’t Bails out Fannie Mae on 7th
  • September 2008 – Lehman Brothers files for bankruptcy on 15th
  • September 2008 – Treasury Hank Paulson bails out AIG to save Goldman 16th
  • September 2008 – Paulson emails Congress with TARP 20th
  • September 2008 – Goldman Sachs & Morgan Stanley become banks 21st
  • October 2008 – Congress passes TARP on 3rd
  • October 2008 – Goldman Sachs demand another $1.3 billion from AIG
  • November 2008 – Federal Reserve creates Maiden III for Toxic Assets

Here we have 2007.15 when Goldman Sachs sells precisely at the top of the ECM back in 2007 ABACUS2007-ACI which was a $2 Billion Synthetic CDO. It was then on the Pi Target when the SEC charged Goldman Sachs with fraud back on April 16, 2010, for that very transaction. Any small firm is imprisoned and stripped of its license. But Goldman Sachs has the SEC and the DOJ in its back pocket along with the judges and politicians. Now again on the precise Pi Target Abu Dhabi filed a lawsuit against Goldman Sachs Wednesday (Nov 21) for allegedly conspiring against the Middle Eastern fund to further a criminal scheme by Malaysia’s scandal-plagued 1MDB.

Because we have 3 countries now bringing charges and/or suits against Goldman Sachs, it appears that this will mark the beginning of the end for the firm. When the Euro cracks, they will also be blamed for their role in Greece and the rest of Europe. Don’t forget that Mario Draghi is also ex-Goldman Sachs. When the Euro cracks, there will be a microscope applied to every communication that was ever carried out between Draghi and Goldman Sachs. Every trade they have pulled off will be inspected with its tentacles into the European bond market.

After the government took down Solomon Brothers back in 1991 for manipulating the US Treasury Auctions, Goldman Sachs began a program of buying protection. They allegedly began aggressively funding politicians and then began stuffing their people in key places of government. They have been known as “Government Sachs” among dealers and they have held a power-house political hand in their back pocket. Our model, at least, warns that day is NOW OVER!!!!!!

The computer would have shorted Goldman Sachs if it could. The Global Market Watch has pinpointed a high and it warned this stock was moving into a Waterfall on the Monthly Level. This is one stock to get out of. We will see major new lows next year.

Nov 21 2018

Entirely Predictable – Tech Stock Devaluations Sink U.S. Aggregate Stock Market…


Re-Posted from The Conservative Tree House on November 20, 2018 by

CTH has pointed, repeatedly, toward a very specific economic and financial dynamic  because President Trump is uniquely focused on Main Street’s “real economy“.

Everything happening in/around the financial markets is very predictable when you focus on understanding the principles of Main Street MAGAnomics and how those basic principles diverge from Wall Street’s “paper economy” (currently weighted by tech stocks).

Everything is happening in a very predictable sequence. Few understand the MAGAnomic reset and what was predicted to happen in the space between disconnecting a Wall Street economic engine (globalism and multinationals) and restarting a Main Street economic engine (nationalism/America-First).  In 2016 CTH explained where we would be today. With current Wall Street events, perhaps it is worthwhile remembering the CTH forecast.

Originally outlined far more than a year ago. Reposted by request on Oct 11th.

President Trump’s MAGAnomic trade and foreign policy agenda is jaw-dropping in scale, scope and consequence. There are multiple simultaneous aspects to each policy objective; however, many have been visible for a long time – some even before the election victory in November ’16.  What is happening within the financial markets should not be a surprise.

If we get too far in the weeds the larger picture is lost. Our CTH objective is to continue pointing focus toward the larger horizon, and then at specific inflection points to dive into the topic and explain how each moment is connected to the larger strategy.

Today, as a specific result of a very predictable stock market contraction, we repost an earlier dive into how MAGAnomic policy interacts with multinational Wall Street, the stock market, the U.S. financial system and perhaps your personal financial value. Again, reference and source material is included at the end of the outline.

If you understand the basic elements behind the new dimension in American economics, you already understand how three decades of DC legislative and regulatory policy was structured to benefit Wall Street, Multinational corporate interests, and not Main Street USA.

The intentional shift in economic policy is what created distance between two entirely divergent economic engines to the detriment of the American middle-class.

REMEMBER […] there had to be a point where the value of the second economy (Wall Street) surpassed the value of the first economy (Main Street).

Investments, and the bets therein, needed to expand outside of the USA. hence, globalist investing.

However, a second more consequential aspect happened simultaneously. The politicians became more valuable to the Wall Street team than the Main Street team; and Wall Street had deeper pockets because their economy was now larger.

As a consequence Wall Street started funding political candidates and asking for legislation that benefited their multinational interests.

When Main Street was purchasing the legislative influence the outcomes were -generally speaking- beneficial to Main Street, and by direct attachment those outcomes also benefited the average American inside the real economy.

When Wall Street began purchasing the legislative influence, the outcomes therein became beneficial to Wall Street. Those benefits are detached from improving the livelihoods of main street Americans because the benefits are “global”. Global financial interests, multinational investment interests -and corporations therein- became the primary filter through which the DC legislative outcomes were considered.

There is a natural disconnect. (more)

As an outcome of national financial policy blending commercial banking with institutional investment banking something happened on Wall Street that few understand. If we take the time to understand what happened we can understand why the Stock Market grew and what risks exist today as the financial policy is reversed to benefit Main Street.

President Trump and Treasury Secretary Mnuchin have already begun assembling and delivering a new banking system.

Instead of attempting to put Glass-Stegal regulations back into massive banking systems, the Trump administration is creating a parallel financial system of less-regulated small commercial banks, credit unions and traditional lenders who can operate to the benefit of Main Street without the burdensome regulation of the mega-banks and multinationals. This really is one of the more brilliant solutions to work around a uniquely American economic problem.

♦ When U.S. banks were allowed to merge their investment divisions with their commercial banking operations (the removal of Glass Stegal) something changed on Wall Street.

Companies who are evaluated based on their financial results, profits and losses, remained in their traditional role as traded stocks on the U.S. Stock Market and were evaluated accordingly. However, over time investment instruments -which are secondary to actual company results- created a sub-set within Wall Street that detached from actual bottom line company results.

The resulting secondary financial market system was essentially ‘investment markets’. Both ordinary company stocks and the investment market stocks operate on the same stock exchanges. But the underlying valuation is tied to entirely different metrics.

Financial products were developed (as investment instruments) that are essentially wagers or bets on the outcomes of actual companies traded on Wall Street. Those bets/wagers form the hedge markets and are [essentially] people trading on expectations of performance. The “derivatives market” is the ‘betting system’.

♦Ford Motor Company (only chosen as a commonly known entity) has a stock valuation based on their actual company performance in the market of manufacturing and consumer purchasing of their product. However, there can be thousands of financial instruments wagering on the actual outcome of their performance.

There are two initial bets on these outcomes that form the basis for Hedge-fund activity. Bet ‘A’ that Ford hits a profit number, or bet ‘B’ that they don’t. There are financial instruments created to place each wager. [The wagers form the derivatives] But it doesn’t stop there.

Additionally, more financial products are created that bet on the outcomes of the A/B bets. A secondary financial product might find two sides betting on both A outcome and B outcome.

Party C bets the “A” bet is accurate, and party D bets against the A bet. Party E bets the “B” bet is accurate, and party F bets against the B. If it stopped there we would only have six total participants. But it doesn’t stop there, it goes on and on and on…

The outcome of the bets forms the basis for the tenuous investment markets. The important part to understand is that the investment funds are not necessarily attached to the original company stock, they are now attached to the outcome of bet(s). Hence an inherent disconnect is created.

Subsequently, if the actual stock doesn’t meet it’s expected P-n-L outcome (if the company actually doesn’t do well), and if the financial investment was betting against the outcome, the value of the investment actually goes up. The company performance and the investment bets on the outcome of that performance are two entirely different aspects of the stock market. [Hence two metrics.]

♦Understanding the disconnect between an actual company on the stock market, and the bets for and against that company stock, helps to understand what can happen when fiscal policy is geared toward the underlying company (Main Street MAGAnomics), and not toward the bets therein (Investment Class).

The U.S. stock markets’ overall value can increase with Main Street policy, and yet the investment class can simultaneously decrease in value even though the company(ies) in the stock market is/are doing better. This detachment is critical to understand because the ‘real economy’ is based on the company, the ‘paper economy’ is based on the financial investment instruments betting on the company.

Trillions can be lost in investment instruments, and yet the overall stock market -as valued by company operations/profits- can increase.

Here’s the critical part – Conversely, there are now classes of companies on the U.S. stock exchange that never make a dime in profit, yet the value of the company increases.

This dynamic is possible because the financial investment bets are not connected to the bottom line profit. (Examples include Tesla Motors, Amazon and a host of internet stocks like Facebook and Twitter.) It is this investment group of companies, primarily driven by technology stocks in the “tech sector” that stands to lose the most if/when the underlying system of betting on them stops or slows.

Specifically due to most recent U.S. fiscal policy, modern multinational banks, including all of the investment products therein, are more closely attached to this investment system on Wall Street. It stands to reason they are at greater risk of financial losses overall with a shift in economic policy.

That financial and economic risk is the basic reason behind Trump and Mnuchin putting a protective, secondary and parallel, banking system in place for Main Street.

Big multinational banks can suffer big losses from their investments, and yet the Main Street economy can continue growing, and have access to capital, uninterrupted.

Bottom Line: U.S. companies who have actual connection to a growing U.S. economy can succeed; based on the advantages of the new economic environment and MAGA policy, specifically in the areas of manufacturing, trade and the ancillary benefactors.

Meanwhile U.S. investment assets (multinational investment portfolios) that are disconnected from the actual results of those benefiting U.S. companies, highly weighted within the tech sector, and as a consequence also disconnected from the U.S. economic expansion, can simultaneously drop in value even though the U.S. economy is thriving.  THIS IS EXACTLY what is happening!

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Nov 19 2018

November 21st, 2018 Pi Target


Armstrong Economics Blog/ECM

Posted Nov 19, 2018 by Martin Armstrong

 

There are so many things happening in the political world it is next to impossible to figure out what is going to be the focal point for the Pi target since perhaps it could be a combination. The lastest hat being thrown into the ring is the European Commission is planning to enter their sanctions against Italy. As it stands currently, they have proposed disciplining Italy under EU fiscal rules on November 21st, 2018, unless the country’s government agrees to change its draft budget plan according to EU dictates. This could set in motion a drop in Italian debt which may force the ECB to buy more Italian debt or stand back and watch rates go crazy. This may also be the starting point of sending Italy into an exit position from the EU. In the weeks and months from now, we will be able to see that this was the turning point if this takes place.

Nov 17 2018

Cryptography


Armstrong Economics Blog/Cryptocurrency

Re-Posted Nov 17, 2018 by Martin Armstrong

COMMENT: Mr. Armstrong, I have to say that Bitcoin has crashed again because the IMF says each country should create its own cryptocurrency. That would kill all the cryptocurrencies and you were right again. Governments will never surrender their power to Bitcoin.

Thank you for your realistic perspective

DT

REPLY: I really do not get these people. They are dreamers. Of course, governments will not surrender. Their own pensions are at stake. The majority of transactions are already electronic. You just take a picture of your check and deposit it electronically without having to go to the bank. Separate the technology from power

Nov 16 2018

Turkey looking to Cut Taxes to Fight Inflation?


Armstrong Economics Blog/The Hunt for Taxes

Re-Posted Nov 16, 2018 by Martin Armstrong

Since the beginning of the year, the Turkish currency has lost more than a third of its value against the dollar. As the currency declines, imports rise in cost since they are denominated in foreign currency.  This adds to the inflation problem domestically. Among other things, the sharp criticism of Erdoğan in the markets has cast doubt on the independence of the central bank. In September, it raised its key interest rate from 17.75 to 24 percent in the fight against inflation without success. This too adds to inflation.

There are people starting to look at tax cuts in selected areas to compensate for the crisis in hyperinflation. It is an interesting proposal but Erdoğan is worried about a real coup this time.

Nov 16 2018

Real Estate – Taxes – Currency


Armstrong Economics Blog/Real Estate

Re-Posted Nov 16, 2018 by Martin Armstrong

COMMENT: Dear Martin,

I bought ‘The World Real Estate Report’ at the end of 2016. It stated that Australian real estate was going to fall after the first quarter (March) in 2016. The property prices in Melbourne (where I live) continued to rise in April 2016 so I sent an email to Socrates Support asking them when real estate should peak. I received the reply below, which stated that the peak was either in for global real estate or the latest by the end of the first quarter 2017.

Anyway, since I owned a tiny house in Melbourne, I was facing a difficult decision if I should sell or not since it would be impossible to buy back in if the prices continued to go up.

I have been reading your blog daily since 2012, and I have read all of your forecasts being correct (eg. the Dow continuing to go up, US Index going up, Brexit, Trump winning). I also bought your Gold report in 2014 and watched gold bottom (Dec 2015) correctly for the date and price on the first benchmark, truly an unbelievable forecast.

Based on your track record I decided to sell my property at the end of the first quarter (March 2017), for which I received a fantastic price.

I’m happy to inform you that prices have been falling since the 3rd quarter of 2017.

I just wanted to congratulate you on another correct forecast.

REPLY: We all need a place to live. Governments are attacking real estate thinking it is too high and they need to make it more affordable for others to buy. They fail to understand that when they do that, the wipe out the savings dor retirement for others. Raising taxes to support government pensions is morally wrong and economically a disaster. There really should be some qualification to be a politician who them plays with people’s lives

Nov 13 2018

Poland to Break with EU by 2020?


Armstrong Economics Blog/Eastern Europe

Re-Posted Nov 13, 2018 by Martin Armstrong

QUESTION: Mr. Armstrong; When you were here last giving lectures in Poland, you said that we should leave the EU, retain our currency, and focus of your ties to the United States and Asia. You said if we did that, Poland would be one of the most imp[ortant economies in Europe. Have you updated that forecast at all?

Thank you

It was a tremendous honor to shake your hand in Warsaw.

JF

ANSWER: Poland is and will remain at the center of economic growth within Europe and it will still experience increasing political influence. Poland’s population won’t decline as much as those of the other major European economies and that is critical moving forward economically. Poland is also the most prosperous European state on Russia’s western border. That will mean that it will expand its position as a regional leader with political and economic prestige.

The Zloty has strengthened against the dollar and the Euro. The critical time where Poland may see this break with the EU could come in 2020.

Nov 10 2018

Kennedy – Roosevelt & Corruption?


Armstrong Economics Blog/Corruption

Re-Posted Nov 10, 2018 by Martin Armstrong

QUESTION: Mr. Armstrong; I had always heard that Kennedy made a fortune on Scotch. My question is, where they booze runners during the Prohibition?

Thank you

GR

ANSWER: No. But they actually used Roosevelt to secure that lucrative import trade of Scotch – my favorite drink. Joe Kennedy traveled to London in 1934 on the steam-driven ocean liner, the SS Europa. While he brought his wife with him he also brought James Roosevelt (1907 – 1991), the American president’s oldest son. The trip was portrayed as a please vacation, but bringing the President’s son was the clear signal it was not a vacation.

Kennedy’s main prize would be to gain the British rights to send Scotch whiskey, gin, and other imported liquors. He knew based upon inside information that Prohibition would be ended. Joe brought the president’s 25-year-old son to help organize a private visit with Winston Churchill.  He used Roosevelt’s son to get that contract. The deal paid off and Joe got the private meeting with Churchill and visited him at Churchill’s Chartwell home.

So you see, political inside favors have been going on a very long time. James Roosevelt was closely linked with Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. Many of James Roosevelt’s controversial business ventures were indeed aided by Kennedy. Jame’s dealings were often clouded. In fact, Treasury Secretary Henry Morgenthau even threatened to resign unless FDR forced James to leave a questionable company which became known as the National Grain Yeast Corp. affair (1933–35), which was believed to be just a front for bootlegging. It was James Roosevelt who lobbied his father to make Kennedy the ambassador to the United Kingdom.

James was a shading type of character in the eyes of many. Later on, during July 1938, there were allegations that he had used his political position to steer lucrative business to his insurance firm. He was then forced to publish his income tax returns and denied these allegations in an NBC broadcast and an interview in Collier’s magazine. This became known as the Jimmy’s Got It affair after Alva Johnston’s reportage in the Saturday Evening Post. Roosevelt resigned from his White House position in November 1938. The press was often highlighting how rich Jimmy was becoming when his father was a Socialist

Nov 8 2018

Bundesbank warns of Coming Pension Crisis


Armstrong Economics Blog/Pension Crisis

Re-Posted Nov 8, 2018 by Martin Armstrong

The Bundesbank has come out warning that there is a German pension crisis. They have proposed that states raise the pension tax and that they should gradually increase the retirement age because the life
expectancy in the future has risen. Central Bank President, Jens Weidmann, has stated that he is generally in favor of raising the statutory retirement age beyond 67 years.

We must understand that the ECB policy of “stimulating” the economy with negative interest rates has bankrupted state pension plans. This theory that lowering interest rates to get people to borrow and thus manipulate demand higher has NEVER been proven to have ever worked. The consequence of what we now face is a major pension crisis that is undermining the future of Western economies

Nov 7 2018

Gold & Bitcoin


Armstrong Economics Blog/Cryptocurrency

Re-Posted Nov 7, 2018 by Martin Armstrong

 

QUESTION: Mr. Armstrong; I really encountered an insane goldbug who claimed you were paid off by the gold cartel to keep the price down. These people cannot open their eyes and see anything but gold or bitcoin. Then they argue the age of knowledge and bitcoin will become the new reserve currency. You really have to wonder if these people are on drugs. Will you be doing a gold report soon? Is it still a viable option for some portion of wealth in the future. Bitcoin seems to depend entirely upon a power grid. I was traveling back to the States and was actually asked if I had cryptocurrency. I said no. What is all that about?

IK

ANSWER: Yes we will be doing a gold report soon. Yes, these people are insane. Why would the gold cartel want to suppress gold prices? They claim to force people to sell their gold at cheap prices. But the annual production of new gold is about 3150 tons as of 2017. There are 32,150.75 troy ounces per metric ton. That means the annual production during 2017 was 101,274,862.5 troy ounces. That is a lot of new gold coming to the market every year. That is far more than small investors would be dumping. You really think they would suppress the gold price to force small investors to sell say even 10 million ounces when they mine more than 100 million annually? That is really just sophistry and it is a shame people would even believe such nonsense.

I really cannot imagine that any government would surrender power to Bitcoin. Come on. Spain is criminally prosecuting Catalonia politicians for simply advocating a democratic vote to separate from Spain. But governments will surrender their power to Bitcoin? The dollar is not even the RESERVE CURRENCY by choice. The USA has been trying to encourage competition and advocated the creation of the Euro back at the Plaza Accord in 1985. The USA always wants a cheaper dollar to sell more goods overseas to create in theory domestic jobs. Even Trump advocates that position of a cheaper dollar. Only a fool would believe that governments will lay down their power simply because you ask them to. Open any history book. Power shifts NEVER come involving government without major uprisings. Sorry, they will NEVER sit on their hand and watch their power evaporate. They will only surrender power during revolutions for they will kick and scream every step of the way.

As far as cryptocurrency declarations, they are beginning to look at anything that they can confiscate that is more than $10,000 when traveling calling it all cash. Italy confiscated bonds a man had in a briefcase on his way to Switzerland. It was not “cash” but they are calling anything that can be converted or sold as “cash” because they are desperate. I wrote about those proposed regulations last year.

During August, gold fell to 1162.70 intraday. The channel support rests at 1144.03. Gold open interest is about 488,000 contracts which amount to almost $600 million. That compares to the production in 2017 valued at $121.5 billion. The total market capitalization of the US share market alone is about $30 trillion. The US National Debt is about $20 trillion. Total world sovereign debt is closer to $250 trillion. Gold is simply not a big enough market to displace everything of value out there. It is one component that will rise in value. But gold will NEVER replace the dollar and governments will NEVER return to any commodity standard.

The true wealth of every nation is its people and their productive capacity. China, Japan, and Germany, all rose to be major economies with no gold reserves. Russia, which had all the resources, moved from communism to an oligarchy and that prevented its economy from exploding as was the case in China. All the gold, diamonds, and oil, did not propel Russia to #2 economy. It is the people that create wealth – not merely resources. Forget returning to any commodity based currency. It does not work any more than austerity works in Europe.