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Gold investors are making a "major mistake" if they think the latest Fed minutes indicate the...

  • Friday, January 4, 2:38 PM ET
    Gold investors are making a "major mistake" if they think the latest Fed minutes indicate the end of QE is likely by mid-year or even year’s end, Peter Schiff writes, seeing the recent decline in gold prices as a buying opportunity. The Fed's hands are tied, as any end to buying Treasurys or MBS would result in higher rates that might tip the economy back into recession. Gold finishes the day at $1,648.90, -1.5%.
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This news story has 17 comments:

  • I just finished posting exactly the same thing and I'm no economist or expert trader. It's just a no-brainer. You don't have to be very educated to see that money printing will continue and PM's can go nowhere but up.
    4 Jan, 02:45 PM Reply Like
  • Even Dr. Bullard seemed uncommonly subdued today.
    4 Jan, 04:07 PM Reply Like
  • Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Peter Schiff. However, I think that smart investors shouldn't buy gold with closed eyes and be very careful. Looking at the current status of financial markets, we have stocks undervalued (PE <14-15) in many developed and emerging economies, high yield bonds at more than 3.5% yield (Euro side and others). In this environemnt, please give me a reason to allocate financial resources in something like gold that doesn't have ANY yield at all, and a "considerable" volatility. Don't you think that in terms of adjusted return Gold seems a bit "silly" as an investment ?
    4 Jan, 04:11 PM Reply Like
  • Don't think of it as an "investment", think of it as preserving future purchasing power.
    4 Jan, 04:43 PM Reply Like
  • well if you held gold instead of stocks this week you just lost a healthy chunk of current purchasing power
    4 Jan, 04:47 PM Reply Like
  • Developed markets are completely overvalued. If recession occurs in Europe (already has) and we are barely in the black, forward PEs are not worth their weight in BS.

    EMs on the other hand are way below historical PE levels and are actually growing. I prefer to be in economies that are growing and will continue to grow.

    Developed worlds are treading water.
    4 Jan, 05:41 PM Reply Like
  • Did you read my comment? FUTURE purchasing power.
    5 Jan, 09:37 AM Reply Like
  • I've held gold since they announced the tarp. It's doubled on me. Silver about the same. I own physical and not on margin. A $100 move is a pimple to me.

    It was clear to me back then these jokers were hell-bent on destroying the currency. The die was cast. I'd seen the only signal I needed to see. I'll keep the gold until the currency has been completely destroyed. To me, gold is money and has been for 5,000 years despite the flagrant prevarication of the bearded banker on this issue before congressional committees.

    Why buy gold? Since the year 2000 the stock market has gone nowhere and gold is up what... 300%, 400% something like that. When the price on the chart, moves from lower left to upper right that's a good thing.

    Silver might be better because it's a bit undervalued relatively, I think. But I'd be really slow to fault an investment in gold. As far as the fed's pronouncements on ending QE, they said the same thing this time last year, so we've seen this movie before and already know the ending.

    Of course, the fed thinks we're all idiotic children with too short an attention span to think about their recent past history. Maybe they're right. They're fearless leader is one such, thinking printing money is the path to prosperity and having the audacity to say that. Very strange pronouncement from Princeton's former chair of economics, more appropriate for a grade school child.

    As far as buying stocks or bonds, I'm afraid you're doing it with paper money, you're collecting your booty in paper money & the value of you beloved assets are denominated in paper money. So when you wake up one morning to find a sudden devaluation in your currency, your beloved paper asset will follow suit. It's like saying you're going sailing in this terrifically designed boat made out of toilet paper. Bon Voyage!
    6 Jan, 02:40 AM Reply Like
  • Interest rates can't be allow to rise, because we need to pay interest on all that debt of the US. As long as banks keep their money & don't make lots of loans, the money isn't in the economy. Thus no high inflation yet. So hold gold money for now, if inflation is the reason to buy.
    4 Jan, 04:44 PM Reply Like
  • Absolutely correct. If interest rates rise to prevent total currency collapse (which some may actually want to goose economy, but will ultimately fail), we are in depression for probably 10 years. You think real estate was bad in 07 when long term rates were historically low? Wait until rates JUST go back to near normal levels.

    The problems in real estate which affect more people that any other sector is the best example of the house of cards that our economy has become. The two elephant's in the room are how Real Estate and Debt Financing will be affected by rising rates and is barely spoken about by Wall Street, so beware their abundant optimism about all things U.S. Seems to me that it can only get worse from here with practically no economist worth his salt saying we have the demographic or technological ability to grow our way out of this pickle.
    5 Jan, 01:32 PM Reply Like
  • The real problem is that at some point money printing causes interest rates (swap rates, actually) to turn up. At that point, the die is cast and debt service becomes increasingly expensive, consuming and ever larger portion of revenues. Eventually, default is the only option. Latin America offers plenty examples, but so does Europe without needing to go further back than a single century.
    Sovereign defaults are a much better reason for purchasing gold that the simple fear of inflation.
    4 Jan, 04:55 PM Reply Like
  • Gold is means to protect your wealth. It is the ultimate currency throughout history & the world.
    4 Jan, 05:56 PM Reply Like
  • The gold price has ridden alongside equity prices all this last year until yesterday, and this looks like Bernanke playing games with Obama's failure to use fiscal means instead of laying all the responsibility at the Fed's door. On second thoughts it soon bounced back since one way or another more money printing is far more likely to happen than deflationary taxation.
    I seem to remember that there was a floor set of approx $1620 by the Fed, or some such authority, some months ago at which banks were allowed to collateralize it against loans permanently.
    5 Jan, 07:32 AM Reply Like
  • Gold is undervalued, not stocks. The real value of gold needs to be compared with the real value of he dollar.
    6 Jan, 06:50 AM Reply Like
  • Rain Man
    Gold does not really change, 100 years ago you could have gone out & bought a good suit, hat & pair of boots with a $10.00 gold peace.
    You still can, even at todays price.
    6 Jan, 06:50 AM Reply Like
  • I have been a holder of gold & silver, long before we had etf's
    6 Jan, 06:50 AM Reply Like
  • In South LA 1979, a driller walked into my office and dropped a Krugerrand on my desk - I immediately understood the allure of gold. The chopper mechanic and his girlfriend were holding $25K in silver (1K oz at that time). So, if they still have them, the silver has appreciated 30% and the gold (not inflation adjusted) has increased about 110%. Some long lean years during that stretch - plus holding onto metals - storgage, security, worries.
    It seems to me that gold is a pretty metal - but in a the doomsday scenario people claim as a reason to have it - a bushel of wheat, a box of ammo, and a needed skill set have more value.
    that said - my neighbor started buying coins about end of the century - value has done very well.
    6 Jan, 09:32 AM Reply Like
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