oldgoldbug's Comments oldgoldbug's Comments RSS Syndication from SeekingAlpha.com http://seekingalpha.comuser/136814/comments Window Dressing for the Markets http://seekingalpha.com/article/174659-window-dressing-for-the-markets?source=feed#comment-772852 772852 Your negative Tbill yield fits nicely with my hypothesis that some semi-smart fellows might be abandoning all ships as GLD is up over 20% since Sept 1 and SPX is up 20%+YTD. TLT refuses to crash, giving encouragement to park in dollars for the totally unexpected bounce. ]]> Mon, 23 Nov 2009 02:42:57 -0500 Your negative Tbill yield fits nicely with my hypothesis that some semi-smart fellows might be abandoning all ships as GLD is up over 20% since Sept 1 and SPX is up 20%+YTD. TLT refuses to crash, giving encouragement to park in dollars for the totally unexpected bounce. ]]> The Truth Behind China's Currency Peg http://seekingalpha.com/article/174657-the-truth-behind-china-s-currency-peg?source=feed#comment-772845 772845 Mon, 23 Nov 2009 02:25:07 -0500 Why the Stock Market Should Crash http://seekingalpha.com/article/173607-why-the-stock-market-should-crash?source=feed#comment-767266 767266 Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:25:56 -0500 Faber: Gold a Better Buy than at $300/oz. http://seekingalpha.com/article/174088-faber-gold-a-better-buy-than-at-300-oz?source=feed#comment-767238 767238 Scary as it sounds on a long term basis TLT (95.39) might be a good place to hide for a little while, especially for common stock proceeds. One thing for sure; I would hedge long term gold holdings with puts rather than sell.

Disclosure: Long silver for long term; long silver puts short term

On Nov 18 08:42 PM thotdoc wrote:

> What does Gold being up today while GDX, ABX and other Gold ETFs
> down tell us?]]>
Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:14:41 -0500 Scary as it sounds on a long term basis TLT (95.39) might be a good place to hide for a little while, especially for common stock proceeds. One thing for sure; I would hedge long term gold holdings with puts rather than sell.

Disclosure: Long silver for long term; long silver puts short term

On Nov 18 08:42 PM thotdoc wrote:

> What does Gold being up today while GDX, ABX and other Gold ETFs
> down tell us?]]>
Fed Sends Gold Higher, But What Is It Good For? http://seekingalpha.com/article/174101-fed-sends-gold-higher-but-what-is-it-good-for?source=feed#comment-766745 766745 Evidently the bond market isn't buying into this projection just yet as it refuses to crash. TLT at 94.92 is not exactly projecting the end of the world as we know it. In fact, those arguing for deflation do have allies in the bond market who continue to buy awesome amounts of government debt at low interest rates.
I suppose we will have to wait a little longer to find out who is correct. ]]>
Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:47:59 -0500 Evidently the bond market isn't buying into this projection just yet as it refuses to crash. TLT at 94.92 is not exactly projecting the end of the world as we know it. In fact, those arguing for deflation do have allies in the bond market who continue to buy awesome amounts of government debt at low interest rates.
I suppose we will have to wait a little longer to find out who is correct. ]]>
Equity Gains by U.S. President: The Problem with Linear Thinking http://seekingalpha.com/article/173667-equity-gains-by-u-s-president-the-problem-with-linear-thinking?source=feed#comment-763787 763787
From empirical experience I would suggest competitive investments like gold, silver, oil etc must be more volatile as the only way to "profit" is to sell. That makes the recent strength of these commodities even more meaningful as the implication is that "rational investors" are willing to forego income and incur significant expenses with the expectation of retaining some of their current purchasing power. ]]>
Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:08:41 -0500
From empirical experience I would suggest competitive investments like gold, silver, oil etc must be more volatile as the only way to "profit" is to sell. That makes the recent strength of these commodities even more meaningful as the implication is that "rational investors" are willing to forego income and incur significant expenses with the expectation of retaining some of their current purchasing power. ]]>
S&P 500 Priced in Gold http://seekingalpha.com/article/171294-s-p-500-priced-in-gold?source=feed#comment-745623 745623 BTW, I really enjoy all the pundits who keep talking about gold's performance from the high in the 80's and not when it was allowed to float in the 70's. The starting point makes a big difference on the Return on Investment. If they do that they should measure stock returns from the high of 1066 in 1966.


On Nov 04 05:11 PM uss? wrote:

> yeah isn't it the dow gold ratio that goes to 1 over time. The SPX
> is about 10% of the Dow.]]>
Thu, 05 Nov 2009 02:02:29 -0500 BTW, I really enjoy all the pundits who keep talking about gold's performance from the high in the 80's and not when it was allowed to float in the 70's. The starting point makes a big difference on the Return on Investment. If they do that they should measure stock returns from the high of 1066 in 1966.


On Nov 04 05:11 PM uss? wrote:

> yeah isn't it the dow gold ratio that goes to 1 over time. The SPX
> is about 10% of the Dow.]]>
Gold Is Not in a Bull Market http://seekingalpha.com/article/170475-gold-is-not-in-a-bull-market?source=feed#comment-744564 744564 Perhaps prices more accurately reflect risk acceptance/risk aversion. Risk aversion sends investors into gold, cash and bonds (there's an interesting grouping!) while risk acceptance is stocks. Even though gold is at a nominal high in terms of dollars, it is far from its high in terms of stocks. And good old TLT is right at its resistance in terms of gold. If TLT falls further vs gold, then the deflation/inflation impasse may be broken and a more traditional inflationary environment similar to the 70's - 80's may occur.


On Nov 02 08:44 AM realitybiter wrote:

> He sounds like the catholic church arguing against Copernicas in
> the 15th century.
>
> Take any stock and measure its price in gold and look at its chart.
> It is a much clearer picture of what is happening. Even challenges
> of highs appear to be much weaker. It is frankly, stunning. Why?
> Because you are seeing the measuring stick of what we call money,
> the dollar, limping towards the trashbin of history. Gold always
> has been a store of value. For all time. It has survived every
> currency man has invented. Without a fundamental change of our government,
> we will end up with New USD soon. Soon as in a couple years, 5
> years...dust off your ancient 20th century history book and see how
> FDR did it. Or geez, even that relic 21st century book and see how
> Argentina did it just 8 years ago. They have a bank holiday (national
> security, of course), freeze assets, and a week later old dollars
> are obsolete and your bank account is now represented in new dollars
> with the new devaluation. Ask an Argentinan. All assets get reset.
> Argentina had VERY little apparent price inflation for almost two
> years prior to the collapse!
>
> Rising interest rates actually are a non issue. Look at the ten
> year in the 70's. It chased the rate of inflation the entire time,
> always behind, always pushing gold higher. Rates rose the entire
> time.
>
> Why would anyone trust current economist? Seriously. How many
> times did we hear big ben discount what was happening, completely
> missing reality? It is all over You tube. Or Greenspan? These
> guys don't know what they are doing. They are patching holes when
> they should be redesigning and rebuilding the dam. This obvious
> crisis started in 2006 when the New Century's of the world started
> their descent.....they had tons of time. They just didn't know what
> to do.
>
> Nadler is incredibly naive in his argument. Paul Tudor Jones, Marc
> Faber, John Paulson or huh, John Nadler. Pick sides.
>
> Finally, most would agree that 10 years of constant price appreciation
> would likely qualify for a bull market, period. No qualifiers.
> Even that Etrade baby in the commercials knows that.
>
> This is a US currency (among others) crisis. Canada and Australia
> are unique in that they have huge resource based economies and their
> fiat money actually gets backed by hard assets via some of their
> economy. There are no currencies in the world backed by hard assets....We
> are paper, backed by paper. It is not a whole lot different than
> AIG running around the world writing insurance without the capital
> to support the probable claims. This stuff moves like a glacier
> towards the bay, very slowly, then it suddenly calves.
>
> In fairness, Nadler has done me a great favor. He has been a great
> voice to create "blue light specials" on all things precious metal.
> I'm all bought up though, now, so if he could, please retire! I'd
> like to enter the mania phase and get Henry "Amazon 800" Blodgett
> on the job!]]>
Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:58:29 -0500 Perhaps prices more accurately reflect risk acceptance/risk aversion. Risk aversion sends investors into gold, cash and bonds (there's an interesting grouping!) while risk acceptance is stocks. Even though gold is at a nominal high in terms of dollars, it is far from its high in terms of stocks. And good old TLT is right at its resistance in terms of gold. If TLT falls further vs gold, then the deflation/inflation impasse may be broken and a more traditional inflationary environment similar to the 70's - 80's may occur.


On Nov 02 08:44 AM realitybiter wrote:

> He sounds like the catholic church arguing against Copernicas in
> the 15th century.
>
> Take any stock and measure its price in gold and look at its chart.
> It is a much clearer picture of what is happening. Even challenges
> of highs appear to be much weaker. It is frankly, stunning. Why?
> Because you are seeing the measuring stick of what we call money,
> the dollar, limping towards the trashbin of history. Gold always
> has been a store of value. For all time. It has survived every
> currency man has invented. Without a fundamental change of our government,
> we will end up with New USD soon. Soon as in a couple years, 5
> years...dust off your ancient 20th century history book and see how
> FDR did it. Or geez, even that relic 21st century book and see how
> Argentina did it just 8 years ago. They have a bank holiday (national
> security, of course), freeze assets, and a week later old dollars
> are obsolete and your bank account is now represented in new dollars
> with the new devaluation. Ask an Argentinan. All assets get reset.
> Argentina had VERY little apparent price inflation for almost two
> years prior to the collapse!
>
> Rising interest rates actually are a non issue. Look at the ten
> year in the 70's. It chased the rate of inflation the entire time,
> always behind, always pushing gold higher. Rates rose the entire
> time.
>
> Why would anyone trust current economist? Seriously. How many
> times did we hear big ben discount what was happening, completely
> missing reality? It is all over You tube. Or Greenspan? These
> guys don't know what they are doing. They are patching holes when
> they should be redesigning and rebuilding the dam. This obvious
> crisis started in 2006 when the New Century's of the world started
> their descent.....they had tons of time. They just didn't know what
> to do.
>
> Nadler is incredibly naive in his argument. Paul Tudor Jones, Marc
> Faber, John Paulson or huh, John Nadler. Pick sides.
>
> Finally, most would agree that 10 years of constant price appreciation
> would likely qualify for a bull market, period. No qualifiers.
> Even that Etrade baby in the commercials knows that.
>
> This is a US currency (among others) crisis. Canada and Australia
> are unique in that they have huge resource based economies and their
> fiat money actually gets backed by hard assets via some of their
> economy. There are no currencies in the world backed by hard assets....We
> are paper, backed by paper. It is not a whole lot different than
> AIG running around the world writing insurance without the capital
> to support the probable claims. This stuff moves like a glacier
> towards the bay, very slowly, then it suddenly calves.
>
> In fairness, Nadler has done me a great favor. He has been a great
> voice to create "blue light specials" on all things precious metal.
> I'm all bought up though, now, so if he could, please retire! I'd
> like to enter the mania phase and get Henry "Amazon 800" Blodgett
> on the job!]]>
The New Gold Rush: Lots of Risk http://seekingalpha.com/article/171164-the-new-gold-rush-lots-of-risk?source=feed#comment-744397 744397 Given the weakness of the US economy, I agree a tightening of monetary policy is unlikely so gold will continue to grind higher. Having been there for the race up in the 70's and 80's I can assure you this time, so far, is different. Back then gold jumped up (and fell back) in huge swings. The run to $875 seemed to happen in a matter of days and after it blew off, rallies were stunted affairs. We haven't seen a blow off yet in gold. It just keeps going up.
I would guess Bernanke has had more than one conversation with Paul Volcker about what it takes to control inflation. Volcker did a masterful job of putting the genie back in the bottle, but at a high price. Long Treasuries were yielding 14% which is not a bad return, if inflation is controlled. If inflation is not controlled, then the Weimar Republic is a few steps away.
If your analysis is accurate, perhaps what the gold market is telling us is that the "zero inflation value" is going to move upward.
In any event, gold's status seems to have moved upward from "barbarous relic" to "mainstream hedge". I don't think it is in everyman's 401k yet so it probably has further to go.]]>
Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:27:47 -0500 Given the weakness of the US economy, I agree a tightening of monetary policy is unlikely so gold will continue to grind higher. Having been there for the race up in the 70's and 80's I can assure you this time, so far, is different. Back then gold jumped up (and fell back) in huge swings. The run to $875 seemed to happen in a matter of days and after it blew off, rallies were stunted affairs. We haven't seen a blow off yet in gold. It just keeps going up.
I would guess Bernanke has had more than one conversation with Paul Volcker about what it takes to control inflation. Volcker did a masterful job of putting the genie back in the bottle, but at a high price. Long Treasuries were yielding 14% which is not a bad return, if inflation is controlled. If inflation is not controlled, then the Weimar Republic is a few steps away.
If your analysis is accurate, perhaps what the gold market is telling us is that the "zero inflation value" is going to move upward.
In any event, gold's status seems to have moved upward from "barbarous relic" to "mainstream hedge". I don't think it is in everyman's 401k yet so it probably has further to go.]]>
The Mother of All Asset Price Bubbles http://seekingalpha.com/article/171111-the-mother-of-all-asset-price-bubbles?source=feed#comment-744335 744335 Gold and other commodities are the "relief valves" for paper money holders. Their prices still react to supply and demand, but demand is not necessarily for use but as a store of value. Other than gold, and to a certain degree silver and the platinum group, commodities eventually have to be used, so using oil for example, as a store of value is highly questionable. Yet what are the big holders of dollars to do? Jumping into the metals markets in any significant size will push prices to the moon. There is just too much paper money.
Buffett buying BNI is also a good example of moving out of dollars into "hard" assets.
Timing is always uncertain, but I would submit that some pretty sophisticated investors are bailing out and the day of reckoning may not be far away. Interestingly, this may not be all bad as stocks represent "real" assets as we have seen with BNI above. Buffett paid a 30% premium which makes one think he surely wants to gather as many assets as he can with depreciating dollars. ]]>
Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:55:46 -0500 Gold and other commodities are the "relief valves" for paper money holders. Their prices still react to supply and demand, but demand is not necessarily for use but as a store of value. Other than gold, and to a certain degree silver and the platinum group, commodities eventually have to be used, so using oil for example, as a store of value is highly questionable. Yet what are the big holders of dollars to do? Jumping into the metals markets in any significant size will push prices to the moon. There is just too much paper money.
Buffett buying BNI is also a good example of moving out of dollars into "hard" assets.
Timing is always uncertain, but I would submit that some pretty sophisticated investors are bailing out and the day of reckoning may not be far away. Interestingly, this may not be all bad as stocks represent "real" assets as we have seen with BNI above. Buffett paid a 30% premium which makes one think he surely wants to gather as many assets as he can with depreciating dollars. ]]>
Bond Expert Friday Wrap: Duration Rout http://seekingalpha.com/article/165810-bond-expert-friday-wrap-duration-rout?source=feed#comment-712327 712327 Sun, 11 Oct 2009 05:02:53 -0400 Investors Ignore Risks, Chase Market Higher http://seekingalpha.com/article/161831-investors-ignore-risks-chase-market-higher?source=feed#comment-679858 679858

On Sep 16 12:07 PM buyitcheap wrote:

> All true, and being short, I'm running out of walls to bang my head
> on.]]>
Wed, 16 Sep 2009 19:04:17 -0400

On Sep 16 12:07 PM buyitcheap wrote:

> All true, and being short, I'm running out of walls to bang my head
> on.]]>
Canary in the Gold Mine http://seekingalpha.com/article/161143-canary-in-the-gold-mine?source=feed#comment-674622 674622 I use my stack of pre 1964 silver dimes to show the kids how a dime is a dollar and change and a dollar and change is a dime. I don't know if they get it or not. The concern about the dollar and indeed the whole situation appears to explode.
Don't know about the "New World Order" - wait a minute - weren't they in the WWF? Actually, there is a lot more of an analogy between fake wrestling and fake economics than we want to admit.


On Sep 13 11:42 AM paxjds wrote:

> Banks are shorting gold while buying a new canary every day, not
> telling the public that the bird just died. Market manipulation continues.
> Meanwhile central banks and many governments are increasing their
> gold holdings. Some governments, ie. China, are encouraging and TV
> advertising for their citizens to purchase gold and silver. Germany
> has vending machines for citizens to purchase gold and silver. <br/>
> You better bet your last bottom dollar buying Gold and Silver,that
> either a new world currency or regional currencies are in the works
> to replace existing and reflate world assets, or to just let existing
> currencies devalue by the continuation of running the printing presses.
> Watch the New G20, the new World Order. Currency Change will come
> as soon as september 20, or no later than 2011 to bail out the world
> governments and central banks.
> Protect yourself with Gold and Silver. Guns and Bullets might be
> a great secondary investment plan. Just dont sit there a stack of
> dollars that will be worth a stack of dimes in five years.]]>
Sun, 13 Sep 2009 13:51:40 -0400 I use my stack of pre 1964 silver dimes to show the kids how a dime is a dollar and change and a dollar and change is a dime. I don't know if they get it or not. The concern about the dollar and indeed the whole situation appears to explode.
Don't know about the "New World Order" - wait a minute - weren't they in the WWF? Actually, there is a lot more of an analogy between fake wrestling and fake economics than we want to admit.


On Sep 13 11:42 AM paxjds wrote:

> Banks are shorting gold while buying a new canary every day, not
> telling the public that the bird just died. Market manipulation continues.
> Meanwhile central banks and many governments are increasing their
> gold holdings. Some governments, ie. China, are encouraging and TV
> advertising for their citizens to purchase gold and silver. Germany
> has vending machines for citizens to purchase gold and silver. <br/>
> You better bet your last bottom dollar buying Gold and Silver,that
> either a new world currency or regional currencies are in the works
> to replace existing and reflate world assets, or to just let existing
> currencies devalue by the continuation of running the printing presses.
> Watch the New G20, the new World Order. Currency Change will come
> as soon as september 20, or no later than 2011 to bail out the world
> governments and central banks.
> Protect yourself with Gold and Silver. Guns and Bullets might be
> a great secondary investment plan. Just dont sit there a stack of
> dollars that will be worth a stack of dimes in five years.]]>
Deflation Looms http://seekingalpha.com/article/161184-deflation-looms?source=feed#comment-674337 674337
The velocity of money stands out to me as the biggest uncontrollable variable. If it stays down, then the scenario presented by the author appears likely to occur. The recent rise of TLT from 88 to 97 tells us that investors continue to consider deflation a decent possibility- is another economic shoe about to drop? But 97 is still a long way from the 122 high much as 9600 is a long way from the 6500 low, especially when the amount of bond buying from the FED is taken account.

Will the velocity of money skyrocket if holders of dollars panic? There is already some evidence of this in the "hammering" (thank you Peter Schiff) of gold at the $1000 level. $1000 folks - that is a long long long way from $35! (Sometimes I think we are like the proverbial frog in the pan of slowly heated water - we don't get it until it is too late) Add to that the way silver is perking up and my interpretation is that real concern about the value of the dollar is beginning to reach very significant proportions.

Perhaps deflationists take comfort in the belief that should inflation really ignite, all that is needed is a Volckeresque stand and all will be well. But do Helicopter Ben and the government have the fortitude to actually do it?]]>
Sun, 13 Sep 2009 10:58:37 -0400
The velocity of money stands out to me as the biggest uncontrollable variable. If it stays down, then the scenario presented by the author appears likely to occur. The recent rise of TLT from 88 to 97 tells us that investors continue to consider deflation a decent possibility- is another economic shoe about to drop? But 97 is still a long way from the 122 high much as 9600 is a long way from the 6500 low, especially when the amount of bond buying from the FED is taken account.

Will the velocity of money skyrocket if holders of dollars panic? There is already some evidence of this in the "hammering" (thank you Peter Schiff) of gold at the $1000 level. $1000 folks - that is a long long long way from $35! (Sometimes I think we are like the proverbial frog in the pan of slowly heated water - we don't get it until it is too late) Add to that the way silver is perking up and my interpretation is that real concern about the value of the dollar is beginning to reach very significant proportions.

Perhaps deflationists take comfort in the belief that should inflation really ignite, all that is needed is a Volckeresque stand and all will be well. But do Helicopter Ben and the government have the fortitude to actually do it?]]>
Canary in the Gold Mine http://seekingalpha.com/article/161143-canary-in-the-gold-mine?source=feed#comment-674073 674073 Sun, 13 Sep 2009 02:29:03 -0400 Are Risk Assets on the Verge of Melting Up? http://seekingalpha.com/article/160259-are-risk-assets-on-the-verge-of-melting-up?source=feed#comment-665337 665337 Mon, 07 Sep 2009 13:39:11 -0400 Gold Is Still the Opportunity of a Lifetime http://seekingalpha.com/article/160262-gold-is-still-the-opportunity-of-a-lifetime?source=feed#comment-665309 665309 BTW, there is every possibility that the actual rise in gold will be "hidden" if investors start grabbing for every asset they can, including stocks of every type and real estate, with rapidly devaluing dollars.
For you younger readers, back in the 70's Mexico devalued the peso. Car and Driver magazine wrote an article about a Mexican businessman who ordered 3 AMG Mercedes for $100000 each (big bucks in the day). Not long afterward the peso went from 8 to the dollar to 12 to over 100 to who knows. My point is the guy still had his Mercedes and they were worth something. His pesos, on the other hand, weren't worth much.
Can it happen here? Sure, why not. I keep an eye on TLT, the long government bond ETF. It peaked out at 122 when deflation "Armageddon" was only days away, crashed to the high 80's when risk appetites increased, and is now trading 95. Gold and silver going up a lot, bonds going down a lot tells us things not going so good.
Successful investing to all.]]>
Mon, 07 Sep 2009 13:18:02 -0400 BTW, there is every possibility that the actual rise in gold will be "hidden" if investors start grabbing for every asset they can, including stocks of every type and real estate, with rapidly devaluing dollars.
For you younger readers, back in the 70's Mexico devalued the peso. Car and Driver magazine wrote an article about a Mexican businessman who ordered 3 AMG Mercedes for $100000 each (big bucks in the day). Not long afterward the peso went from 8 to the dollar to 12 to over 100 to who knows. My point is the guy still had his Mercedes and they were worth something. His pesos, on the other hand, weren't worth much.
Can it happen here? Sure, why not. I keep an eye on TLT, the long government bond ETF. It peaked out at 122 when deflation "Armageddon" was only days away, crashed to the high 80's when risk appetites increased, and is now trading 95. Gold and silver going up a lot, bonds going down a lot tells us things not going so good.
Successful investing to all.]]>
Precious Metals: Breakout, Fakeout or Shakeout? http://seekingalpha.com/article/160144-precious-metals-breakout-fakeout-or-shakeout?source=feed#comment-665258 665258 If gold is in an inverse H&S, then the count is somewhere around 1200. Might drag silver past the old high of $50.75. Lots of room to grow even from here.
SLV is acting like a rabbit with its tail afire. If annual production is indeed 700 million oz +/-, it doesn't take many devalued dollars to push the market big time. Look what the hedge funds did to the much more massive oil market. A couple committed buyers (Soros, Ackman, Paulson etc) plus little guys could make silver the play of the 12 months.
As someone who has watched these markets on and off for 35 years (geez has it been that long?!!!) it sure looked like wings were flapping. It looked like serious panic buying across the board - gold, silver, AEM, ABX etc etc. In fact buying in the big miners indicates expectation of significantly higher prices for a fairly extended period of time and purchases by bigger institutional entities. The action on Friday was a tiny bit "reassuring" that collapse was not imminent that day as I am not as "ready" as I would like to be. As someone who was "right too early" i.e. wrong, it is interesting to note that 1 of the many investors I put in gold in the 80's are still there. (Thanks Sis). BTW, her new "investment advisor" has absolutely no use for PMs. The gold trade may be overcrowded but not with anybody I know.
I do think there is a fairly successful manipulation of the gold price as so many governments would be in a panic if their currencies were to plunge in terms of gold. The public does eventually catch on. And, the high prices encourage exploration and production by miners, some of whom have to hedge to lock in profits if they want to stay in business.
Having said all that I think the near term as well as the longer terms may continue to be up as this is the fourth shot at 100 on GLD, (sooner or later it is going to give) silver is acting like Bunkie Hunt is back in the biz, and "everything is looking better", "the worst is behind us" "we've turned the corner", "the FED has an exit strategy", "there will be no problem pulling liquidity from the system" etc.
Finally, our trading partners really may be diversifying out of dollars. As we have seen with copper, they can keep buying for extended periods of time.
Good luck to all.]]>
Mon, 07 Sep 2009 12:42:14 -0400 If gold is in an inverse H&S, then the count is somewhere around 1200. Might drag silver past the old high of $50.75. Lots of room to grow even from here.
SLV is acting like a rabbit with its tail afire. If annual production is indeed 700 million oz +/-, it doesn't take many devalued dollars to push the market big time. Look what the hedge funds did to the much more massive oil market. A couple committed buyers (Soros, Ackman, Paulson etc) plus little guys could make silver the play of the 12 months.
As someone who has watched these markets on and off for 35 years (geez has it been that long?!!!) it sure looked like wings were flapping. It looked like serious panic buying across the board - gold, silver, AEM, ABX etc etc. In fact buying in the big miners indicates expectation of significantly higher prices for a fairly extended period of time and purchases by bigger institutional entities. The action on Friday was a tiny bit "reassuring" that collapse was not imminent that day as I am not as "ready" as I would like to be. As someone who was "right too early" i.e. wrong, it is interesting to note that 1 of the many investors I put in gold in the 80's are still there. (Thanks Sis). BTW, her new "investment advisor" has absolutely no use for PMs. The gold trade may be overcrowded but not with anybody I know.
I do think there is a fairly successful manipulation of the gold price as so many governments would be in a panic if their currencies were to plunge in terms of gold. The public does eventually catch on. And, the high prices encourage exploration and production by miners, some of whom have to hedge to lock in profits if they want to stay in business.
Having said all that I think the near term as well as the longer terms may continue to be up as this is the fourth shot at 100 on GLD, (sooner or later it is going to give) silver is acting like Bunkie Hunt is back in the biz, and "everything is looking better", "the worst is behind us" "we've turned the corner", "the FED has an exit strategy", "there will be no problem pulling liquidity from the system" etc.
Finally, our trading partners really may be diversifying out of dollars. As we have seen with copper, they can keep buying for extended periods of time.
Good luck to all.]]>
Don't Ignore Bernanke's Bell http://seekingalpha.com/article/127120-don-t-ignore-bernanke-s-bell?source=feed#comment-443361 443361 Sat, 28 Mar 2009 10:24:25 -0400 Citigroup: The Death of Buy-and-Hold Investing? http://seekingalpha.com/article/123425-citigroup-the-death-of-buy-and-hold-investing?source=feed#comment-418037 418037 Sun, 08 Mar 2009 12:30:42 -0400 Is the Stage Being Set for a Multi-Month Rally? http://seekingalpha.com/article/123860-is-the-stage-being-set-for-a-multi-month-rally?source=feed#comment-418016 418016 How high can gold go? Who knows? How much money is going to be made up out of thin air? Pick a price.
BTW, at the local coin shop a few days ago and not a lot of action. In fact, old school guy like myself selling some walking Liberty halves at $14+ spot. I don't think even the smallest fraction of the public has any idea what might be coming in the future or what to do about it.
It seems to me the only way out is a big inflation, but I've sure been wrong before.
Good luck all.


On Mar 04 11:40 AM paultaut wrote:

> Kelm: I do not believe that it is just a matter of aversion to risk,
> I think a lot of the aversion lies in not knowing what and where
> the risks actually are.
>
> Everyday something new seems to surface, if its not some sort of
> Bailout then its another Crook(Madeoff, Blaggo, Daschell, Sanford)
> in politics and out.
>
> I mean, I have difficulties and I have been at it for over 3 decades.
>
>
> I hope and pray that Gold pans out. Otherwise investors will be totally
> disillusioned for decades. IMO]]>
Sun, 08 Mar 2009 12:12:21 -0400 How high can gold go? Who knows? How much money is going to be made up out of thin air? Pick a price.
BTW, at the local coin shop a few days ago and not a lot of action. In fact, old school guy like myself selling some walking Liberty halves at $14+ spot. I don't think even the smallest fraction of the public has any idea what might be coming in the future or what to do about it.
It seems to me the only way out is a big inflation, but I've sure been wrong before.
Good luck all.


On Mar 04 11:40 AM paultaut wrote:

> Kelm: I do not believe that it is just a matter of aversion to risk,
> I think a lot of the aversion lies in not knowing what and where
> the risks actually are.
>
> Everyday something new seems to surface, if its not some sort of
> Bailout then its another Crook(Madeoff, Blaggo, Daschell, Sanford)
> in politics and out.
>
> I mean, I have difficulties and I have been at it for over 3 decades.
>
>
> I hope and pray that Gold pans out. Otherwise investors will be totally
> disillusioned for decades. IMO]]>
Strange Action in Gold ETF Chart http://seekingalpha.com/article/122785-strange-action-in-gold-etf-chart?source=feed#comment-405542 405542 The double top is so clear and counts so far down that it is hard to trust. If it turns out to be a consolidation then watch out above - all those crazy numbers -$2000, $5000 per oz will make a lot of sense.]]> Fri, 27 Feb 2009 08:29:15 -0500 The double top is so clear and counts so far down that it is hard to trust. If it turns out to be a consolidation then watch out above - all those crazy numbers -$2000, $5000 per oz will make a lot of sense.]]> Priceline: Can William Shatner Be Wrong? http://seekingalpha.com/article/121733-priceline-can-william-shatner-be-wrong?source=feed#comment-399864 399864 Mon, 23 Feb 2009 10:13:11 -0500 Economy Watch: What if Stocks Were Priced in Gold? http://seekingalpha.com/article/117806-economy-watch-what-if-stocks-were-priced-in-gold?source=feed#comment-372943 372943 After the massive move up in the stock market during the 1990's gold sold (roughly) as low as .025. So gold dropped over 97% versus the Dow. The sword cuts both ways.
The concern about the liquidity of gold or any other investment is well taken. Wasn't the Russian stock market closed on and off for weeks at a time fairly recently? I would imagine selling stocks over there to eat would indeed have been a problem. Gold, silver, stocks, bonds etc are not money, they are investments and all have their risks including illiquidity. (Real estate anyone?) I have personally never had any problem liquidating physical gold or silver to get dollars but that doesn't mean it can't happen.
I believe the author makes a good case for thinking outside the box and considering how far "up" or "down" might actually be. If gold goes to $5000, most likely under highly inflationary conditions, which is only about 5.5 times the current price, is it not possible for the Dow Industrials under those same conditions, to drop to 2500? If so, owning some gold might be a great hedge against a mega black swan event and give the holder the opportunity to buy back into the stock market at a great price, much like the sellers of gold at $875 were able to do back in the early 80's. After all, 875 to 14100 surely beats $875 to $300.
It seems to me highly unlikely that gold or stocks or real estate or any other single investment will be profitable under all potential future investment scenarios. We all want to be 100% invested in the next big winner, but it will happen for only a very few. Better to invest across investment categories with the goal that the winners will more than offset the losers. After all, a portfolio that simply kept its dollar value since the end of 2006 or 2007 would have standout relative performance versus most strategies. ]]>
Mon, 02 Feb 2009 00:44:26 -0500 After the massive move up in the stock market during the 1990's gold sold (roughly) as low as .025. So gold dropped over 97% versus the Dow. The sword cuts both ways.
The concern about the liquidity of gold or any other investment is well taken. Wasn't the Russian stock market closed on and off for weeks at a time fairly recently? I would imagine selling stocks over there to eat would indeed have been a problem. Gold, silver, stocks, bonds etc are not money, they are investments and all have their risks including illiquidity. (Real estate anyone?) I have personally never had any problem liquidating physical gold or silver to get dollars but that doesn't mean it can't happen.
I believe the author makes a good case for thinking outside the box and considering how far "up" or "down" might actually be. If gold goes to $5000, most likely under highly inflationary conditions, which is only about 5.5 times the current price, is it not possible for the Dow Industrials under those same conditions, to drop to 2500? If so, owning some gold might be a great hedge against a mega black swan event and give the holder the opportunity to buy back into the stock market at a great price, much like the sellers of gold at $875 were able to do back in the early 80's. After all, 875 to 14100 surely beats $875 to $300.
It seems to me highly unlikely that gold or stocks or real estate or any other single investment will be profitable under all potential future investment scenarios. We all want to be 100% invested in the next big winner, but it will happen for only a very few. Better to invest across investment categories with the goal that the winners will more than offset the losers. After all, a portfolio that simply kept its dollar value since the end of 2006 or 2007 would have standout relative performance versus most strategies. ]]>
A Simple Post on Gold http://seekingalpha.com/article/117439-a-simple-post-on-gold?source=feed#comment-370947 370947 The upper price of gold is unknowable at this point - your calculation is as good as anyone's. The markets are sure acting like no impediment stands in the way of higher prices. Silver and oil may be the real sleepers as there is just not enough liquidity in the gold market should any significant amount of the cash on the sidelines decide to pile in.
The recent action of the Treasury market certainly gives one reason for pause. One thing we can guess - with TARP and coming children of TARP, the banks will certainly want to "help" the government meet its debt challenges. It looks like they will do it with newly created FED dollars. Yikes!]]>
Fri, 30 Jan 2009 09:36:21 -0500 The upper price of gold is unknowable at this point - your calculation is as good as anyone's. The markets are sure acting like no impediment stands in the way of higher prices. Silver and oil may be the real sleepers as there is just not enough liquidity in the gold market should any significant amount of the cash on the sidelines decide to pile in.
The recent action of the Treasury market certainly gives one reason for pause. One thing we can guess - with TARP and coming children of TARP, the banks will certainly want to "help" the government meet its debt challenges. It looks like they will do it with newly created FED dollars. Yikes!]]>
10 Banks 'Guaranteed' to Survive and Prosper http://seekingalpha.com/article/114263-10-banks-guaranteed-to-survive-and-prosper?source=feed#comment-354781 354781 Gotta agree with Lilliana - COF really stinks and HBC is right there with them.
Chartwise, I wonder if BAC (10.61) and C (5.91) are going to make it - they look like they are on life support. The amount of stock being unloaded is remarkable - some pretty big players are spooked.]]>
Tue, 13 Jan 2009 15:27:43 -0500 Gotta agree with Lilliana - COF really stinks and HBC is right there with them.
Chartwise, I wonder if BAC (10.61) and C (5.91) are going to make it - they look like they are on life support. The amount of stock being unloaded is remarkable - some pretty big players are spooked.]]>
Cramer's Lightning Round - The Ultimate Obama Play (1/8/09) http://seekingalpha.com/article/113974-cramer-s-lightning-round-the-ultimate-obama-play-1-8-09?source=feed#comment-352413 352413 Sun, 11 Jan 2009 12:03:46 -0500 Intuitive Surgical Becomes a Sorry Story Stock, Red Flag http://seekingalpha.com/article/114018-intuitive-surgical-becomes-a-sorry-story-stock-red-flag?source=feed#comment-351475 351475
One would think big boys and girls doing something as serious as investing their money would be ruthlessly honest with themselves and others so as not to repeat their mistakes. Calling people names really doesn't do much for our opinion of you either User 278265.]]>
Sat, 10 Jan 2009 02:02:48 -0500
One would think big boys and girls doing something as serious as investing their money would be ruthlessly honest with themselves and others so as not to repeat their mistakes. Calling people names really doesn't do much for our opinion of you either User 278265.]]>
U.S. Stock Market Returns: What's In Store? http://seekingalpha.com/article/108928-u-s-stock-market-returns-what-s-in-store?source=feed#comment-320239 320239 Wed, 03 Dec 2008 17:11:10 -0500 The Coming Dollar Deflation http://seekingalpha.com/article/108772-the-coming-dollar-deflation?source=feed#comment-318851 318851 The strength of gold vs these other commodities is remarkable.
Gold's trend depends on your time horizon. I would disagree that gold is in a long term (since 2002) bear trend. But that is what makes markets and horse races.]]>
Tue, 02 Dec 2008 10:33:48 -0500 The strength of gold vs these other commodities is remarkable.
Gold's trend depends on your time horizon. I would disagree that gold is in a long term (since 2002) bear trend. But that is what makes markets and horse races.]]>