MODERN DAY HOARDING

We all know the term hoarding, its been around for years. Usually people hoard food ahead of a cold winter or cash when they think a big economic crash is coming. The only problem with that is who's cash would you hoard away? Iceland contemplates taking on the loonie. Europe is not sure if the Euro was such a great idea and the Chinese play with the global value of their dollar in an attempt to yield higher profits from international trade.

No current currency looks like a safe place to park right now ahead of a global economic storm. The US debt clock was all over the news and their debt solution in the end never really became clear. The ceiling was raised and that's probably the solution they will go with since their tax structure may be the heart of the needed change. I was watching a girl in the US interviewed about taxes and she wanted know why her wealthy boss paid less taxes than her. Some glitterati have even formed a lobby group to push for the wealthy to start paying more taxes. This means giving up some of their tax credits that are afforded to the wealthy.

I suppose I could rant all day about why the American dollar is not the stable icon it used to be. The fact remains that people will continue to hoard in order to weather the storm. The global economic storm may have its roots in North America this year. China is growing at an alarming rate and they are already stockpiling metals and rare earth elements. There demand for natural resources is fuelling an economic boom but where will it end?

I think the hoarding trend will turn to gold. Many analysts have predicted $5000 an ounce and even $10,000 an ounce for gold in the short term. This may not happen but most agree we have yet to see a real rise in the price of gold by comparison to historic prices. Individuals and even countries have quietly started to hoard gold away. There are rumors that the looming shortage has been kept quiet in order to stave off higher demand and increased hoarding. This will all come to head soon though and when it does some analysts believe every gold related company will see unprecedented gains. The disconnect from rising gold prices and the rise in share price of gold producers and exploration companies will disappear.

This may be the time to start that due diligence on your favorite gold picks. Find out who has what it takes to survive. Who has district play potential? Look for companies with cash in the bank and a good share structure. Some gold companies have recently had massive insider buying. This should indicate to you how much they know they will be worth in the future. I think once $1800 is broken again then the gaps in gold prices will be record setting. While taking a drive yesterday I couldn't help but notice a person on the side of the road holding a large sign. The sign read "we are buying gold today". It was in front of a hotel where a company had set up shop for the week to buy up gold. This is now common in shopping malls, on the Internet and in classified ads. The signs are there but the masses are slow to react. Its like hearing a Tsunami siren go off. The first thought in some people's minds is "how big could the wave really be"? So they stand on the beach to wait and see before they react. Well you might want to head for high ground and watch the show rather then get caught in the wave.

Executive Order 6102 required all persons to deliver on or before May 1, 1933, all but a small amount of gold coin, gold bullion, and gold certificates owned by them to the Federal Reserve, in exchange for $20.67 (equivalent to $371.10 today) per troy ounce. Under the Trading with the enemy act of October 6, 1917, as amended on March 9, 1933, violation of the order was punishable by fine up to $10,000 ($167,700 if adjusted for inflation as of 2010) or up to ten years in prison, or both. Most citizens who owned large amounts of gold had it transferred to countries such as Switzerland.
Order 6102 specifically exempted "customary use in industry, profession or art"—a provision that covered artists, jewellers, dentists, and sign makers among others. The order further permitted any person to own up to $100 in gold coins (a face value equivalent to 5 troy ounces (160 g) of Gold valued at about $7800 as of 2011). The same paragraph also exempted "gold coins having recognized special value to collectors of rare and unusual coins." This protected gold coin collections from legal seizure and likely melting.
The price of gold from the Treasury for international transactions was thereafter raised to $35 an ounce ($587 in 2010 dollars). The resulting profit that the government realized funded the Exchange Stabilization Fund established by the Gold Reserve Act in 1934.
The regulations prescribed within Executive Order 6102 were modified by Executive Order 6111 of April 20, 1933, both of which were ultimately revoked and superseded by Executive Orders 6260 and 6261 of August 28 and 29, 1933, respectively.