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.
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