This week 45 years ago, August 15th 1971 to be exact, President Nixon suddenly declared the end of the Gold Standard. He ushered in the modern monetary system based on fiat paper and digital currency that works so poorly for us today and led to the global financial crisis.
The dramatic announcement by ‘Tricky Dicky’ is a must watch and you can see it here:
“Your dollar will be worth just as much tomorrow as it is today… ”
This was one of the most important events in modern financial, economic and monetary history and is a seminal moment in the creation of the global debt crisis which has confronted the U.S., Europe and the world in recent years and continues to this day.
Nixon ushered in an era of floating fiat currencies not backed by gold or silver but rather deriving value through government “fiat,” diktat or order of the government.
While Nixon justified the “technical” and “temporary” move as necessary to combat malign “international money speculators” who were “waging an all out war on the American dollar.” The real reason for the move was that the U.S. , then as today, was living way beyond its means with the Vietnam war and rapidly escalating military spending leading to large budget deficits and inflation.
Imperial overstretch had begun…
Governments internationally including the French and their President Charles de Gaulle were concerned about the debasement of the dollar and began to exchange their dollar reserves for gold bullion bars.
Nixon tried to reassure the American public about the “bugaboo of devaluation” and the value of their currency by declaring incorrectly and comically to us today:
“Your dollar will be worth just as much tomorrow as it is today… “
Subsequent to Nixon’s decision 45 years ago, the U.S. dollar fell very sharply. Gold surged in the coming 9 years and rose from $35/oz to $850/oz by January 1980. Since 1971, gold has fallen from 1/35th of an ounce of gold to 1/1350th of an ounce of gold today.
This is not the fault of “speculators”, rather it is the fault of irresponsible governments and central bankers debasing the U.S. dollar since 1913 and indeed since 1971. With the notable exception of Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker.
Today, U.S. dollars and all paper and digital money is declared by governments to be legal tender, despite the fact that neither paper nor digital currency has any intrinsic value and is not backed by gold reserves.
Historically, currencies were based on precious metals such as gold or silver, but fiat money is based on faith and on the performance of politicians, bankers and central bankers.
Because today’s fiat money is not linked to physical reserves of gold and silver, it is becoming worth less with each passing month and risks becoming worthless should hyperinflation take hold as has been seen in many nations in recent years including Zimbabwe and as being seen in Venezuela today. Indeed, Nigeria appears to be in the early stages of an inflationary spiral.
If people lose faith in a nation’s paper currency, they exchange it rapidly for real things and hard assets. Their ‘money’ no longer holds value. People who own real assets are protected. Those who are dependent solely on income and wages see their income and their standard of living fall. We appear to be in the end phase of this cycle:
Source: VisualizingEconomics.com via ZeroHedge.com
Throughout history most fiat currencies have not survived more than a few decades and have succumbed to hyperinflation.
The fiat currency or paper and digital based international monetary system has survived 45 years but is in terminal decline with many astute commentators now questioning whether it will survive the coming global financial crisis.
Gold’s role as a store of value and important monetary asset is being increasingly appreciated. Although some less informed commentators still view gold as a “barbaric relic,” the biggest market participants are again using gold as an alternative monetary asset today.
These include the largest central banks in the world, the largest banks in the world, the largest insurance companies in the world, the largest hedge funds in the world, the largest pension funds in the world and indeed the wealthiest investors in the world.
Currency debasement has without fail ended in disaster throughout history and in recent years. As faith is lost in the debased currency, inflation surges and the economy collapses.
We have been warning of the real risk of an international monetary crisis and a currency reset which sees all fiat currencies devalued against gold. While hyperinflation remains a worst case scenario, stagflation and a virulent bout of inflation looks almost certain in the coming months in debt laden economies globally.
Gold and silver will protect against currency devaluations as is being seen in the UK since Brexit.
Gold and Silver Bullion – News and Commentary
Gold treads water on U.S. Fed rate views; awaits July minutes (Reuters)
Gold Holds Advance Even as Fed Officials Flag Possible Rate Rise (Reuters)
Gold’s Popularity Dims In Short Term as ETFs Shrink by Most This Year (Bloomberg)
Gold cuts gains after mixed U.S. economic data (Reuters)
Banks to keep piles of cash in high security vaults (FT)
Billionaire Crispin Odey “Is Betting Everything On Gold” (Zerohedge)
Odey Still Bearish, Explains Massive Long Gold Bull Position (ValueWalk.com)
DB discloses $2 billion mining share portfolio (Smaulgd)
Labour opposition wants to increase the national debt by £270 billion (Telegraph)
Gold: Fresh Upside Breakout Is Imminent (Goldseek)
Gold Prices (LBMA AM)
17Aug: USD 1,342.75, GBP 1,031.23 & EUR 1,191.96 per ounce
16Aug: USD 1,349.10, GBP 1,039.89 & EUR 1,197.33 per ounce
15Aug: USD 1,339.20, GBP 1,037.21 & EUR 1,198.85 per ounce
12Aug: USD 1,336.70, GBP 1,032.60 & EUR 1,199.02 per ounce
11Aug: USD 1,344.55, GBP 1,037.05 & EUR 1,206.06 per ounce
10Aug: USD 1,351.85, GBP 1,035.11 & EUR 1,209.23 per ounce
09Aug: USD 1,332.90, GBP 1,025.80 & EUR 1,201.74 per ounce
Silver Prices (LBMA)
17Aug: USD 19.57, GBP 15.04 & EUR 17.37 per ounce
16Aug: USD 20.04, GBP 15.43 & EUR 17.77 per ounce
15Aug: USD 19.90, GBP 15.40 & EUR 17.81 per ounce
12Aug: USD 19.87, GBP 15.33 & EUR 17.81 per ounce
11Aug: USD 20.21, GBP 15.56 & EUR 18.13 per ounce
10Aug: USD 20.34, GBP 15.55 & EUR 18.19 per ounce
09Aug: USD 19.70, GBP 15.18 & EUR 17.77 per ounce
Recent Market Updates
– Gold In UK Pounds Collapses 38% Versus Gold and 56% Versus Silver Year To Date
– Will Ireland Be First Country In World To See Bail-in Regime?
– Money “Madness” Negative Interest Rates Sees Gold Buying Surge
– Gold Investment Demand Reaches Record In First Half 2016 On “Perfect Storm”
– Peak Gold – Did Gold Production Peak in 2015?
– Financial Times: “Victory For Gold Bulls Is Only Just Beginning”
– Irish Banks Most Vulnerable In Stress Tests – Banking Contagion In EU Cometh
– Gold In Sterling 2.2% Higher After Bank Of England Cuts To 0.25% and Expands QE
– Silver Kangaroo Coins – Sales Surge To Over 10 Million
– Trump, Clinton, “Ugliest” Election Coming – Gold’s “Summer Doldrums” Prior To Resumption of Bull Market
– Marc Faber: Invest 25% Of Investment Portfolios In Gold Bullion
– “Could Not Invent A More Bullish Story For Gold Bullion”
– Gold In Bull Market – “Every Reason For It To Continue” – Frisby In Money
via http://ift.tt/2bAsb6N GoldCore