Sunday, May 16, 2010

Q&A: Why is Gold Increasing?

I received the following question today, and I thought that the question and my reply would be a good topic for a posting:


"Randall, I know you won't agree, but to me it looks like gold is the next bubble. It's value has increased 6 times faster than the SP500 (sic) over the last 5 years." - Jonathan 
(Note: $1,236.50 - Gold Price 5/14/10)

Jonathan, the price of gold is an inverse indicator of the strength of the currency that you will use to purchase it. Gold has skyrocketed of late, because countries are printing fiat currency, as if no day of balancing will ever come.

Let me put it to you this way: If you have an eight-slice pizza that is worth $8, and a case of Pepsi is worth $8, you could conceivably trade one for the other, right? It's an even exchange.

Now, let's say you cut that pizza into 16 slices, but you still claim that the pizza is worth $1 per slice, rather than $8 in total. Nobody in their right mind is going to let you eat half that pizza and give you the case of Pepsi in exchange for the other half, right?

Well, this is exactly how the USD and Gold interact. The government prints more bills, and tells you that they are still worth the same amount. The person selling Gold is on to the game, and makes you pay more dollars to buy the gold.

As long as countries continue to print fiat (counterfeit) money, with no value increase to justify the expansion in the supply of currency, gold and other raw commodities will continue to increase in value.

With all of the additional debt that the US is accumulating through increased spending (e.g. Bailouts, Health Care, Fraud), the only way it will ever be repaid is through the continual printing of new money to pay old debts.

This will cause a dramatic up-tick in inflation, as the costs of all goods will sky-rocket in order to adjust for the diminished value of the dollar. Interest rates will also increase as a result.

Gold is not an item subject to bubble. It has a fixed value. If Gold decreases in value, that is only because the USD has become stronger. Gold is an inflation hedge. It helps you to maintain the purchasing power you had on the day you purchased it.

If Gold increases in value, you still have the same purchasing power as when you started. If Gold decreases in value, you still have the same purchasing power as when you started.

By purchasing Gold, you are stating that you expect the value of the USD to decrease. By not purchasing, or selling, Gold, you are stating that you expect the value of the USD to increase.

Does it make more sense to you now? The hard part for most Americans is coming to the realization that the current administration is hell-bent on destroying our country from within.

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Dear Readers:

You may have noticed a lack of frequency in my postings over the past year or so. I have been quite busy, and I have not made this blog a priority.

Hopefully, I will soon be able to start posting on a regular, even weekly, basis soon. In the meantime, I am working with a number of high-liquidity, high-return investment projects overseas.

If you have an interest in investing in projects with very high returns (5% monthly to 300% annually), please post a response to this blog. All responses are moderated, and your personal information will not be publicized.