Gold is Shining

By Michael Fung


Now is the time to invest in a true physical asset for the future. Gold rose above $1,700 an ounce in early September soon after the Federal Reserve Bank announced its intention to begin a new round of Quantitative Easing. It is another way of saying they will print a lot more dollars. Hovering around $1,750 an ounce, gold continues to be a single investment for the world's greatest bargain hunters. As time passes, it is becoming apparent that stocks, bonds, and property in America and in many European countries are propped up on borrowed funds and borrowed time.

Remember, world economies have been off the gold standard now for over 40 years, ever since Nixon unpegged the US dollar from gold as a means of stimulating a sagging economy at that time. Had we adhered to the Gold Standard, the medium of exchange backed by gold, the politicians and bankers would have been forced to be accountable for their fiscal policies and actions.

Money today is not based on anything tangible or of intrinsic value. It has only a perceived value at whatever level currency traders and speculators think it is. Politicians and central bankers since Nixon have been free to print fiat money (a piece of paper with numbers on it) at will without control or restraint to keep their game going. These currencies have since been played off each other as in a game of monopoly. One clue of impending doom is the fact that every fool with greed in his heart can now trade currencies online.

As the practice of printing money intensify, countries with manageable debt and natural resources will see their currencies decline slower in relation for the US dollar, but all currencies ultimately will decline in relation to gold.

It will be the minority of savvy and erudite investors who pause to take notice that the emperor has no clothes. It will be the astute who shed themselves of the attractive burdens they have accumulated and put at least some of what is still marketable into gold. It will be the shrewd and brave who have the resources in the form of universally accepted coin, gold, to live reasonably well during the shakeout and to pick up the bargains for literally pennies on the dollar when the storm finally passes.

The fact is, most people no matter how well meaning or educated, fail to learn from the lessons of history. They go through life with blinders on content with petty self-interest. Nero fiddles while Rome burns. These are among the reasons why gold is going to go up more, no doubt, a whole lot more. Owning gold bullion or gold coins is decidedly a happy thought.




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