Max Keiser - Empire Of Debt

In this episode of the Keiser Report, Max Keiser and Stacy Herbert discuss the past which is the future for the empire of debt that is America where financial engineering is to its rule as road engineering was to the Roman one. As financial engineering fails, however, from QE to share buybacks, the imperial power erodes. In the second half, Max interviews Dmitry Orlov of ClubOrlov.blogspot.com about where he and Colonel Wilkerson agree about the signs of collapse of the silliest empire.

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Negative Rates For Next 10 Years - Buy Gold

Money manager Axel Merk doesn’t like the U.S. dollar or stocks. Merk explains, “The dollar is supposed to rise when the world is in crisis, but what happened over the last year and a half or so is whenever there was good news, the dollar was rallying, and every time we had a sell-off, the dollar was plunging. The dollar rally has pretty much evaporated, and people aren’t aware of it yet. The dollar isn’t as healthy as it used to be. The story line was rates were going to go through the roof because everything is fantastic in the U.S. The dollar, just like the stock market, is way over extended. . . . The environment is very supportive for the price of gold right now.

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Coming Currency Crisis Will Be Worse Than 2008 Financial Crisis

Peter Schiff, Euro Pacific Capital CEO, discusses his thoughts on a rate hike and analyzes the Fed's next move.

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Jim Rickards Says Recession Will Force Fed To Ease In 2016

Jim Rickards tells Lelde Smits on Modern Wall Street there is no way the US Federal Reserve will hike rates. Instead, Rickards believes the next move will be easing in March 2016 and predicts the impact on markets, metals and currencies.

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Bill Murphy - It Will Be The Biggest Financial Scandal In U.S. History

Bigger Financial Meltdown Starts Before End Of Year - Doug Casey

Macro financial expert Doug Casey contends, “I think the Depression has already started, and I call it the Greater Depression because it’s going to dwarf what happened between 1929 and 1946. It’s already started. We are just in the eye of the storm, but we are leaving that now. What should the average person do right now? You’ve got to liquidate right now, while it’s still possible. You should get rid of things that you don’t need . . . have a yard sale and get rid of stuff you don’t need and generate cash for it. That’s number one. The average guy should buy gold. Don’t keep your savings in a bank. Store it in gold coins . . . or silver coins . . . Silver is volatile but has a much bigger upside than gold.”

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The Fed Has Already HYPERINFLATED The Dollar

Jeff Nielson is back to discuss Friday's absurd jobs report and the hardcore reality about the US debt ceiling, the Dollar and hyperinflation: "Increasing the money supply is inflation. A hyperbolic increase in the money supply is BY DEFINITION "hyperinflation". The Federal Reserve has already hyperinflated the US Dollar, It's a past tense. Nothing can prevent it, it's already been done." 

- Jeff Nielson

Fed Made Everything Worse And Rate Hike Will Prove It

The Fed can't raise rates to any meaningful level and Gold will have it's rally....

Ron Paul - Our Economy Will Continue to Deteriorate

"Unless the people demand an end to the warfare state, the welfare state, and fiat money, our economy will continue to deteriorate until we are faced with a major crisis."

- Former Congressman Ron Paul, from his weekly column dated September 13, 2015

EXPOSED: THE COMEX IS A PONZI SCHEME

Rob Kirby from Kirby Analytics joins me to discuss the latest from the CRIMEX, which at this point in still known more widely as the COMEX, where available registered, deliverable PHYSICAL gold has fallen to an all-time low of 202,000 ounces! There is now 228 ounce of PAPER claims for every ounce of deliverable, registered gold.

"The Comex has been a Ponzi scheme for a great many years and what they've been playing is a shell game," says Rob Kirby. "The gold market has been rife with criminality and fraud for a great many years now. We used to think that the gold that's available is hiding under a shell and they move it around, and the day might be coming in the very near future where we turn all of the shells over and find out there's nothing."

GOT PHYSICAL??

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Global Economy Is Imploding: "Take Possession Of Your Physical Gold"

Financial analyst Michael Pento warns, “The market is extremely overvalued. If revenue and earnings growth is negative, if global growth is falling, if U.S. growth is falling, if margin debt is at a record high and cash is at a record low, and the only thing we had going for the markets is trillions of dollars in QE and 0% interest rates, and now we are going to lose that. Why would anybody think the stock market is going to hold up very well? I think the stock market crashes, and I think it is going to be the same thing that happened in 2007. As the stock market goes, so goes housing and so goes the economy. It happens over and over again throughout history. It will never be more so true than today.”

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Dwight D. Eisenhower, Freedom

"Only our individual faith in freedom can keep us free."

- Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th President of the United States

Global Economy Imploding Now

Multi-faceted analyst Warren Pollock says the 2016 election cycle is not the main thing to focus on. Pollock says, “This thing is a bread and circus clown show. They are there to provide you with entertainment as the velocity of money goes down, as the BRICS hit a brick wall, and as the first part of World War III breaks out in the Middle East between Sunni and Shia.”

On China, Pollock contends, “China will eventually overtake South Korea one way or the other using soft power or hard power. South Korea is the key to all the ship building of the world and the world’s naval capacity. . . . China is a land power, and the way for China to become a sea power is through Korea and southern Japan. . . . With China, it is a question of whether or not they can stay stable internally. That will be the trigger for war. As these economies unravel, the most dangerous economy to unravel is China.”

On gold and silver, Pollock says, “Initially, gold and silver will lose its liquidity; however, it will retain its value over time. You will be able to find liquidity over time. . . . Right now, you have your money in a bank, and that is giving you negative returns. Gold is not providing you with a negative return. It’s retaining its purchasing power relative to everything else. I would think gold right now is mispriced. Gold is an amazing value right now given the uncertainty. . . . This is not about the price of gold. This is about the price of liberty and who can dictate the terms and your value as a human being in a world where the value of human beings are declining.”

Join Greg Hunter as he goes One-on-One with Wall Street and financial expert Warren Pollock.

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Bill Bonner: Empire Of Debt

Bill Bonner, founder of Agora Financial, joins the show to discuss the hysteria preceding Janet Yellen's announcement last week that the Fed would not raise interest rates. We also consider various ugly endgames for the US dollar, and whether federal debt will all come crashing down with a bang or a whimper.

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The Silver Manifesto

The Silver Manifesto was written by David Morgan and Chris Marchese. The Silver Manifesto covers the biggest concern of all investors.. the Debt Bomb!

And after the most vicious debate in the history of our country, Republicans and Democrats finally agreed on what to do about the debt disaster of our nation: Absolutely Nothing.

We’ve NEVER seen anything like the dire situation we now face. This is a book everyone will want to own, it's one of the best ways to understand the history of silver as real money - and an ideal way of handing down this knowledge and important history for future generations.

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The Next Great Bear Market Has Begun

Robert McHugh shares from his wave analysis why he believes the top is in and the great Bear market has started that is worse than the "Great Depression."

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GATA's Bill Murphy - Violent And Breathtaking Moves Coming In Gold And Silver

One of my sources says the Silver is the most explosive they’ve ever seen it in terms of what is coming down the pike. To get it in size is extremely difficult and they expect it to disappear sometime this fall where you just can’t get it – and they’re adamant about it. 

Bill Murphy, GATA

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Why Now Is A Great Time To Buy Gold

By Henry To, Contributor

After Being Bearish On Gold Prices During 2013 And 2014, I became mildly bullish on the precious metal in February of this year. With gold at $1,200 an ounce, I Wrote An Article Discussing Three Reasons why I believed gold prices would bottom in 2015, and thus why I believe gold was an attractive long-term investment.

With gold’s recent decline to below $1,100 an ounce, I believe today is one of the best times to own gold. My three reasons for buying gold that I discussed in February have remained valid. I now want to reiterate and refresh my three reasons for owning gold at today’s prices.

1. Global gold mining production to decline over the next several years

According to the just-released, World Gold Council’s Q2 2015 Gold Demand Trends Report, global mine supply during the 2nd quarter of this year totaled 781.6 tonnes, declining by 4% on a year-over-year basis. Not surprisingly, gold mining executives have continued to shift their focus away from exploration & development, to costs reduction and balance sheet deleveraging. A Recent PricewaterhouseCoopers Survey of global gold mining executives shows that 60% of them expect gold prices to continue to decrease (gold miners who are bearish on the precious metal tend not to invest in new exploration & development projects); moreover, 87% of the global mining executives surveyed expects costs to fall further or stay the same relative to that of 2014.

According to the World Gold Council’s Q2 2015 Gold Demand Trends Report, global gold exploration & development activity fell to a new, record low last quarter, declining by over 60% since the late 2011 peak (when gold prices peaked at over $1,900 an ounce). Because of this decline in gold mining capital expenditures over the last several years, I expect annual global mining production to decline by 7%-10% over the next several years, which in turn will support gold prices.

2. Global monetary policy outlook is still highly uncertain, despite a stronger U.S. dollar

The 1970s bull market in gold (when the price of gold rose from $35 to $850 an ounce in just a decade) was driven by the 1971 severing of the U.S. dollar link with gold, along with a rise in inflation fueled by Vietnam War spending, increased social welfare spending, lackluster U.S. productivity growth, and a highly accommodative Federal Reserve. While the year-over-year increase in U.S. inflation (as measured by the Consumer Price Index) Remains Tame At 0.1%, this is primarily due to the recent decline in energy prices. Leading Indicators Of U.S. Inflation–such as the tightening job market, increased bank/credit lending, and higher minimum wages–are all pointing to higher inflation in 2016.

I also believe that The Inclusion Of The Chinese Currency, The Yuan, Into The IMF’s Special Drawing Rights Basket over the next several years is a foregone conclusion. Over the next 5-10 years, I expect global foreign currency reserve managers to begin buying the yuan as of part of global central bank reserves–over time, I expect the Chinese yuan to make up as much as 10% of all global central bank reserves, replacing the Japanese Yen as the world’s third most popular reserve currency. While the U.S. dollar is strong today, I believe a diversification of the world’s central bank reserves into the yuan (even just a 10% allocation) will in all likelihood result in a weakening of the U.S. dollar, which will in turn increase the attractiveness of gold as an investment or diversification tool for U.S. investors.

3. Chinese and Indian gold demand will rebound

According to the World Gold Council’s Q2 2015 Gold Demand Trends Report, global jewelry demand experienced a year-over-year decline of 81 tonnes (14%) during the 2nd quarter, mainly due to weak demand in India. The decline in Indian jewelry remand is temporary, as it was due to poor weather that had an adverse impact on crops and the incomes of the Indian rural population–an important source of gold jewelry demand. Moreover, Indian wedding-related demand for gold also declined last quarter, as there are no auspicious days for marriage on the Hindu calendar between June 11 and November 1 of this year.

I see the second-quarter decline in Indian gold demand as temporary. With gold prices now solidly below $1,200 an ounce, I expect Indian gold demand to pick up substantially over the next several quarters.

Over the last decade, gold demand from China and India have risen by over 60%; collectively, the two countries now account for around 50% of global gold demand, up from just 33% a decade ago. By far the most important drivers of gold demand in China and India are income levels and urbanization, as both Chinese and Indian consumers have a strong affinity for gold jewelry. With the recent devaluation in the Chinese yuan, I also expect Chinese investment demand for gold to pick up over the next several years as Chinese citizens strive to protect themselves from a more volatile currency.


I thus believe gold is now a solid, long-term investment.

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GSR Interviews JOHN WILLIAMS Of Shadowstats

Why Your Brokerage Account Isn’t as Safe as You Think It Is

By E.B. Tucker

Imagine logging into your brokerage account tomorrow and finding out that it’s frozen.

Not just your account… every customer account at your brokerage is frozen.

You can’t buy stocks. You can’t sell stocks. You can’t move money out of the account.

Your account rep insists the money is still there. It’s just not available now. He doesn’t know when it will be.

When you demand to transfer $25,000 cash out of the account, he says, “I’m sorry… the system won’t let me.”

You ask to speak to his boss. She can’t help, either.

This situation sounds absurd to most Americans. There’s no way a major broker could freeze your accounts, right?

Wrong. It happened in 2011 to 38,000 people...

And this wasn’t some no-name broker. It was a highly respected, 228-year-old firm. And Jon Corzine ran it. At one point or another, Corzine was a US senator, the governor of New Jersey, and the CEO of Goldman Sachs. Then he became the CEO of MF Global.

MF Global handled stock and bond trading for some of Wall Street’s wealthiest clients.

It was also one of only 18 “primary dealers” at the time. Primary dealers are a select group of brokers allowed to participate in the US Treasury auction. Citigroup, Morgan Stanley, and Goldman Sachs are also primary dealers.

Like all US brokers, MF Global was required to keep customer cash and stock separate from its own corporate accounts. This rule is supposed to keep brokers from playing with customers’ money. But the rule only works if brokers follow it.

In October 2011, account holders at MF Global started having problems withdrawing cash and transferring stocks. Turns out that their money wasn’t there. MF Global had made a series of bad bets in European bonds and illegally transferred $891 million in customer funds to cover its trading losses.

Their cash was gone…

Customers had to hire and pay for their own attorneys. For a while, it looked like they’d never get their money back. But in December 2014, MF Global finally agreed to return $1.212 billion to its former clients. It also paid a $100 million fine.

You might be wondering how this sort of thing could happen...

First off, you are not the legal or registered owner of the stocks in your brokerage account. You’re just the “beneficial owner.”

Sure, you put the cash in your account. You logged in and “bought” Apple, GE, Verizon, and other stocks issued by sound companies. You did your homework because you worked hard for your money. Those investments are a key part of your retirement plans. You don’t make risky moves.

And you work with a reputable broker. But your broker or a clearinghouse called Cede & Co. is likely the registered owner of “your” stocks.

Here’s how it works…

There are three basic ways to hold stocks: street name registration, direct registration, or physical certificate. Street name is the default. Unless you make special arrangements, this is how stocks are registered.

Cede & Co., a subsidiary of The Depository Trust Company (DTC), is likely the registered owner of your stocks. You are not the registered owner. When you buy a stock, DTC holds those shares for your broker. Your broker, in turn, holds those shares for you.

That means Apple, GE, Verizon, and the other companies whose stocks you hold have no record of you.

If your broker mishandles your account, you can sue to get your money back. But, as MF Global customers discovered, it’s not easy. And there’s no guarantee you’ll win...

If your broker makes a bad bet on Greece and uses your cash to settle the bill, you’re out of luck. Sure, it’s illegal… but laws didn’t stop MF Global. Customers had to take action, hire lawyers, and sue to get their cash back.

Stable markets hide problems. In 2008, we saw how big problems can go unnoticed for years. A crisis reveals who’s stable and who’s just pretending to be. Some brokers and financial institutions are heavily leveraged. They’re especially vulnerable in a crisis. Some will not survive the next one.

The MF Global fiasco is one of the most important financial stories of the past decade. It showed that the financial system isn’t as safe as you think it is. Even big, brand-name banks and brokerages with years of success can instantly go broke.

The next financial crisis will bring many more shams like MF Global’s to light.
You can protect yourself by keeping plenty of cash and gold in a safe place… but not in a safety deposit box.

And make sure to diversify across financial institutions. You don’t want to get stuck in a situation like MF Global customers did… waiting years for your money because some executive gambled away the company.

P.S. Because this risk and others have made our financial system a house of cards, we’ve published a groundbreaking step-by-step manual on how to survive - and even prosper - during the next financial crisis. In this book, New York Times best-selling author Doug Casey and his team describe the three ESSENTIAL steps every American should take right now to protect themselves and their family.

These steps are easy and straightforward to implement. You can do all of these from home, with very little effort. Normally, this book retails for $99. But I believe this book is so important, especially right now, that I’ve arranged a way for US residents to get a free copy. Click here to secure your copy.

The article Why Your Brokerage Account Isn’t as Safe as You Think It Is was originally published at caseyresearch.com.

There’s a Good Chance Your Bank Is Committing a Major Crime Right Now

By Dan Steinhart

On April 10, 2006, Mexican authorities searched through a DC-9 jet at the airport in Ciudad del Carmen. They found more than five tons of cocaine… valued at more than $100 million.

If you’re like many Americans, you’re not surprised by a story like this. Not a year goes by without a few big media stories about Mexican drug cartels.

However, you probably will be very surprised to learn who aided and abetted the drug operation: it was US banking giant Wachovia.

After an investigation that took years, Wells Fargo, which now owns Wachovia, paid a $160 million fine to settle the case. “Wachovia’s blatant disregard for our banking laws gave international cocaine cartels a virtual carte blanche to finance their operations,” said federal prosecutor Jeffrey Sloman.

You might also be surprised to hear that Wachovia’s fine wasn’t an isolated case.

Citibank was caught laundering money for a Mexican drug kingpin in 2001.

American Express Bank admitted to laundering $55 million in drug money in 2007.

And the FBI accused Bank of America of helping a Mexican drug cartel hide money in 2012.

You’ve probably never heard these stories before. The big banks pay a lot of money to keep it that way.

Every year, America’s biggest banks spend hundreds of millions of dollars to create a simple, wholesome image: They’re here to help out families and small businesses. They’re the conservative stewards of our capital, and they always play by the rules.

The big banks employ some of the world’s best marketers. They buy politicians with large campaign contributions. They’re also huge advertisers, which lets them wield enormous influence with the mainstream media.

But if you look past the brochures that feature all-American families, golden retrievers, and small business owners, you’ll get a much different idea of what banks are all about.

You’ll see that our nation’s biggest banks are among the most flagrant lawbreakers in the world. They’re routinely fined hundreds of millions - even billions - of dollars for screwing customers and rigging financial markets.

For example…

In 2011, Bank of America paid a $335 million fine for discriminating against black and Hispanic borrowers.

In 2013, J.P. Morgan paid $410 million for manipulating the electricity market. Later that year, it paid $13 billion to settle claims that it knowingly sold toxic loans.

In 2014, Bank of America paid a $6.3 billion fine for selling faulty mortgages.

And in 2015, five big banks paid $5.8 billion for rigging the currency markets.

This is just a short list of banks breaking the law and getting fined. Boston Consulting Group reports that banks have paid more than $178 billion in legal claims since the financial crisis.

These are the nation’s largest banks. Millions of Americans rely on them. We trust them to be conservative with our cash and keep it safe. We trust that our credit cards will work when we buy groceries.

Above all, we trust them to keep the financial system working… a trust they broke in 2008 when the biggest banks failed and needed bailouts.

These banks have no problem breaking the law if it benefits them. They’re caught screwing over customers all the time. And they’re caught helping criminals all the time. Paying the fines is just a small cost of doing business.

And it’s well worth it… the banks make far more money from their illegal activities than they pay in fines.

With the nation’s largest banks operating this way, do you trust our financial system to hold up during the next crisis?

P.S. Because this risk and others have made our financial system a house of cards, we’ve published a groundbreaking step-by-step manual on how to survive - and even prosper - during the next financial crisis. In this book, New York Times best-selling author Doug Casey and his team describe the three ESSENTIAL steps every American should take right now to protect themselves and their family.

These steps are easy and straightforward to implement. You can do all of these from home, with very little effort. Normally, this book retails for $99. But I believe this book is so important, especially right now, that I’ve arranged a way for US residents to get a free copy. Click here to secure your copy.

The article There’s a Good Chance Your Bank Is Committing a Major Crime Right Now was originally published at caseyresearch.com.

Doug Casey on the Real FIFA Scandal

By Doug Casey

Recently, high-ranking officials at FIFA, the world’s governing soccer (aka “football”) body, were charged with corruption and fraud. The US’s Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is deeply involved in the case. Doug Casey weighs in on the real scandal… the one you’re not reading in mass media.

The truth be known, I really don’t give a damn about soccer. Nor do most Americans.

Indeed, until recently, all that most Americans knew about “football” was that Brandi Chastain ripped off her jersey, to display a great physique, after she scored the winning goal for the US in the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup playoff against China.

However, “football”, as it’s known to the 6.7 billion non-Americans on the planet, is revered by the rest of the world as a secular religion.

But now football, and FIFA, the sport’s governing body, is in the news because of an alleged corruption scandal. Let’s not discuss the details of who was bribing whom, and where all the money went, for two reasons.

First, that’s all over the Internet, and you don’t need me to repeat it here.

Second, and much more important, it’s really none of our business. Despite the fact that the FBI has taken it upon itself to prosecute at least 14 FIFA officials for corruption.

Why is it none of our business? Because FIFA is a Swiss association that’s been around over 100 years. All of its officers and directors are non-US persons. And about 99% of its players, officials, and spectators are non-American.

But that doesn’t matter. The FBI has decided to prosecute FIFA’s officials for corruption, and is successfully moving to have them all extradited to the US for trial.

Were FIFA officials treating themselves to huge salaries and expense accounts, and paying and receiving millions to decide where the World Cup should be played? Of course. Is that corrupt? We have to first define “corruption.” I devote a lot of thought to the subject here, and suspect you’ll find it of interest. But, essentially, corruption is about a betrayal of a fiduciary trust. In simple terms, it’s sticking your hand in a till that you’re supposed to guard for the interest of someone else.

Based on that, are FIFA officials corrupt? Their behavior is certainly unsavory and unseemly. Nobody likes people who take advantage of their positions to line their pockets. But they are actually less morally culpable than the directors and officers of many US public corporations who pay themselves scores of millions of shareholder dollars, often while running the companies into the ground.

And less morally culpable than politicians who dispense favors and contracts with public funds. Corporate directors and politicians have fiduciary responsibilities. FIFA, however, doesn’t have shareholders. FIFA is really only responsible to the 200-something countries that vote to elect its officials; it’s essentially a political body.

Its “stakeholders” (a morally loaded and highly problematical term that’s gained currency in recent years) are the fans who watch football. They’re happy as long as someone, anyone really, makes sure the games are played.

In other words, FIFA and the people who run it are at liberty to do as they wish with funds and favors. It may seem sleazy, that they allocate venues for the World Cup according to who pays the most (even under the table). But since the association doesn’t have a fiduciary responsibility, it’s not corrupt.

If corruption charges are warranted, it’s against the presidents of the countries that are members of FIFA. Any self-respecting president today leaves office as at least a billionaire. If anything, FIFA is a more of a co-conspirator, or even a victim, rather than a perpetrator. If even Mother Teresa was in charge of FIFA, I would expect her to do the same as the indicted officials, actually. She’d just spend the proceeds on bandages instead of parties.

The real problem is that the whole system is politicized, much like the Olympic Games. FIFA, and the Olympic Committee too, have turned sports into showcases for nationalism. Corruption is a necessary and inseparable part of politics.

The solution to the problem is to start a new sanctioning group, organized with new teams, players, and officials. Let them organize their own World Cup games wherever they wish, on whatever terms they wish. The fans can support whomever. It’s actually a non-problem. Maybe the new organization will change the rules so that they more closely resemble those of Rollerball. Maybe they’ll cultivate attendance by semi-pro football hooligans among the fan base. Who cares?

But wait. That’s where the US government, the world’s arbiter of morality, comes in.

What’s really scandalous about the FIFA affair isn’t the alleged corruption, but the US government’s reaction to it. Nobody, anywhere, seems to be asking how the US can not only unilaterally bring charges, but then extradite foreign citizens to stand trial in the US. And for things that aren’t even real crimes. Without a peep from anyone.

It’s part of an accelerating pattern that Pastor Martin Niemöller might have recognized in a different context. You’re likely familiar with his poem about the passive reaction to the Nazis and their aggressions:

First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out --
because I was not a socialist. Then, they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out -- because I was not a trade unionist. Then, they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out -- because I was not a Jew. Then, they came for me -- and there was no one left to speak for me.

How might that poem read today?

First they sent a SWAT team to New Zealand to capture Kim Dotcom, a German national, for something that’s legal in both New Zealand and Germany, and I did not speak out -- because I was not in the computer business. Then, they conducted drone strikes and assassinations and renditions around the world, and I did not speak out -- because I was not a swarthy foreigner. Then, they invaded countries, from Granada and Panama, to Afghanistan and Iraq, and I did not speak out -- because I believed we were always on the side of truth and justice. Then, they prosecuted the FIFA guys, and I did not speak out -- because I couldn’t care less about rich guys making money from soccer. Etc. Etc.

Specific charges (brought under the RICO Act, an abusive monstrosity) are wire fraud, racketeering, and money laundering. Passive and thoughtless Americans accept these charges as if they were part of the cosmic landscape. But none of them are common law crimes.

“Wire fraud” is simply the use of electronic media to assist in the commission of an alleged crime. But why does that constitute an extra crime?

“Racketeering” is generally just a pattern of extortion. But you can’t have extortion without a threat of violence. How was FIFA threatening violence?

“Money laundering” is a very recently manufactured crime, generally the disguising of the source of funds. Why is that even a crime?

All of these charges exist only to make the prosecutor’s life easier. The fact that these things are being alleged is the real crime.

You might ask why is the US government involved at all in international soccer. FBI Director James Comey gave an Orwellian answer shortly after the indictments. Get a load of this:

If you touch our shores with your corrupt enterprise, whether that is through meetings or through using our world-class financial system, you will be held accountable for that corruption.

In other words, the Department of Justice’s indictment alleges that since a part of the alleged corruption may have been planned in the US -- even if it was then carried out elsewhere -- they are in charge. And the use of US banks to transfer US dollars gives them additional jurisdiction.

It’s a sign of how degraded the world’s moral climate has become that nobody even comments on the absurdity of all this, much less is outraged.

That the US government can get away with all this is analogous to the Haitian government arresting an American baseball player for violating one of their laws because the game is played with balls manufactured in Haiti. It’s likely the charges were brought because Russia was awarded the venue for 2018, and Washington wants to punish its designated enemy.

Well, fear not. This is all just, in relative terms, a tempest in a toilet bowl. Much more serious things are brewing. Not just ISIS in what used to be Iraq and Syria. Or China in the Spratly Islands. Or the separatist provinces in the eastern Ukraine.

The next sideshow is the developing financial disaster in Europe, which you’ll hear more about in future issues of The Casey Report.

P.S. Because the bloated US government has helped make our financial system a house of cards, we've published a groundbreaking step-by-step manual on how to survive - and even prosper - during the next financial crisis. In this book, New York Times best-selling author Doug Casey and his team describe the three ESSENTIAL steps every American should take right now to protect themselves and their family.

These steps are easy and straightforward to implement. You can do all of these from home, with very little effort. Normally, this book retails for $99. But I believe this book is so important, especially right now, that I've arranged a way for US residents to get a free copy. Click here to secure your copy.

The Next Gold Bull Market Starts Before October

By Jeff Clark

I’m going out on a limb: I think the next bull phase in the gold market gets underway before October.
Why? China.

But not due to runaway demand…
At an International Monetary Fund (IMF) forum last month, China’s central bank governor, Zhou Xiaochuan, made it clear he believes the renminbi is “ready for reserve status.” It would be a huge step for the Chinese currency, starting with the fact that it would be added to the basket of currencies IMF member countries can include in their official reserves. Billions would be invested in it.

What was the IMF’s reaction? “We welcome and share this objective,” said IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde. “We are now working closely with the Chinese authorities in this regard,” added Director of Communications Gerry Rice.

They didn’t say they would accept it, but then again, they surely wouldn’t advertise it in advance.

What’s the connection to gold? If Chinese officials seek “reserve” status for the currency, they’ll want to announce their updated gold holdings beforehand.
Why? Two reasons:

• Currency strength. Demonstrating they hold ample gold reserves—certainly more than the official number of 1,054 tonnes—puts the currency on more solid footing. The IMF holds the world’s third-largest gold reserve, so this issue matters.

• Transparency. A gold reserve announcement would help quell worries about the country’s lack of data transparency, something that’s been an ongoing concern.

Regardless of China’s motivation to announce its gold reserves, the IMF might require it anyway, as it’s been over six years since the last update.

The review process for admitting a new currency is held only every five years. I seriously doubt Chinese officials want to wait until 2020. Meetings will be held soon, with the results announced in October.

What’s Behind (Chinese) Door Number Three?

A recent Bloomberg estimate put China’s gold reserves at 3,510 tonnes, more than triple the old amount. If accurate, it would place China second only to the US, which says it has 8,133.5 tonnes. Other analysts speculate China holds around 2,100 tonnes.

I think the actual number is higher than either estimate. My guess is at least 4,000 tonnes (Jim Rickards thinks it’s 4,500 tonnes). If I’m right, and if Chinese officials do announce a new reserve figure before October, it could light a fire under the gold price.

A large increase is key, because even mainstream investors know that China has been buying a lot of gold. To really jolt the market, the new number must be a surprise—which is exactly what I expect.
Why? Many analysts overlook that Hong Kong imports are no longer a reliable way to measure China gold demand. China agreed over a year ago to import gold through numerous channels, such as banks, refiners, and even jewelry dealers. For this reason alone, I think China’s gold holdings are higher than what they think.

Of course, I could be wrong about a pending announcement. Buying Chinese government bonds still comes with a lot of restrictions, for example, which could keep the renminbi from being accepted by the IMF and eliminate the pressing need for China to declare its gold reserves. Or maybe the US—with the highest share of votes in the IMF—tries to block it from happening.

But most of the rest of the world is already on board, as evidenced by the whopping 57 countries that signed on to become founding members of China’s Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. Furthermore, nearly two-thirds of the world’s central banks currently invest in the renminbi. And over 10,000 financial institutions already transact in it.

On top of this, China recently agreed to adopt IMF standards for reporting balance of payment data. And they just launched their own facility to fix the yuan’s value to gold. You wouldn’t take these kinds of steps if you didn’t want your currency included in the IMF basket.
So, I think it’s likely China will announce an updated figure on its gold reserves, and that it will be higher than the mainstream expects. If it makes headline news, it could ignite the gold price and give instant birth to a new bull market.

If I’m right, we obviously want to be positioned before it happens.
And if I’m wrong? It doesn’t really matter, because all the core reasons for owning gold remain intact and poised to turn into catalysts.

Harry Dent Has Accepted My Bet!

This is just one reason I bet Harry Dent about where the gold price is headed. He recently proclaimed that gold will fall to $700 in less than two years—and I say hogwash. I bet him a gold Eagle that it won’t, and he accepted, so our bet is live.

We battle it out in a new special report, a 17-page debate where each of us argues our case. You can read our in-depth report free of charge—just enter your email address here, and we’ll send it to you right away.

Which is more likely, inflation or deflation? Is gold destined to fall if deflation wins? Why has gold held strong in spite of a soaring dollar, and how will it perform if we face another crisis? Is a currency crisis really ahead? And how will production costs impact the price?
Read the eight “proof points” each of us offers, along with the details of our wager and the date the winner will be announced. We both think the report will help each individual investor make up his or her own mind.

It’s the battle of the year, with two ounces of gold on the line. I invite you to follow along in our “boxing match” and see who takes home the gold. Enter your email address and see who wins!

History Shows A Gold Bull Market Is Fast Approaching

By Jeff Clark

Yearning for sunnier skies for your gold investments? How’s this sound…

• Gold in a decisive bull market, with the price steadily rising

• Silver soaring and outpacing gold’s gains

• Gold stocks rocking, erasing underwater positions and racking up the profits

That’s not pie in the sky wishful thinking—it accurately describes the next stage of the gold market, something that will soon visit your portfolio.

With the price of gold currently stuck in place, like a stain on the front of your best shirt, and the stocks only teasing us like Lucy holding the football for Charlie Brown, how can I be so sure?

Because that’s exactly what happened after every other bear market. For example…

• 1976. Bear market ends, and gold begins a 701% run in less than four years.

• 1985. Bear cycle ends, bull cycle begins. Gold gains 71.8% over the next three years.

• 2001. Monster gold bull cycle delivers a 630% advance over the following 10 years.

As I pointed out last month, markets cycle. The current range-bound price for precious metals won’t last forever, for the simple reason that they never have, especially in the resource market.

If you set your sights on the big picture, you’ll see that in spite of today’s negative emotions, gold’s future prospects will render them a distant memory.

Consider some of the likely changes on the horizon and how they will transform the gold market from flat and listless to exciting and profitable…

• Stock market reversal. The performance of the broader equity markets is probably the biggest reason gold hasn’t attracted the mainstream. But stock markets cycle, too, and a correction is due, perhaps overdue—the S&P is up six straight years and nine consecutive quarters. Margin debt is higher now than it was preceding the 2008 crisis, and corporate profits saw the biggest drop in four years last quarter. Gold will be the benefactor in the reversal, especially since it’s already corrected.

• Recession. The probability of a future recession is 100%. The only question is when and how big. GDP last quarter was barely positive. Any unexpected surprises to the downside for the economy will be especially positive for gold.

• Currency war backfire. This “race to the bottom” being pursued by global central bankers won’t work long term. At best, countries steal growth from their trading partners. At worst, it can disintegrate into inflation, recession, retaliation, and even war. Currency wars have happened before—twice in the last century alone—and they’ve always ended badly. One guess what asset performs well in a crisis.

• Higher interest rates. We’re skeptical that the Fed will actually raise rates, but eventually the market will force rates higher regardless of the Fed. This, in turn, will hurt the real estate market. Meanwhile, those analysts that blindly assume rising rates are negative for gold forget that real rates (nominal interest rate minus inflation) are positive for gold—an almost certain outcome because of…

• Inflation. The emergence of inflation feels far off, but already there are signs it’s picking up. Wages have started to move higher, what is normally the starting point for inflation. Ground beef prices are now at record highs and have more than doubled since 2010—increases like this can’t go unaccounted for indefinitely. Remember, we don’t have to wait for high inflation for gold to move; it’s the onset of inflation, or an unexpected jump in inflation, that will spur gold.

• US dollar reversal. If you’ve grown tired of the dollar’s “strength,” don’t leave the theatre early. Its rise is certainly not sustainable long term, and in time will be forgotten. Nothing stays standard deviations above the norm forever. And eventually the dollar will collapse, because the trajectory of our debt isn’t mathematically sustainable.

• Bond market turmoil. As my colleague Dan Steinhart pointed out in The Casey Report, there are currently $3.6 trillion in negative-yield government bonds outstanding today, mostly in Europe and Japan, giving investors zero chance of making money or even breaking even. The sad outcome here is that inflation will massacre the average bond holder.

My point is that any reasonable big picture view of the political, financial, and economic trends show that virtually all of those changes will be very positive for gold—and aren’t that far off.

It will be a new day for the gold market, one full of rising prices and profitable investment statements.

But despite all this evidence, there are those in our industry still calling for gold to fall.

Among the loudest is my colleague Harry Dent.

He says gold will drop to $700/oz.

Of course, I think he is dead wrong.

And I bet Harry bullion from my private stores that gold will never drop to that level.

He took the bet. And to help you decide who will win (hint: it's me), Harry and I each put all the research we’ve assembled to form our predictions into a special 18-page report titled Gold: Dead or Alive?

For anyone who owns an ounce of gold or single share of mining stock, this is a must-read. And it’s completely free. Click here to get your copy.

The Message from Last Week’s Headlines: Don’t Dare Sell Your Gold!

By Jeff Clark

Have you noticed the trend in mainstream headlines over the past week?

The gold price may be stagnant, but forces behind the scenes signal that something big is gelling.

What conclusion would you draw from this rundown of recent headlines?

China Creates Gold Investment Fund for Central Banks. China announced a new international gold fund. Over 60 member countries have already invested. The fund expects to raise 100 billion yuan ($16 billion). It will develop gold mining projects in the new Silk Road economic region.

China Could Send Gold Up At Least $200. Saxo Bank’s Steen Jakobsen says China’s multibillion-dollar Silk Road Initiative will prompt Beijing to pull money out of Europe and the United States for infrastructure investments elsewhere. This could send commodities higher and push Europe into recession. As a result, his 2015 price for gold is $1,425 to $1,450, more than $200 higher than its current level.

Red Kite Launches New Base and Precious Metals Fund. The fund has already deployed almost $1 billion in equity, loans, and royalty streams into at least 17 junior mining firms. It hired a physical metals trader to handle all the supply. The fund will likely fund underserved juniors that have struggled to get funding.

Texas Senate Passes Bill to Establish Bullion Depository for Gold and Silver Transactions. A bill to make gold and silver legal tender in Texas passed in the state senate by an overwhelming 29–2 vote. The bill essentially creates a way to transact in precious metals. It will allow citizens to deposit precious metals in the state depository and then use the electronic system to make payments to any other business or person who also holds an account.

Gold Smuggling in India at All-Time High. Customs agencies seized over 3,500 kilograms of gold (112,527 ounces) in 2014–15, the largest stash ever confiscated in Indian history. The report says gold smuggling has grown by 900% in just two years. It also estimates that seizures could be less than 10% of actual smuggling.

Russia Boosts Gold Holdings as a Defense Against “Political Risks.” Dmitry Tulin, monetary policy manager at the Russian central bank, said it is increasing its gold holdings because “it is a 100% guarantee from legal and political risks.” Part of the motivation is certainly that their overseas assets could be frozen if sanctions over the Ukraine crisis tighten.

Austria Repatriates 110 Tonnes of Gold from UK. Austria is repatriating 110 tonnes (3.53 million ounces) of gold from the Bank of England. It eventually wants to have 50% of its holdings stored at home. The country has reportedly been transferring its official gold reserves from unallocated to allocated accounts in recent years, and also reduced its leased gold by 60%.

D.E. Shaw Buys $231 million of GLD. D.E. Shaw & Company bought $231.07 million worth of SPDR Gold Trust last quarter. This is a new position for the company.

Canadian Fund Makes $700 Million Bet on GLD. Canadian asset manager CI Investments purchased a whopping 6,117,900 shares of GLD last quarter, worth $703.6 million. GLD is now the single largest holding of the fund—bigger even than its position in Apple.

More Funds Increase Their Shares in GLD… A Swiss investment bank increased its position in GLD by 490%, to over 4 million shares. Lazard Asset Management doubled its holding to over two million shares. Morgan Stanley increased its holding by 8.3%, and Blackrock Group added 167% more to its position.

Traders Buy Gold and Silver at Fastest Pace in Over a Decade. Large speculators haven’t bought silver this aggressively since September 1997. Net speculative longs in gold also added over 45,000 contracts, the most since July 2005.

HSBC Warns Titanic Global Economy May “Collapse.” The chief economist of the world’s third-largest bank, HSBC’s Stephen King, has compared the global economy to the Titanic. “We may not know what will cause the next downswing, but at this stage we can categorically state that in the event we hit an iceberg, there aren’t enough lifeboats to go round. The world economy is like an ocean liner without lifeboats.”

Global debt has soared by 40% since the Great Recession. It’s now $200 trillion, almost three times the size of the global economy. “It would be a truly titanic struggle for policymakers to right the economy,” King said. He doesn’t specifically mention gold, but…

IMF Says China’s Currency Is “No Longer Undervalued.” The International Monetary Fund declared that China’s currency is “no longer undervalued.” The statement is a major vote of confidence for Beijing and the renminbi. Recall that China wants its currency to be included in the IMF Reserve basket.

I predicted China would update its gold holdings to increase the likelihood of getting that acceptance. And that they could surprise the market by announcing a higher amount than the mainstream expects.

It’s one reason I bet Harry Dent that gold won’t fall to his predicted $700 level. I’m so confident I put up my own gold. He did, too.

Check out our 17-page report, where we each argue our case. You can read it free of charge—just enter your email address here, and you can access it immediately.

The report includes eight “proof points,” along with the details of our wager and the date the winner will be announced.

Which headline will you read in early 2017—Jeff Clark Wins Two Ounces of Gold, or Harry Dent Bests Gold Bull Jeff Clark? I invite you to read our debate and decide for yourself. Enter your email address, and see who wins!

Most Dangerous Time Since The History Of Economics

Financial expert Michael Pento on gold and silver update, Greek debt crisis and also thinks the biggest danger in the world is overconfidence in central banks. Pento explains, “The biggest bubble out there is an increase in faith that central bankers can save the world. This is why Chinese shares can drop 7 ½% overnight and the Dow can be up 90 points. What do I hear on radio and TV is who cares if Greece leaves the Eurozone because didn’t Mario Draghi say he would do ‘whatever it takes’? Who cares it Chinese shares collapse, because the Peoples Bank of China will just print money. Who cares if inflation in the United States becomes intractable? Didn’t they say Fed Head Janet Yellen and company would just buy all the sovereign debt there is to keep interest rates low? Who cares? 

The free market always wins, and it will always trump government. That’s why I am so petrified about investing right now. I think we are in the most dangerous time frame we have ever been since the history of economics. I think what is going to replace this misguided spurious faith in central bankers is going to be a renewed interest in hard money-precious metals. We are going to throw out the central bankers, and we are going to universally think it is absolute madness to think we can put our faith in a small unelected, unaccountable group of people. 

We are going to put our faith back into gold and silver as money. That’s what I am looking forward to. It will be great news to Americ and the economy in the long run.”

- Source

Bank Holidays and Capital Controls Are Coming

"The term bank holiday is a politician's euphemism. When one happens, you won't be celebrating... you'll be very worried." "Bank holidays and capital controls are all about maximizing the amount of money available for the government to confiscate." "Calling the experience a holiday...is like calling a mugging a surprise party."

- Nick Giambruno of Doug Casey's International Man

Inflation Is Coming Back 'Now'

Elites Goal of Cashless Society Has Started War on Cash

Jason Burack of Wall St for Main St had on returning guest Gordon T Long http://www.gordontlong.com/ to talk about the emerging global cashless society and the war on cash and savings the economic and political elites have started.

Jason and Gordon also discuss financial repression, asset bubbles, if financial repression can last 10 years or more going forward, China's QE and financial repression goals and whether global central banks are fighting a currency war or their actions are all coordinated in this 50+ minute discussion.

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Rob Kirby - Debt Problem Destroying Society

Jason Burack of Wall St for Main St had on returning guest, derivatives expert, precious metals expert, former Canadian broker, investment banker and trader, Rob Kirby of Kirby Analytics http://www.kirbyanalytics.com/

During this 40+ minute interview, Jason asks Rob about what's going on in the gold market. Rob says all the physical gold is moving from West to East (China, India, Russia, Middle East, Asia, etc) while the paper price of gold doesn't reflect the supply/demand fundamentals.

Rob thinks in the near future Western central banks will run out of gold to sell to Asia. Jason and Rob discuss what happens to the gold and silver markets if a lot of gold and silver miners go bust and what that would do to supply.

Next, Jason asks Rob about why the OTC derivatives market hasn't collapsed yet. Rob points to stealth money printing in many forms including currency swaps, by covert groups like the Exchange Stabilization Fund (ESF), Bank of International Settlements, etc to keep asset prices in stocks, bonds and real estate propped up and to make banks appear solvent with fake accounting.

Rob says many trillions in backdoor bailouts has been printed to prevent the ~$800 trillion or so in interest rate swap contracts in the OTC derivatives market from collapsing everything.

Jason and Rob discuss end game for the current global financial system and what the next system may look like.

Finally, to wrap up the interview, Jason asks Rob if debt and debt based fiat currencies can destroy society and destroy the fabric of society with moral decay.

Rob and Jason think a debt based system creates serfs.

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Martin Armstrong - Gold Set To Rise To $5000

Renowned financial analyst Martin Armstrong says you can forget about the U.S. dollar crashing in value. Armstrong contends, “No, that’s absurd. The euro is in terrible shape. The yen is in terrible shape, and honestly, you can’t park money in yuan or Russian rubles, yet. I mean, let’s be realistic here, but eventually--yes.”

Armstrong says the bond market is a different story as the Fed is going to be forced to raise rates. He contends just a few percentage points in rising rates are going to cause big losses and big changes. Armstrong predicts, “People will be losing huge money. We are looking at a few percentage points, and you are going to blow the national debts of all these countries way out of whack, and that’s what’s going to force political change.”

- Source