Swiss America’s
Gold News Daily
4.9.18 – New Bill To Relink The U.S. Dollar To Gold
Gold last traded at $1,340 an ounce. Silver at $16.52 an ounce.
NEWS SUMMARY: Precious metal prices rose Monday on bargain hunting and a weaker dollar. U.S. stocks rose on softening China trade war rhetoric and strong gains in tech stocks.
After 34 Years, We Again Have A Bill To Relink The Dollar To Gold –Forbes
“The value of the dollar was linked to gold – that is, the U.S. used a ‘gold standard’ – for most of the time between 1789 and 1971, a stretch of 182 years…From 1934 to 1971, the parity value was $35/oz. In other words, the dollar’s value was to remain stable at 1/35th of an ounce of gold….For much of the past five centuries throughout the Western world, this was ‘normal.’ The floating currency environment we have today, which academic economists like to suggest is some kind of natural economic phenomenon, is actually an aberration. The dollar’s value has declined to about one-thirtieth of what it was in 1970, compared to gold, with predictable consequences….In 1984, the remarkable Congressman Jack Kemp introduced the Gold Standard Act of 1984, which was cosponsored by seven others including Newt Gingrich and Connie Mack. It didn’t pass. In March of this year, 34 years later, Congressman Alexander Mooney (R-WV) introduced H.R. 5404, ‘a Bill to define the dollar as a fixed weight of gold.’….Eventually, someone like Alexander Mooney will introduce a bill like HR 5404, and it will pass. It will pass because it is the right thing at the right time; and also, because we have the confidence that we actually know how to do it.”
Sell The Bounce? –McCullough/Hedgeye
“Key Takeaways: Global Equities (including the SP 500) are signaling lower-highs and cross asset class volatility is breaking out to the upside, Headline US GDP Growth is setting up to surprise to the downside. The Big Picture: The reasoning as to why my answer to the question in the title of this note (Sell The Bounce?) is YES has multiple-factors across multiple-durations. For many Global Equity markets we’ve been selling the bounce for 3-6 months….Do network tools distract you? How about stock markets that whip back and forth with 14-40 volatility? Did it matter that volatility used to be TRENDING in a range of 9-12? Even if you didn’t know that wasn’t normal – now you know. Not knowing is actually the point about volatility. What do you really know about what is going to be the macro market ‘news’ for the next 3 months? For me, on growth and inflation, I can tell you, unapologetically, that those answers change every day….What are the Top 5 (non-tariff) Hedgeye Reasons why Global Equities (including the SP 500) are signaling lower-highs? 1) Headline US GDP Growth is setting up to surprise to the downside for the 1st quarter in the last 6, 2) #GlobalDivergences continue to manifest vs. a consensus of a ‘Globally Synchronized Recovery’, 3) #ChinaSlowing vs. its mid-2017 acceleration, 4) #EuropeSlowing vs. its late-2017 cycle peak, 5) Mr. Market is a leading indicator – cross asset class volatility is breaking out to the upside.”
A “Cashless” America Could Soon Be “Gunless” –Pontification Blog
“The United States is quickly turning ‘cashless,’ buying most things from automobiles to hamburgers via bank loans and credit cards. Americans carry more than a trillion dollars on what should be called ‘debt cards.’ Banks love cashlessness, in which more and more of what we need is not earned or saved, but borrowed for high interest. Government is even happier with the fast-arriving cashless society. Cash can be hidden, despite your bank being required to spy on you and report any odd financial activity. Government wants every transaction you make to be taxable, trackable, hackable, blockable, and used to empower Big Brother. Cashlessness in surprising ways gives vast power to government. Days ago, for example, liberal Democrat New York State Comptroller Thomas J. DiNapoli, who controls where the state invests its $209.1 Billion pension fund, sent out a letter. It went to institutions behind our credit cards – Visa, MasterCard, JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, American Express, Discover Financial Services, and others. DiNapoli’s message was about as subtle as a guy wearing a pinstripe suit, black shirt and white tie saying: ‘You gotta nice place here. Too bad if anything happened to it. But maybe I can provide you some protection.’….DiNapoli suggested that these companies look into implementing ways to block credit card purchases of firearms, ammunition, and gun accessories. The implied threat was clear: stop extending credit to gun and ammo buyers, or risk having New York State investment money taken away from your bank or credit company because the left wants to ban guns….The Federal Government has already tried such intimidation, as Craig R. Smith and I explained in our 2014 book Don’t Bank On It! The Unsafe World of 21st Century Banking….If a ‘cashless’ government becomes authoritarian, it can not only monitor and tax everything you buy, but also ban purchases – ranging from foods it deems unhealthful to guns it deems dangerous.” Full story
Americans Face Highest Pump Prices in Years –Wall Street Journal
“Americans are spending more at the pump than they have in years. Prices could rise even higher just as drivers hit the road for family vacations. ‘This summer, in terms of average gas prices, will likely be the highest since 2014,’ said Patrick DeHaan, petroleum analyst at GasBuddy, a fuel-tracking app. Crude prices have jumped thanks to continuing production cuts by major exporters. As a result, gasoline is also becoming more expensive. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, average regular retail gas prices reached $2.70 a gallon last week – the highest level since 2015. While higher fuel prices could herald an end to the glut that has plagued the energy market since 2014, they also threaten to dampen demand and hit consumers in their pocketbooks….’What we’re seeing now at the pump is reflective of OPEC’s decision in 2016 to cut back on oil production,’ said Mr. DeHaan….Higher gas prices also have the potential to dent U.S. demand, if consumers opt to drive less. ‘The rise of the use of the word ‘staycation’ is probably going to happen this summer. You may start to see some people that are turned off to higher prices,’ said Mr. DeHaan.”
RealMoneyBlog – Free daily/weekly email
THE FUTURE OF MONEY, Swiss America’s 36th Anniversary issue of REAL MONEY PERSPECTIVES discusses the biggest wildcards to prepare for in 2018, cryptocurrency mania and why gold and silver are the safest forms of wealth insurance.
Other features include: * a 2018 economic outook * Bitcoin’s future * When you should file for Social Security benefits * Eight axioms to understand the fake economy and more… Request a FREE copy HERE
Latest Feature Commentary
2018: Year of the Bubble?
By Craig R. Smith, Chairman, Swiss America – Today a growing number of highly respected business leaders, such as Bill Gates and BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, are recommending urgent preparation for a major drop in the U.S. stock indexes. In March, Bank of America analysts warned that 13 of 19 Bear Market indicators for stocks have now been triggered. More…
Sell The Bounce? –McCullough/Hedgeye
