Thursday, January 24, 2008

Inflation: is there or isn't there

I think everyone by now knows what I think. Sure there's inflation. Anybody who actually has to live in the real world can tell you there is inflation. All commodities are rising. Most importantly IMO gold is rising. There is no shortage of gold. All the gold ever mined is still around. So we can't blame rising gold prices on a shortage of gold. Inflation is simply too much money. When governments try to get something for nothing by printing paper currency it eventually flows into hard assets. Populations will eventually figure out that their money is decreasing in value either consciously or unconsciously and they will fore go saving because they realize prices will be higher if they wait. Now the government will quote some crazy statistics about how computers are cheaper because they are faster or rent is cheaper so housing hasn't gone up or how hamburger is no longer as expensive as prime rib used to be as evidence that there is no inflation. Does anyone really believe this stuff?

With the big rate cut a couple of days ago and more apparently on the way it appears the Fed has put the Kibosh on the dollars attempt to climb out of the cellar. There's a blizzard coming. A blizzard of money. Got Gold?