Currencies

Year-to-date, the dollar index, a trade weighted index comparing the U.S. dollar to a basket of six major currencies (Euro @ 57.6% weight, Japanese yen 13.6%, Pound sterling 11.9%, Canadian dollar 9.1%, Swedish krona 4.2% and Swiss franc 3.6%) is up 2.95% as of April 29, 2013 - but the U.S. Dollar Index is not the U.S. Dollar. To ascertain what may happen to the U.S. dollar, let’s look at the greenback from a couple of different angles

By its obvious and concerted attack on gold and silver, the U.S. government could not give any clearer warning that trouble is approaching. The values of the dollar and of financial assets denominated in dollars are in doubt. For Americans, financial and economic Armageddon might be close at hand....

I read many hundreds of articles every week looking for writers who have an in-depth understanding of our economy and who are not reticent to tell it like it is. Monty Pelerin (a pseudonym) does just that week after week, year after year. This post includes introductory paragraphs and links to 25 of his most enlightening and current articles. Take a look. There are bound to be several that will grab your interest.

Busy? No problem. Don't bother taking the time to surf the internet in search of videos on the dire state of the U.S. economy. This post contains descriptions and links to 57 of the best.

We believe that we are in the “competitive devaluation” stage presently [see graph below] as country after country is printing money in order to lower rates and doing whatever possible to devalue their currency - to have the fastest currency in the...race to the bottom - in order to export their goods and services. [The next stage will be protectionism and tariffs. This article gives an update on the race to debase.]

The U.S. Dollar has lost over a third of its value inside a 10-year falling channel as it continues to create a series of lower highs while holding on to a small rising support line. The question now is whether the U.S. Dollar Index will gain enough strength to break out to the upside or continue to trend lower and lower over the ensuing weeks and months.

Most Americans simply don't understand that Russia and China have the power to collapse the U.S. economy by going to a gold for oil system. All they have to do is pull the trigger. Let me explain. Words: 1515

If Venezuela were any guide, we would have to say "Buy gold and silver, right here, right now!"...For those of you who hold Bernanke Bux, aka fiat paper, pay close attention. Those Venezuelan citizens who held paper Bolivars took a 46% hit on their purchasing power. Those citizens there who held gold and silver saw an equivalent 46% jump in their holdings. If you think it cannot happen here, you are wrong. It already has. Words: 295

Never before in American history have we seen such a pitiful, pathetic, and anemic response to challenges and trials. We are truly a society of wimps. Spiritual wimps, devoid of any courage and conviction when it comes to speaking the truth, and milquetoast coelenterates for failing to look past our own materialism to accept the common truth that what we have been doing is simply not sustainable. You and me both. Let’s dig into the undeniable conclusions, shall we? Words: 1331; Charts: 3

I expect the eventual endgame to this whole Keynesian monetary experiment that has been going on ever since World War II [will] finally terminate in a global currency crisis. [That being said,] I'm starting to wonder if we aren't seeing the first domino - the Japanese yen - start to topple...[It has] cut through not only the 2012 yearly cycle low, but also the 2011 yearly cycle low and never even blinked [and should it continue its steep decline] and break through the 2010 yearly cycle low [of 105.66] I think we have a serious currency crisis on our hands. Needless to say, if the world sees a major currency collapse... it's going to spark a panic for protection - to gold and silver. Wouldn't it be fitting that at a time when they are completely loathed by the market they are about to become most cherished? [This article analyzes the situation supported by 3 charts to make for a very interesting read.] Words: 620; Charts: 3