Now the reason, I suspect, besides the failure of the business side of America's markets, is the funding of the wars in Afganastan and Iraq, etc. This has drained the treasury in a very deep way. "As in WWII the only meaninful resources to fund a war is gold. Hoarding gold prior to a global war is essential. Japan ran out of gold as did Germany and partly the reason they could not sustain their aggression for lack of manufacturing armaments mainly." ( Fateful Choices- Ten decisions That Changed the World 1940-1941: Kershaw-2007)