OT: Current situation.
posted on
Dec 07, 2007 08:27AM
While the financial crisis is in the forefront of peoples minds it is not the whole problem, but just that it is currently getting the attention not unlike an approching ice berg.
The problem in my mind is still the debt, the associated payments and thus depreciating dollar. With the dollar depreciating there is a quiet but firm movement to safety ( as in guaranteed bonds and gold ) but even bonds will not save if they are in those depreciating dollars. Hence sooner or later the populace has to realize that the only safety is in real assets. Real estate was considered a real asset until the prices started to dive so the only one left is Real Money ( gold and rest of PMs).
Asia has known that all along and is buying at bargain prices. Europeans know it too but many of their governments are distracted by the financial contagion and are reluctantly towing the US line.
Canada too, being tied by the umbilical cord ( Free Trade) to the States has to maintain its export market hence has to keep the Loonie at a reasonable price relative to the Green Back. Again it also helps the US dollar.
This can not last. It serves only as a delaying tactic and may exacerbate the problem due to this delay. They all will have to come back to the only avenue left, the precious metals. Gold and silver are in limited supply so the alternatives are PM stocks.
Once the holders of those stocks stop selling to cover their losses in other areas the stock prices will appreciate as a whole.