Jim Sinclair’s Commentary March 31, 2009

Reliance on the US dollar is in an intact downtrend that is unlikely to change. The dollar is dead as a reserve currency. Dollars held will be kept and diversified away from in creative ways such as China buying THE MINING WORLD.
China and Argentina in currency swap
By Jude Webber in Santiago
Published: March 31 2009 01:25 | Last updated: March 31 2009 01:25

China, which is pushing to end the dominance of the dollar as a worldwide reserve, has agreed a Rmb70bn ($10.24bn, £7.18bn, €7.76bn) currency swap with Argentina that will allow it to receive renminbi instead of dollars for its exports to the Latin American country.

Xinhua, the official Chinese news agency, said the deal was signed on Sunday by Zhou Xiaochuan, governor of the People’s Bank of China, and Martín Redrado, Argentine central bank president, in Medellín, Colombia, where they are attending a meeting of the Inter-American Development Bank.

An Argentine official confirmed a deal had been discussed and said the fine print was being worked out and negotiations were “very advanced”.

Beijing has signed Rmb650bn ($95bn, €72bn, £67bn) of deals since December with Malaysia, South Korea, Hong Kong, Belarus, Indonesia and, now, Argentina in an attempt to unblock trade financing that has been severely curtailed by the crisis.