#13 - "Just say NO to 60 footers" ....... ( kawabunga ) .
away.


Ruble on gold standard? RJ already answered, and I agree
with him - not enough gold and also no need to back ruble
with gold in the system of Russian economic structure.
Russia will not be a pioneer in gold backed currency,
particularly now...In regard to gold reserves - it's
indeed a top secret not known to the West. They say they
got 400 or 500 tonnes, I would say they probably got more
than that - it's an old Russian trick to look really poor, so
stupid West would deliver some dollars to suffering country...

I remember period of time ( beginning of 90's ) when there
was a problem with foodstuff everywhere in Russia...guess
what, nearly everybody had refrigirator stuffed with food...
Call it Russian paradox or vodka/pickle law or whatever...
Russian reserves and financial stuff are arranged in the
same manner...for external and internal consumption they
got different packaging.

By the way, ruble is not worthless yet, it is just weak.
But it certainly will go down, as promised. 30-35 rubles
for 1 dollar at the end of the year...

Thanks for lesson and advice.

I am much better at asking questions than answering them. I do appreciate your response.

You gotta start some where, ( the russians in rebuilding their country ) .

again with apologies beforehand,.......

Why not with gold as the base of their currency? Maybe the backing cound be a percentage as in the euro?

My handle means goldwater. Yes?

FACT-FREE NEWS!

SEMEN STAIN FOUND ON KEN STARR'S PERSONAL COPY OF HIS REPORT TO CONGRESS!

CLINTON SWITCHES PARTIES -- BECOMES A REPUBLICAN! IMPEACHMENT TALK STOPS!


EXCLUSIVE! AMERICAN SPECTATOR LINKS BILL AND HILLARY TO SWISSAIR DISASTER!

MSNBC TO START DAILY NEWSPAPER. WILL FEATURE THE SAME STORY ON EVERY PAGE EVERY DAY FOR MONTHS!

#14 - always.....I mean ALWAYS...have enough pickles in the Fridge...
away....to open a jar


WhoCares?: I have read about that rumor too. As I recall, WJC's nasal septum has been permanently altered by prior use. If WJC cocaine activity can be proven in the White House, then KS does not need to go after WJC on Whitewater at all! Perhaps someone in the Secret Service can be enticed to commment.

This does bother me a bit -- because it is almost too sensational. Kenneth Starr is a very conservative person, and probably feels the same way I do. Perhaps as you ( or someone else? ) said, KS hoped that the Monicagate stuff would bring WJC down, so that the meatier ( criminal ) stuff would not be used. WJC is lawyerly enough to gamble that Monicagate might not be enough to bring him down, but I don't think he expected the degree of damage in the court of public opinion, and the negative effect that his videotaped testimony will have on his support. He should never have videotaped his testimony, if there was any chance he would lose his cool.

It is one thing for his supporters to suspect the president of promiscuous affairs, and look the other way, but it is quite another thing to support him when your nose is rubbed in his dirt.

Either way you look at it, KS knows he is winning the war after this current skirmish.

Thanks mate.
Most of my friends think the same of me.
But they do not read and think.

---
Here's some stats from England.
--
Some 60% of councils are not confident of making embedded systems millennium compliant in time, says a comprehensive survey of local government preparedness. A total of 202 councils were polled by the Society of Council IT Managers in the soon-to-be-released IT Trends Survey.
---
Are these dudes being honest because they are not worried about their profits?

As opposed to the Fortune500 companies who claim they will be okay, because they are worried about their profits.

When the reality is that they will be far from okay.

That last article on major transportation companies.
50% didn't answer - too scared to?

Of the 50% that answered 64% of them are still in the assessment stage.

So of 32 companies - 6 are past assessment stage.

And assessment is considered approx 7% of the total remediation.

That means that 26 of the US's major transportaion companies are burnt toast.
Which means that approx 80% of the US's major transportaion companies are burnt toast.

This does not prove that the remaining 20% are not going to be burnt toast.
Just that they are a little in front of the others.

Now we have all heard that the US is far in front of the reast of the world in fixing the bug.

So where does that leave the rest of the world.

----------------------
Suks doesn't it, and we're all standing in the middle of it.
Watching, waiting and doing something for us and our families?

Or still disbelievers.

Don't just buy gold.
Buy some security.
And food.
And get out of town.
Soon.

http://www.smudgereport.com/

Brothers Oris & RJ: Russia Gold & PGM's remain State secrets, because the General Directors of the mines have not, do not and will not report accurate details to the Federal Gov. past, or present. Some thing about 2 books. Very interesting systems, Yes/No. Cheers Brother JR.

Time for Russia to close its markets to outside, self-sufficent country

Time for Japan to call in its credits... sell back US bonds for yen, inflate inflate

Brother Junior, those damn General Directors...tell me
about it...I got one as a friend, we do business...nice
guy, by the way. We had a nice trip together to Toronto,
I think he and his wife bought at least half of all
merchandise over there...I'm sure the other General Director
bought another half...

All: I am looking at short term money rates from Worden Bros.

During the last 3 weeks, short term rates have steadily dropped from 4.9% to 4.5%. This is an unusually rapid drop. Think it will go back up to 4.9%?

What do you all think of this? Is AG trying to cover his tracks, and keep the markets from bubbling? Or -- does this mean that the demand for short term treasuries is so high that he cannot maintain any higher rates than the current one?

How very odd -----

Thanks for your posts re: value of Gold in real terms.

My call is that if the FED lowers rates, there will be nowhere else to run. Right now I'm not even thinking of Gold as an investment, I'm thinking of it as a defense. Gold hasn't went up much during the financial troubles of Asia, Russia, etc, but that's because people have been able to go into USD to protect their wealth. But if people really believe the FED is going to lower rates, I suspect there will be a huge surge in Gold. I'm not saying that because I'm a goldbug ( though I do like the metal ) , I'm saying it because that's what I'LL be doing, because I won't have anywhere else to run to keep the value I've worked so hard to build up over the past decade. People just don't seem to realize that if they've got USD in their pocket, they've actually made a really good investment, but that it's an investment they need to get out of at the "top". I'm buying metal now. I could be early, but I'd like to avoid the rush to the USD exits. I just hope Greenspan gives us all enough time to get out if he's thinking about easing. If you like the way the stock market drops when foreigners head for the exits, just wait until you see what happens with they think holding USD is a bad idea.

EB: Do you mean Yachts, waves or whales?

1 ) Yachts: Anything over about 17 feet is a money sink -- so stay away from that. Rememeber one Yacht with teak decks ( not mine ) -- about 50' long. Beautiful. When it came about I saw the name on the stern. 'Lots a Bucks', it was called. Probably cost more than my entire net worth.

2 ) Waves: When I am in the surf, anything over about 6 feet is plenty if I fail to see it coming, and wind up eating sand. Offshore I am willing to experience a larger wave. I remember one where the wavelength was so long that the entire coast of SanDiego disappeared when I was about 3-4miles out in a 37 foot Yawl ( rented-spouse was crew ) . Must have been hundreds of feet long. Scary until I realized what happened. The beach might have been a bit worse for wear when it hit -- one of those rogue waves.

3 ) Whales: In a close encounter with a Whale, if your boat is smaller than the whale, best thing to do is quietly move away. Still under sail, if possible. For relative size, see item #1 above.

http://www.canoe.ca/TorontoNews/ts.ts-09-17-0028.html

You may have heard this already. This helps to explain the timing of events on Capitol Hill.

Clinton and Gore will stall the resignation process until January 20th, they all want Gore, as an incumbent president, to be able to have two terms.

Gore will not take office before January 20th, if he does, he will be unable to run for two terms.

HighRise

Greenspan won't lower rates as long as he doesn't have to.

My guess is that the target is 30-year treasuries in the 5-5.50 range,
and mortgages under 7%. If this trend can be maintained for
several months, I wouldn't expect Greenspan to lower rates.

Nikkei at 13,880, with Standard & Poor reporting that the Japanese
banking system could now be under for up to $1 trillion dollars.

Yes, dollars, not yen. And each downtick in the Nikkei raises
the losses, as does each passing day since loan payments from
borrowers are shrinking.

Man. A wild show is about to begin. Dang it, I was really hoping
they could stall it until Y2K.

Cultural differences explained:





Ausssies: Believe you should look out for your mates.

Brits: Believe that you should look out for those people who belong

to your club.

Americans: Believe that people should look out for and take care of

themselves.

Canadians: Believe that that's the government's job.





Aussies: Dislike being mistaken for Pommies ( Brits ) when abroad.

Canadians: Are rather indignant about being mistaken for Americans when

abroad.

Americans: Encourage being mistaken for Canadians when abroad.

Brits: Can't possibly be mistaken for anyone else when abroad.





Americans: Spend most of their lives glued to the idiot box.

Canadians: Don't, but only because they can't get more American channels.

Brits: Pay a tax just so they can watch 4 channels.

Aussies: Export all their crappy programs, which no one there watches,

to Britain, where everybody loves them.





Americans: Love to watch sports on the idiot box.

Brits: Love to watch sports in stadiums so they can fight with other

fans.

Canadians: Prefer to actually engage in sports rather than watch them.





Americans: Will jabber on incessantly about football, baseball and

basketball.

Brits: Will jabber on incessantly about cricket, soccer and rugby.

Canadians: Will jabber on incessantly about hockey, hockey, hockey, and

how they beat the Americans twice, playing baseball.

Aussies: Will jabber on incessantly about how they beat the Poms in

every sport they played them in.





Americans: Spell words differently, but still call it "English."

Brits: Pronounce their words differently, but still call it "English."

Canadians: Spell like the Brits, pronounce like Americans.

Aussies: Add "G'day," "mate," and a heavy accent to everything they say





Brits: Shop at home and have goods imported because they live on an

island.

Aussies: Shop at home and have goods imported because they live on an

island.

Americans: Cross the southern border for cheap shopping, gas and liquor

in a backwards country.

Canadians: Cross the southern border for cheap shopping, gas and liquor

in a backwards country.





Aussies: Are extremely patriotic to their beer.

Americans: Are flag-waving, anthem-singing, and obsessively patriotic to

the point of blindness.

Canadians: Can't agree on the words to their anthem, when they can be

bothered to sing them.

Brits: Do not sing at all but prefer a large brass band to perform

the anthem.





Americans: Drink weak, pissy-tasting beer.

Canadians: Drink strong, pissy-tasting beer.

Brits: Drink warm, beery-tasting piss.

Aussies: Drink anything with alcohol in it.





Brits: Are justifiably proud of the accomplishments of their past

citizens.

Americans: Are justifiably proud of the accomplishments of their present

citizens.

Canadians: Prattle on about how some of those great Americans were once

Canadian.

Aussies: Wollow on about how some of their past citizens were once

outlaw Pommies, but none of that matters after several beers.





Americans: Seem to think that poverty and failure are morally suspect.

Canadians: Seem to believe that wealth and success are morally suspect.

Brits: Seem to believe that wealth, poverty, success and failure

are inherited things.

Aussies: Seem to think that none of this matters after several beers.





Canadians: Encourage immigrants to keep their old ways and avoid

assimilation.

Americans: Encourage immigrants to assimilate quickly and dump their old

ways.

Brits: Encourages immigrants to go to Canada or America.





Canadians: Endure bitterly cold winters and are proud of it.

Brits: Endure oppressively wet and dreary winters and are proud of it.

Americans: Don't have to do either, and couldn't care less.

Aussies: Don't understand what inclement weather means.





Aussies: Have produced comedians like Paul Hogan and Yahoo Serious.

Canadians: Have produced many great commedians, like John Candy, Martin

Short, Jim Carrey, Dan Akroyd, and all the rest at SCTV.

Americans: Think that these people are American!

Brits: Have produced many great comedians, but Americans ignore them

because they don't understand subtle humor.

On Mon. I sold my PDG & sold short Nortel & TIP's. Missed out on PDG's gain today, but covered Nortel for 7.45 Cdn per share & TIP's down nicely.
I find it ridiculous that the USD is weakening against the JY & think that after Sept. 30 when the repatriation reverses the USD will get to well over 140. If that happens there will be a great shorting opportunity as POG retests old lows. Unless, of course, AG eases. But even if he does ease, Japan is an irredeemable basket case.

Aaaah, as always-too many variables. I should just listen to the charts.

Sir,

I am serious about GOLD, I am a Geologist specialising in the exploration, development and mining of Precious Metals.

Gold is where you find it... I have a substantial library and GIS database on metals, gold in particular.

When the coming gold boom happens, I would rather be in Kalgoorlie looking for gold, than be on Wall Street inventing derivatives.

Och aye the nooooooooo...........

priceless material...priceless...

I'm thinking what you're thinking on the USD. For now.

I have to disagree with you saying that the Yen is be a basket case and so it has to come down. Currencies are now days just a commodity to buy and sell for profit for some, economic survival for others. Starting last year a lot of frighten people sold their national currencies and bought dollars because they knew that having your capitol in a depreciating currency is by definition losing money. Well last year and the first half of this year "hot money" came into American dollars, fear was their motivation. Well like Mexico of 94 and the Tigers of 97-98 found out hot money in mean hot money out at some point. I think many people overseas are looking at their markets after a greater than 75% reduction and it looks very attractive to them, much more than the over priced US markets and are now planning to sell high in the US and buy low at home. The foreigners are going home and will take their money, and a lot of US market capitalization with them, including the US dollar and bonds.

Opinion piece about the uncertainty of Y2K. You can e mail comments to them, and you may get the letter published in their October 1st edition-- y2k@economist.com -- Article here-- http://www.economist.com/editorial/freeforall/19-9-98/index_survey.html

If it becomes obvious that Greenspan isn't going to lower rates, I look for this thing to pop right back up at the next sign of serious trouble in Japanese markets. This could almost be a graph of the S&P *grin*. Seeing Gold rally when the US markets took a hit, to me, just drives home that the USD is the currency of last resort. Gold didn't do anything up until now. I'm seeing what you're saying about money running home, but I still don't see holding Yen as a good way to go.

I agree. We A*Holes's spent trillions to make folly of THE THREAT THAT WAS NOT and now thru political chicannery, we are at the cusp of sending, for HUMANITARIAN PURPOSE, further funds through a bankrupt vehicle that instigates all global problems; to the benefit of the club, ( THE IMF's support group ) whose control of world resources has/will create much greater suffering than any totalitarian regime upon the earth and its peoples.
Better support be sent through indiviguals rather than those whose objective is world domination.

Where did I just read that Greenspan had considered linking dollars to gold in the past twelve years?

Also, where is a link to Greenspans recent testimony to congress WITH THE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS? All I can find is the prepared speech without the question/answer phase.

Please send to me direct at steve@familyjeweler.com

For a cool new aplet, check out my home page at:

http://www.familyjeweler.com

http://www.thesitefights.com/wepatrol/mil_bug.gif

Train them to find gold ( :- ) ) )

The notion that gold cannot be a currency standard in the world is put forward by US Dollar-centrist idealogues ( and, ergo, anti-gold propagandists ) .

In their specious arguments, they declare that the major superpowers do not have enough gold reserves to provide sufficient wealth to their respective citizens.

The arguments are supported on the foundation of US Dollar hegemony. In other words, what is gold worth in US Dollars?

However, if the US Dollar is repudiated as the global currency reserve and replaced by multi-regional currency standards, then gold's value in US Dollars alone will become meaningless. What will gold's value be in terms of Euros? What will gold's value be in terms of a new Asian Currency Standard? What will gold's value be in terms of a new, reinvented Ruble?

Even if the US Dollar were to retain its hegemony as the global currency reserve ( unlikely ) , then another substantive defect in the anti-gold standard rationale deals with the fiction that a gold standard necessitates 100% gold backing of currencies. As evident in a country such as Switzerland, a currency can be backed by less than 50% gold reserves and still be, in effect, a gold standard currency. In fact, one can choose any random percentage of gold backing ( from 5% to 100% ) -- as long as gold is either purchased or sold at a fixed rate in accordance with certain fixed rates of monetary contraction or expansion, then the percentage of gold backing can be whatever the Community of Nations agrees it should be on an arbitrary basis.

Thanks.

F*

Your shopping experience is consistant. Many Russian Mining and Metal Processing Gen.Directors & Export Traders, established themselves in "style" during the late 80's and early 90's. It was a once only window of opportunity during the change "Perestroyka" ( remember that word? ) .It was often legal ( not very ethical ) and explains the "DUMPING" of commodities during that period. That dumping IMHO will not happen agains. Back to topic of Gen/Dir. many are now residents of Paris, London, Barcellona, New York and so on, we even have a few in OZ.
All the best, vodka-pickle charts holding and shouting that bottom is in for PM's, Blondinka never lies. Also, camel is in heat, Spring hear in OZ. Camel got excited when he heard Monika is in OZ tropics, not sure I can contain him.

I will now be gone for a day or two. Nice sharing with you and others.

Bart: Have not thanked you for the site lately. THANKS

Cheers to all - live long prosper and do wonderful things especially to old people and children. May God Bless us one and all.

Although a gold standard is viable, nevertheless, the metal is an unwieldy reserve in terms of storage and distribution. In that sense, it is not entirely consonant with our modern, computerized world ( at least, our modern Y2K-FREE world...if computers begin crashing en masse soon, then public perception of our modern world will certainly change quite dramatically. In such a scenario, gold may NOT seem like such a relic from the past ) .

That is why I have advocated some kind of hybrid global currency reserve...part gold standard, part paper ( cyber ) standard. It's exact nature would be determined by the Community of Nations at a major confab in the future.

Essentially, I believe that gold backing would preclude excessive monetary expansion ( running the money printing presses ad infinitum ) ; however, today, gold backing at the lower end of the percentage scale makes more sense. No matter what percentage, there must be some kind of fixed, inexorable global constraint upon the tendencies of governments to print money whenever they desire it.

Thanks.

F*

will furnish me with your e-mail, I'll supply you with my comments, to
Ms Cairncross.

Date: Fri Sep 18 1998 01:50
Auric ( The Economist--Editorial on Y2K ) ID#257312:

In any case thanks for the post.

...kind words and support in my recent absence.

Thanks.

F*

TOKYO, Sept 18 ( Reuters ) - Tokyo stocks closed higher on Friday as public pension funds snapped up bargains created by Thursday's selloff, traders said. An afternoon bounce in S&P 500 futures traded on GLOBEX contributed to market firmness, palliating concerns U.S. equities could tumble overnight. The Nikkei average rose 123.98 points, 0.89 percent, to 13,983.12. December futures rose 150 to 13,950. Traders said pension money washed over the market in a pattern that has repeated itself every time the index has flirted with post-economic bubble lows.

http://biz.yahoo.com/rf/980918/cm.html

http://www.itpolicy.gsa.gov/mks/yr2000/titanic.gif

HONG KONG ( AP ) -- Most Asian stock markets followed falls in Europe, Latin America and the United States to open sharply lower today. Concern about political unrest in Indonesia and a weakening economy in Hong Kong also dragged down prices. Singapore's key index plunged 3.2 percent at the midday close, and Hong Kong fell 1.4 percent. Japan's benchmark average alone bucked the trend, closing the day's trading slightly higher. Market participants said investors remained discouraged after Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan dashed hopes of a joint effort by the industrialized nations for a multinational interest rate cut.

http://www.newsday.com/ap/rnmpfn1b.htm

10 point rise in an hour
Now it's coming tumbling down.

What's going on?

TOKYO ( AP ) -- The dollar slipped against the yen Friday following a sharp drop overnight in U.S. stocks and Latin American financial markets. Tokyo share prices finished higher. The dollar bought 132.36 yen in mid-afternoon trading, down 1.94 yen from late Thursday in Tokyo but above its rate of 132.18 late in New York overnight. The benchmark 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average rose 123.98 points, or 0.89 percent, closing the day's trading at 13,983.12. The rise followed a large decline on Thursday, when the Nikkei closed down 338.56 points, or 2.38 percent, to a 12-year low of 13,859.14. Traders said the dollar carried over from its weakness in New York on Thursday following a renewed decline in U.S. and Latin American share prices. The dollar was also under pressure as some Japanese businesses began selling the U.S. currency for yen to bring money home and beef up their balance sheets before the end of the fiscal half-year on Sept. 30. Minoru Shioiri, assistant foreign exchange manager at Nippon Credit Bank, said the dollar also came under pressure from lingering speculation about a possible U.S. interest rate cut. Lower rates hurt a country's currency by lowering returns for investors.

http://www.newsday.com/ap/rnmpfn1a.htm

NEW YORK ( AP ) -- A senior financial regulator is warning that U.S. banks are making more and more risky loans, a problem that could hurt banks in an economic downturn if more borrowers default. After surveying the country's 77 largest banks in April through June, Acting Comptroller of the Currency Julie L. Williams found that banks are making commercial loans that may look safe now but could quickly turn bad if the economy suffers. "Over the next 12 months, credit risk is expected to further increase in all commercial portfolios," the report says. "Banks are leaving themselves with fewer options to control the risks associated with commercial lending should the economy falter." The Office of the Comptroller is the arm of the Treasury that regulates federally chartered banks. Its report echoes a similar warning issued last June by the Federal Reserve, which regulates bank-holding companies. In a related development Thursday, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. warned banks in a report about potential credit problems in certain industries affected by the Asian economic crisis, notably agriculture, chemicals and oil.

http://www.newsday.com/ap/rnmpfn1c.htm

MOSCOW ( AP ) -- Facing billions of dollars in losses, many foreign companies in Russia are cutting staff and halting further investment as they wait for the country to stabilize -- though they insist the latest financial crisis will not send them running away for good. The hardest hit have been in the the consumer goods and financial sectors, as nationwide distribution systems and the stock market alike collapse, Scott Blacklin, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Russia, said Thursday. "In some ways the business community feels like it was hit by a neutron bomb and we've all been irradiated," he said. "Which means we're all alive today, but in 30 days, 60 days, 90 days, some of them are going to die."

http://www.newsday.com/ap/rnmpfn1d.htm

TOKYO ( AP ) -- After a night of fruitless negotiations, Japan's ruling and opposition parties struggled today to find a compromise on banking reform in time for Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi's visit to the United States next week. Finance Minister Kiichi Miyazawa said he wanted the two sides to reach a compromise by the end of the day, warning that delay could further roil already jittery financial markets. Shares of major Japanese banks were lower in generally bearish trading early today as the parties struggled to reach accord on bills to stabilize the nation's shaky financial institutions.

http://www.newsday.com/ap/rnmpfn1e.htm

Probably this - Europe was up a while ago. So much for a rally.

Austria 1087.01 -11.60 -1.06%
Denmark 200.97 -0.76 -0.38%
Finland 4152.06 +14.10 +0.34%
France 3525.26 -70.51 -2.00%
Germany 4582.44 -87.07 -1.86%
Greece 2148.64 -35.81 -1.64%
Italy 19100 -138 -0.72%
Netherlands 964.78 -22.77 -2.31%
Switzerland 6372.6 -32.6 -0.51%

Reify--Look forward to receiving your commentary on Y2K. auric@webtv.net PS Alan Greenspan, if you are lurking here, as was rumored once, feel free to e mail for advice.

"Let us imagine $1000 gold. That would still equal only $51.20 US per person. How many trillion rubles are out there? At $1000 gold, that is still only $12,800,000,000 - twelve billion, eight hundred million dollars. This is assuming a higher price of gold than has ever occurred before, in fact a twenty percent increase over the all time high for
gold. Didnt they just spend $9 billion to defend the ruble a few days back? They would be very hungry for the rest of the year if they were on a gold standard and gold were to rise to unprecedented highs.

No country on earth can go to a gold standard. Ever."

Your childish little set up Salesman's "proof" by calculations showing why gold was a poor "investment" for the last two decades I can ignore. But, when you "prove" no country can ever have gold coin for money - ever - and by implication prove no American will ever again own land unbeholden and never again possess those rights at common-law and Constitution that the Founders of this nation guaranteeed to the Posterity, then your Salesman's games have gone a good deal too far.

Your present profession of coin changer would, of course, be a casualty of the restoration of honest, constitutional money. So, your self-interest may well cloud your reason.

Be that as it may, if you simply start from an equation of one tenth ounce of gold equals one bushel of wheat or one ton of steel or the like, the error in your Salesman's proof should reveal itself.

Europe off to a selling start.

Profits to be taken.

European bourses taking a fall after early gains. France, Germany, and the Netherlands down over 2%. Japanese government fails to resolve dispute over bank problems. Obuchi to meet Clinton in New York next Tuesday. http://biz.yahoo.com/apf/980918/japan_bank_1.html

Why can't USG "pay" with gold ? Because it is bankrupt ? Because some creditor Foreign Bank has a first lien on any gold which USG gets it hands on ?

In any case, read carefully what you posted and you will see it has nothing to do with the states, nor with the minting of gold ( coining of gold ) by USG itself. Minting is just a service performed for miners to permit their gold more easily to circulate in the economy.

A little thinking on it should convince anyone that the Bankster Problem and the Tax, Debt, and Fraud for Money Problem are inseparable.

Somebody break out the marshmallows. We can toast them over the smoldering hell that is the world economy. Seriously though - I hadn't expected a sell-off in Europe today, maybe I'm just naive or something. I swear I keep expecting this thing to recover at least more than it has before it gets worse. My bets are still all on the downside as I'm not a good market timer.

Did you pull the plug on them?

Sort of gives you that sinking feeling.

Just ugly. This thing is going to get so much worse before it gets better.

Germans: All of the above do apply
regards,
hamlet

Austria 1078.72 -19.89 -1.81%
Belgium 3059.43 -74.26 -2.37%
Denmark 199.83 -1.90 -0.94%
Finland 4140.41 +2.45 +0.06%
France 3466.92 -58.34 -1.65%
Germany 4592.21 -77.30 -1.66%
Greece 2154.19 -30.26 -1.39%
Italy 19044 -194 -1.01%
Netherlands 967.30 -20.25 -2.05%
Norway 908.72 -8.74 -0.95%
Portugal 4573.67 -45.47 -0.98%
Spain 674.05 -15.68 -2.27%
Sweden 2832.38 -0.05 0.00%
Switzerland 6341.6 -63.6 -0.99%

WASHINGTON ( AP ) -- Mortgage rates hit another low this week as the average interest rate on 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages dropped to 6.66 percent from 6.77 percent, Freddie Mac reported. It was the lowest rate since the mortgage company started keeping records in 1971. Previously, the record low rate was 6.74 percent, in late October of 1993. The drop in mortgage rates is one of the few benefits of recent international financial turmoil. Because of the relative strength of the U.S. economy, foreigners have been snapping up dollar-denominated assets, particularly government-guaranteed U.S. Treasury securities. Mortgage rates tend to move up and down with Treasury rates. The drop has benefited home buyers, who have driven sales of both new and used homes to records highs this summer, and also many home owners who are refinancing their mortgages lower their monthly payments. With this week's record-breaking rate, another wave of refinancing may be on the way.

http://www.newsday.com/ap/rnmpfn1i.htm
--
Apologies for posting so much this morning, there's just a lot going on around the world.

Seems pretty early in the morning NY time to be having such sluggish resonse from Kitco. This is bullish,

Globex is kind of schizophrenic this morning. Up, down, it can not make up it's mind. Bonds are down, dollar up, PM's mixed. Silver acting a little peculiar. Oil up.

Sorta like the DOW wants to start out up this morning but without any real conviction.

Maybe the picture will clear a little more before the open.

week's market data, and they indicate that as of the 11th Sept.,
one month gold lease rates had dipped to .36% ( an all time low! )
One year leases ( indicative of producer hedging demand ) also dipped
to 1.43% from 1.52%

All of the above was occurring as gold spiked. My interpretation of
dropping lease rates while gold surges is that we now have
evidence of unprecidented levels of CB manipulation in the gold market.
As gold demand on the spot market rose, CBs dropped leases to head off the spike in prices, by encouraging short selling at ridiculous
borrowing rates.

This past week ( if you can believe the figures ) lease rates bounced back
up to .8% for one month gold and 1.80% for one year gold. This is
a significant spike in lease rates, and accounts for the shorting activity that knocked gold back to 288 from 296. This is a war of
manipulation. If the lease rates continue to rise and blow past
1%, I will finally believe that the gold bull is here.

Now if Bart would only post the lease rates regularly.......
The formula for lease rate calculation gave lease rate figures of
.51% for one month gold last week, while the actual figures released
by the WGC was .36%! This indicates that the formula is being
ignored, that leasing rates are a fabrication by CBs to manipulate
POG down. More on this will be posted on Sat a.m.

This is not a market, it is a manipulation. Take care.

I absolutely agree.When you will be in Kalgoorlie I will be in South America.

The Globex is still nervous, but has turned more down. Bonds up slightly. Dollar down. Oil up. PM'S miixed with silver still looking peculiarly strong in the morning like it has been doing lately. It's almost like someone is accumulating silver calls even though the spot price doesn't wiggle much.

The Globex is still nervous, but has turned more down. Bonds up slightly. Dollar down. Oil up. PM'S miixed with silver still looking peculiarly strong in the morning like it has been doing lately. It's almost like someone is accumulating silver calls even though the spot price doesn't wiggle much.

I think the market is confused...just waiting for something to make people jump one way or the other...not a lot of confidence.

Tom

The electricity in the air is enough to make ones hair stand on end.

Globex has been very schizophrenic all morning. Now down, then up, then down. Bonds mixed and changing. . Dollar up slightly. Oil up. Metals mixed.

Silver has been acting very peculiarly. First, December silver went up despite declining gold, but spot price didn't move much. Now, the December price has relaxed somewhat, but the spot price has gone up. This moving against the current action has occurred for several mornings now. Peculiar.

One possibility is that some big money has determined to buy silver. In preparation for doing so it has been patiently accumulating silver call options, especially under cover of declining gold prices, and generally before the NY markets open. Once the calls are in place, the big silver position will be bought. Buffett?

Where is D.A.?

What effect will the launching of the Euro in Jan. have on the extent
to which CB's can manipulate gold prices?
Does the 10-15% gold reserve constrain manipulation, or is this just
the creation of a giant puppet master?
Your opinion, as always, most appreciated. - Regards

I agree. I think the markets could be pushed either way with a feather this morning.

Now is the time to take five bucks and buy or sell a share of something.

I agree. I think the markets could be pushed either way with a feather this morning.

Now is the time to take five bucks and buy or sell a share of something.

What effect will the launching of the Euro in Jan. have on the extent
to which CB's can manipulate gold prices?
Does the 10-15% gold reserve constrain manipulation, or is this just
the creation of a giant puppet master?
Your opinion, as always, most appreciated. - Regards

What effect will the launching of the Euro in Jan. have on the extent
to which CB's can manipulate gold prices?
Does the 10-15% gold reserve constrain manipulation, or is this just
the creation of a giant puppet master?
Your opinion, as always, most appreciated. - Regards

RANGY SHAREHOLDERS,
http://www.geocities.com/~polarbear47/rangy.htm

Here's the result of my effort to date. Hopefully this will be useful to investors looking for more facts on RANGY. Hope you like it.

PB

Am I trying to sell anything? I am a gold broker, but I have spent most of the last two years exposing the ugly face of gold as a buy and hold investment. You call my exercises in reality childish, but what is childish about peering into the numbers to see if they make sense? You re-posted my numbers of last eve, but offered none of your own. If my logic or math is faulty, perhaps we could focus on why and how rather than tossing out platitudes supported only by faith.

No matter how I look at it, gold maintains a relatively stable, albeit eroded, value throughout the world and throughout the years. If you would like to compare gold to food, please do, but do not offer us $30K gold and claim that an ounce of gold will buy anything more than it always had. Reality and history do not support your take on gold. Never in history has gold achieved even one twentieth of your absurd numbers. You have posted you believe $30k is the proper price for gold, but fail to acknowledge that bread would cost $60 a loaf and a gallon of milk would cost $120 of your dollars should gold be valued at US $30K. How much food would $280 buy in 1978? How much food will $280 buy today? That $280 is represented in the same ounce of gold. I fail to see how money put into gold twenty years ago would be viewed as anything but a disaster.

Or do you see gold rising some 40 fold over all historic highs, and do so in a vacuum? Only gold will rise in price, all else will remain the same? If you thought my numbers over the last twenty years were bogus, why did you not offer your own? Some did. Donald in particular tried to convince everybody that the Dow is somewhere around 550 points now. I stopped the debate at that point. How can you debate a point if one party insists that things are not as they actually are. I redid Donalds numbers as he offered them - unrealistic as they were - and came up with a  of 1% gain per year for the last eighty years. Since inflation has run in excess of 4% per annum , this would seem to be a guaranty of a net 3  loss per year for eighty years.

How is this a store of value? Gold is the same price in dollars as it was twenty years ago, yet the dollars represented by that ounce-o-gold have eroded to a fraction of their present value. If you can prove otherwise, please do so. I offer math for proof, and detail my mathematical process. Why has nobody exposed my numbers as a fraud? I have been yearning for somebody to take this on, and you have the intelligence and knowledge to do so. Lets get to the bottom of this, but without insults, yes? I respect your writings, but disagree with many of your conclusions. You have proven yourself to be a thinker and I would welcome a straight debate on the merits of gold.

Somebody else posted sometime back that I am basing my numbers on government CPI numbers and then tell me to not have faith n those numbers. I have zero faith in government CPI numbers, as they are grossly understated. I chose to use official CPI because the truth is likely to be much worse that I suggest. Would anyone here claim the our government OVERSTATES CPI numbers? I think not.

Please do not accuse me of salesmens ploys. If I were trying to sell gold, I would parrot the party line rather than expose the ugly truth. Maybe you could explain how I will sell more gold to folks by explaining the buy and hold value of gold is largely an illusion? This would seem to drive folks away from the metal rather that flocking towards it. I fail to see how anything I have ever posted regarding golds value could be considered a sales pitch by any human with minimal cognitive skills. Any attempt to paint my arguments as such is disingenuous at best, and borders on deception at the worst.

If any can offer realistic numbers to refute mine, please do so. But I will ignore anybody who thinks the Dow is currently trading at about 550 points. These folks do not live in the same reality as the rest of us and will bend Gods own numbers to support their long held, but yearly disproved, belief that gold has been a store of value.

I take no offense at your tone, but would ask your to keep personal insult out of the debate. This place is much more productive without personal insults. I have read most of your stuff for months and find them to be loaded with useful facts and opinions. I draw very different conclusions than you do using the same facts. Is the truth to be found somewhere in between?

Lets see.

OK?

Am I trying to sell anything? I am a gold broker, but I have spent most of the last two years exposing the ugly face of gold as a buy and hold investment. You call my exercises in reality childish, but what is childish about peering into the numbers to see if they make sense? You re-posted my numbers of last eve, but offered none of your own. If my logic or math is faulty, perhaps we could focus on why and how rather than tossing out platitudes supported only by faith.

No matter how I look at it, gold maintains a relatively stable, albeit eroded, value throughout the world and throughout the years. If you would like to compare gold to food, please do, but do not offer us $30K gold and claim that an ounce of gold will buy anything more than it always had. Reality and history do not support your take on gold. Never in history has gold achieved even one twentieth of your absurd numbers. You have posted you believe $30k is the proper price for gold, but fail to acknowledge that bread would cost $60 a loaf and a gallon of milk would cost $120 of your dollars should gold be valued at US $30K. How much food would $280 buy in 1978? How much food will $280 buy today? That $280 is represented in the same ounce of gold. I fail to see how money put into gold twenty years ago would be viewed as anything but a disaster.

Or do you see gold rising some 40 fold over all historic highs, and do so in a vacuum? Only gold will rise in price, all else will remain the same? If you thought my numbers over the last twenty years were bogus, why did you not offer your own? Some did. Donald in particular tried to convince everybody that the Dow is somewhere around 550 points now. I stopped the debate at that point. How can you debate a point if one party insists that things are not as they actually are. I redid Donalds numbers as he offered them - unrealistic as they were - and came up with a  of 1% gain per year for the last eighty years. Since inflation has run in excess of 4% per annum , this would seem to be a guaranty of a net 3  loss per year for eighty years.

How is this a store of value? Gold is the same price in dollars as it was twenty years ago, yet the dollars represented by that ounce-o-gold have eroded to a fraction of their present value. If you can prove otherwise, please do so. I offer math for proof, and detail my mathematical process. Why has nobody exposed my numbers as a fraud? I have been yearning for somebody to take this on, and you have the intelligence and knowledge to do so. Lets get to the bottom of this, but without insults, yes? I respect your writings, but disagree with many of your conclusions. You have proven yourself to be a thinker and I would welcome a straight debate on the merits of gold.

Somebody else posted sometime back that I am basing my numbers on government CPI numbers and then tell me to not have faith n those numbers. I have zero faith in government CPI numbers, as they are grossly understated. I chose to use official CPI because the truth is likely to be much worse that I suggest. Would anyone here claim the our government OVERSTATES CPI numbers? I think not.

Please do not accuse me of salesmens ploys. If I were trying to sell gold, I would parrot the party line rather than expose the ugly truth. Maybe you could explain how I will sell more gold to folks by explaining the buy and hold value of gold is largely an illusion? This would seem to drive folks away from the metal rather that flocking towards it. I fail to see how anything I have ever posted regarding golds value could be considered a sales pitch by any human with minimal cognitive skills. Any attempt to paint my arguments as such is disingenuous at best, and borders on deception at the worst.

If any can offer realistic numbers to refute mine, please do so. But I will ignore anybody who thinks the Dow is currently trading at about 550 points. These folks do not live in the same reality as the rest of us and will bend Gods own numbers to support their long held, but yearly disproved, belief that gold has been a store of value.

I take no offense at your tone, but would ask your to keep personal insult out of the debate. This place is much more productive without personal insults. I have read most of your stuff for months and find them to be loaded with useful facts and opinions. I draw very different conclusions than you do using the same facts. Is the truth to be found somewhere in between?

Lets see.

OK?

Am I trying to sell anything? I am a gold broker, but I have spent most of the last two years exposing the ugly face of gold as a buy and hold investment. You call my exercises in reality childish, but what is childish about peering into the numbers to see if they make sense? You re-posted my numbers of last eve, but offered none of your own. If my logic or math is faulty, perhaps we could focus on why and how rather than tossing out platitudes supported only by faith.

No matter how I look at it, gold maintains a relatively stable, albeit eroded, value throughout the world and throughout the years. If you would like to compare gold to food, please do, but do not offer us $30K gold and claim that an ounce of gold will buy anything more than it always had. Reality and history do not support your take on gold. Never in history has gold achieved even one twentieth of your absurd numbers. You have posted you believe $30k is the proper price for gold, but fail to acknowledge that bread would cost $60 a loaf and a gallon of milk would cost $120 of your dollars should gold be valued at US $30K. How much food would $280 buy in 1978? How much food will $280 buy today? That $280 is represented in the same ounce of gold. I fail to see how money put into gold twenty years ago would be viewed as anything but a disaster.

Or do you see gold rising some 40 fold over all historic highs, and do so in a vacuum? Only gold will rise in price, all else will remain the same? If you thought my numbers over the last twenty years were bogus, why did you not offer your own? Some did. Donald in particular tried to convince everybody that the Dow is somewhere around 550 points now. I stopped the debate at that point. How can you debate a point if one party insists that things are not as they actually are. I redid Donalds numbers as he offered them - unrealistic as they were - and came up with a  of 1% gain per year for the last eighty years. Since inflation has run in excess of 4% per annum , this would seem to be a guaranty of a net 3  loss per year for eighty years.

How is this a store of value? Gold is the same price in dollars as it was twenty years ago, yet the dollars represented by that ounce-o-gold have eroded to a fraction of their present value. If you can prove otherwise, please do so. I offer math for proof, and detail my mathematical process. Why has nobody exposed my numbers as a fraud? I have been yearning for somebody to take this on, and you have the intelligence and knowledge to do so. Lets get to the bottom of this, but without insults, yes? I respect your writings, but disagree with many of your conclusions. You have proven yourself to be a thinker and I would welcome a straight debate on the merits of gold.

Somebody else posted sometime back that I am basing my numbers on government CPI numbers and then tell me to not have faith n those numbers. I have zero faith in government CPI numbers, as they are grossly understated. I chose to use official CPI because the truth is likely to be much worse that I suggest. Would anyone here claim the our government OVERSTATES CPI numbers? I think not.

Please do not accuse me of salesmens ploys. If I were trying to sell gold, I would parrot the party line rather than expose the ugly truth. Maybe you could explain how I will sell more gold to folks by explaining the buy and hold value of gold is largely an illusion? This would seem to drive folks away from the metal rather that flocking towards it. I fail to see how anything I have ever posted regarding golds value could be considered a sales pitch by any human with minimal cognitive skills. Any attempt to paint my arguments as such is disingenuous at best, and borders on deception at the worst.

If any can offer realistic numbers to refute mine, please do so. But I will ignore anybody who thinks the Dow is currently trading at about 550 points. These folks do not live in the same reality as the rest of us and will bend Gods own numbers to support their long held, but yearly disproved, belief that gold has been a store of value.

I take no offense at your tone, but would ask your to keep personal insult out of the debate. This place is much more productive without personal insults. I have read most of your stuff for months and find them to be loaded with useful facts and opinions. I draw very different conclusions than you do using the same facts. Is the truth to be found somewhere in between?

Lets see.

OK?

Am I trying to sell anything? I am a gold broker, but I have spent most of the last two years exposing the ugly face of gold as a buy and hold investment. You call my exercises in reality childish, but what is childish about peering into the numbers to see if they make sense? You re-posted my numbers of last eve, but offered none of your own. If my logic or math is faulty, perhaps we could focus on why and how rather than tossing out platitudes supported only by faith.

No matter how I look at it, gold maintains a relatively stable, albeit eroded, value throughout the world and throughout the years. If you would like to compare gold to food, please do, but do not offer us $30K gold and claim that an ounce of gold will buy anything more than it always had. Reality and history do not support your take on gold. Never in history has gold achieved even one twentieth of your absurd numbers. You have posted you believe $30k is the proper price for gold, but fail to acknowledge that bread would cost $60 a loaf and a gallon of milk would cost $120 of your dollars should gold be valued at US $30K. How much food would $280 buy in 1978? How much food will $280 buy today? That $280 is represented in the same ounce of gold. I fail to see how money put into gold twenty years ago would be viewed as anything but a disaster.

Or do you see gold rising some 40 fold over all historic highs, and do so in a vacuum? Only gold will rise in price, all else will remain the same? If you thought my numbers over the last twenty years were bogus, why did you not offer your own? Some did. Donald in particular tried to convince everybody that the Dow is somewhere around 550 points now. I stopped the debate at that point. How can you debate a point if one party insists that things are not as they actually are. I redid Donalds numbers as he offered them - unrealistic as they were - and came up with a  of 1% gain per year for the last eighty years. Since inflation has run in excess of 4% per annum , this would seem to be a guaranty of a net 3  loss per year for eighty years.

How is this a store of value? Gold is the same price in dollars as it was twenty years ago, yet the dollars represented by that ounce-o-gold have eroded to a fraction of their present value. If you can prove otherwise, please do so. I offer math for proof, and detail my mathematical process. Why has nobody exposed my numbers as a fraud? I have been yearning for somebody to take this on, and you have the intelligence and knowledge to do so. Lets get to the bottom of this, but without insults, yes? I respect your writings, but disagree with many of your conclusions. You have proven yourself to be a thinker and I would welcome a straight debate on the merits of gold.

Somebody else posted sometime back that I am basing my numbers on government CPI numbers and then tell me to not have faith n those numbers. I have zero faith in government CPI numbers, as they are grossly understated. I chose to use official CPI because the truth is likely to be much worse that I suggest. Would anyone here claim the our government OVERSTATES CPI numbers? I think not.

Please do not accuse me of salesmens ploys. If I were trying to sell gold, I would parrot the party line rather than expose the ugly truth. Maybe you could explain how I will sell more gold to folks by explaining the buy and hold value of gold is largely an illusion? This would seem to drive folks away from the metal rather that flocking towards it. I fail to see how anything I have ever posted regarding golds value could be considered a sales pitch by any human with minimal cognitive skills. Any attempt to paint my arguments as such is disingenuous at best, and borders on deception at the worst.

If any can offer realistic numbers to refute mine, please do so. But I will ignore anybody who thinks the Dow is currently trading at about 550 points. These folks do not live in the same reality as the rest of us and will bend Gods own numbers to support their long held, but yearly disproved, belief that gold has been a store of value.

I take no offense at your tone, but would ask your to keep personal insult out of the debate. This place is much more productive without personal insults. I have read most of your stuff for months and find them to be loaded with useful facts and opinions. I draw very different conclusions than you do using the same facts. Is the truth to be found somewhere in between?

Lets see.

OK?

I don't know where you guys have been all day, but if you're all ready now we can start the exciting stuff.

I've been holding the market as still as possible waiting for everybody to get back.

So, fix yourself whatever snacks and drinks you want, get comfortable, fasten your seatbelts, and once everyone is here and in place, I'll hit the switches.

C'mon guys, quit horsing around and get seated, or I'm going to hit the switches anyway.

I can't just wait here forever for people to show up. I've got a schedule to meet. Y'all have another ten minutes before this bus pulls outa here.

Go to it.
We were under orders of strict radio silence...

Here I go. See you guys after the close....

Your ticket wicket must be run by Air Canada! Trouble getting through.

getting reservations. But DROOY has not had trouble unseating the
rest of the South African miners. It hit 3 1/32 today while RANGY and
HARMONY cannot get out of their own way. My experience has been for the
past 30 years that it is in the beginning of bull markets that one can tell the strong stocks. If that is the case, then DROOY is the best of
the lot. Hugh volume and higher prices.

My girl friend must be clairvoyant because of the three names I gave her she immediatly choose Durban Deep and bought a lot of it.

Just love that woman!!!!!

Glad Kitco is up and running. I look for most of September to
meander around in stocks and for Oct and Nov to be volatile. Down stocks
and up gold stocks.

The present silence is a lull before the storm. Someone reported the
winds at table mountain at 250 mph. I think the market storm can
approach 500 mph.

Thanks, GD

I have a theory for the present behavior of the market: the Las Vegas
wave theory. Put in a dollar, get 80 cents back. Put in 80 cents, get back 65 ...

Back up to ground level. Who knows what evils are in store for next week?

Lamont Cranston might know, but no one has seen him for a long time.

I sure hope they get this communications thing straightend out before then.

with the yield plunging to 6.14%. The 90 day treasuty bill yield slipped below 4.5% raising the probability of a discount rate cut before month end. Price cuts were announced by the steel producers this week and many companies are announcing that earning results will be below expectations. The long bond is shouting loud and clear, be carefull, be carefull, but few will listen and keep talking about about inflation. Remember, the bond market capitalization is 200 times larger than the stock market capitalization. As stocks decline and bond rise this ratio will increase in favor of bonds. Corp bonds ( including junk bonds ) are declining in price as the markets begin to perceive future corp defaults. Only treasuries are rising and yields are declining.

Kitco is slow today, but nobody is posting. Must be a lot of folks out there checking out the precious for one reason or another. Any thoughts on Silver vs AU ? Considering throwing some money into Silver coins. I've already figured out that you have to shop around on Silver, some people selling coins down in the 6.60's, some as high as 7.50's in quantities of 100.

Equities. *snicker*. I don't know who was buying what today, but all the stocks I paid attention to were falling. Guy on television said that people were buying stocks that had high dividends, a defensive play. Also said that traders on the floor were expecting to re-test the lows. The bulls are all running around the pasture, and the solitary bear is just leaning against the tree over at the edge of the field watching the confusion with amusement. I'm still calling this thing what it is, a pig. Headlines likely to read "Bear attacks, kills millions".

Got Lucky Charms breakfast cereal ?

Seinfeld Syndrome -

Did you ever notice that  In the summer of 1989 when the Seinfeld Show made it's debut on NBC the DOW Jones Industrials had trudged it's way up to 2800 level, regaining what was lost to the Crash of 1987. An insignificant feat in of itself if not for the fact that the rise of the DOW would now be tied inexorably to the Seinfeld Show.
Yes, you can throw away your Puetz predictions based on the ephemeris of orbiting mass or the Eliot wave theory. Yes, even throw away cherokee's admonition of the West's demise at the swift hands of the Middle East Jihad as a predictor to the markets. There are well founded theories about unwinding derivatives, overextended currency trading, hedge fund insolvency's, bank liquidation crises and gold lease rates. However, The one constant in the financial universe is the SEINFELD constant.
After all, the "show-about-nothing" was created specifically to manipulate the "markets-about-nothing" and the IMF's "bailouts-about-nothing". Did you ever notice how not one company on the market is going to ever return on P/E's of 100? Helllllllooooooo Yahoo. Of course not.
Don't believe me? How come in October 1997 episode "The Serenity Now" which featured George trying to sell computers, George keeps repeating the catch phrase "serenity now" with devastating affects on sales. The poor hapless public watching NBC was now subliminally programmed for the mini crash about to unfold.
But all "good" things come to an end and it's no surprise that when Jerry announced there would be no next season the cracks in the well oiled machinery began to expand and overheat. The crest in the market this July is proof that the market and the financial world as we know it is reliant on the SEINFELD constant. The only reason we have carried on so far is because of reruns. Their sporadic airing times has caused major upheavals in all the market indicators.
Of course all this is a moot issue now. It will takes some time for the phosphor glow to wear off the publics' retinas. When the awakening occurs that their exists a better "storage of wealth", non-fiat based currency, those who understand the SEINFELD constant and have used it to their advantage will be those that survive the coming financial implosion. After all, Marshall can attest to the fact that Jerry Seinfeld must certainly be linked to the Rothschilds, Bilderbergers, ADL and the Mosaad.
Now how many oz of gold will buy me a quart of Soup Nazi gazpacho?

It's not nice to go bananas on the fruity albeit there be a bunch.

It's so simple, how could I have missed it?

INDEX OPEN CLOSE %CHG CHG
DOW 7873.77 7895.66 0.28% 21.89
XAU 67.00 68.03 1.54% 1.03

MY ADJUSTED XAU EXIT TRIGGERS: 57.75 and 75.98

Commission member Laura Unger cited the questions in congressional testimony Thursday.


What is your firm doing to become ready for the Year 2000?
How can I be satisfied that your firm will be ready on time?
If your firm is not ready, how could I be affected?
Assuming that your firm will be ready, what is being done to make sure that the stock exchanges, financial clearing agencies and other market participants are also ready?
Are there plans to test operations with the exchanges, clearing agencies and other market participants before 2000? Will your firm be participating in any industry-wide tests?
What will happen if I want to sell some stock in December 1999 or early January 2000, and your firm or another market participant is having computer problems and my sale is delayed or possibly can't be executed on the day I placed the order? What will your firm do for me in that situation?
Before your firm makes buy and sell recommendations for stocks, is its research department evaluating companies' readiness for the Year 2000 and the effect it might have on their bottom line?
How can I be assured that my interest and dividend payments will not be affected in January 2000?

http://www.nando.net/newsroom/ntn/biz/091898/biz8_20955_noframes.html

WASHINGTON ( AP ) -- After hitting an 11-year high, construction of homes and apartments dipped in August but remained on track for a banner year with mortgage rates at a nearly three-decade low. The Commerce Department said Friday that construction of homes and apartments fell 5.5 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.61 million units. While the August setback was the biggest decline in 20 months, analysts noted that it was occurring after construction activity had surged to an annual rate of 1.71 million units in July, the fastest pace since March 1987. Even with the decline, housing activity in August was 16.6 percent above the level of a year ago, reflecting a surge in activity propelled by falling mortgage rates and low unemployment. "This will be the best year for housing since 1987," said David Seiders, chief economist at the National Association of Home Builders. "We have had the best of all possible worlds with great job growth, consumer confidence close to record levels and interest rates coming down." While the currency crisis that began in Asia last year and now has spread to Russia and Latin America has caused foreign currencies to plummet and rattled the U.S. stock market, it has been a boon for the U.S. bond market as a flood of foreign money seeking a safe haven has pushed down interest rates. This week a national survey showed that 30-year mortgages have now fallen to 6.66 percent, the lowest level since Freddie Mac, the mortgage company, began its survey in 1971.

http://www.newsday.com/ap/rnmpfn0z.htm
--
It just took 3 1/2 minutes to load the Kitco page, frustration level high.

Russia's best liquid asset -- vodka
http://cnn.com/WORLD/europe/9809/18/vodka.v.ruble/index.html

Bart's server must be very tired.
Attempting post at 18:51 - 18:45 on Barts clock

Breaking news story this weekend will be that the kinder, softer IRS is spending hundreds of millions of dollars to arm it's agents with semi- automatic weapons, and remington 1187 shotguns. Also surveillance video cameras and expensive two way radios. Also spending another billion dollars on their defunct computers. This news will be in LA Times this weekend and other leading newspapers. What the hell do they need this armament for??? More information if you call 1-800-away-irs.This information was found on the internet but now has been deleted.
Mozel are you out there to comment on this?????

NEW YORK ( AP ) -- A senior financial regulator is warning that U.S. banks are making more and more risky loans, a problem that could hurt banks in an economic downturn if more borrowers default. After surveying the country's 77 largest banks in April through June, Acting Comptroller of the Currency Julie L. Williams found that banks are making commercial loans that may look safe now but could quickly turn bad if the economy suffers. "Over the next 12 months, credit risk is expected to further increase in all commercial portfolios," the report says. "Banks are leaving themselves with fewer options to control the risks associated with commercial lending should the economy falter." The Office of the Comptroller is the arm of the Treasury that regulates federally chartered banks. Its report echoes a similar warning issued last June by the Federal Reserve, which regulates bank-holding companies.

http://www.newsday.com/ap/rnmpfn1c.htm
--
It's taken 35 minutes to post these two message - I'm over it.

Envy I envy you--I couldn't get on Kitco all day. Metals lagged anyways.

Does anyone sane around here really believe gold could see $332 an oz next year much less this year yet? --Al

Not deflation , not inflation...It is the inability to recover monies from bad loans because you have forgotten what a good business decision is based on. This is ( of course ) the debitors ability to pay back his/her debt.
Banks in the G-7 fail and cause disaster. " Banks point their fingers to DEFAULTION" .
Banks were quoted as saying, " The taxpayer should pay to get us out of this mess. After all we have done for them! It is their fault is isn't it? We aren't going to have to pay for this mess are we? Couldn't you just put more people out of work and out on the street? We aren't going to really have to pay..."
Buy window glass and alchol and anti- depressant shares.

SEPTEMBER 18, 03:16 EDT Laotian Coffee Culture Returning
By STEVEN MARTIN PAKSE, Laos ( AP )  After decades of war and communism, the coffee culture of colonial Laos looks poised to make a comeback. The old plantations are being tended for the first time since they were abandoned by the French planters during World War II and went to seed during subsequent war, revolution and communist-era neglect. Glasses of the aromatic brew, served with a generous dollop of
sweetened-condensed milk, are again being served in humble cafes across the Southeast Asian country and entrepreneurs hope that Laotian coffee will soon be available worldwide. Eric Sisombat, a Laotian-born French citizen who returned in 1994 to start a coffee brokerage firm, said the local robusta ``is of good quality and is known in Europe to have better flavor than robusta from Vietnam and Indonesia.''
``Now, I am looking to introduce Lao coffee to markets in California,
Australia and Israel,'' Sisombat said. When the French took control of Laos in the early 20th century, they were certain that the newest addition to French Indochina was going to make France an imperial power to be reckoned with. The latte-colored Mekong River, which runs through the country, was thought to be teeming with gold dust washed down from mountains during the annual monsoon. All French colonists would have to do was pan it up and melt it down. The hopes were soon dashed  there were minuscule amounts of gold but lots of malaria. Retreating to the more hospitable high altitudes of the Bolaven Plateau in southern Laos, the French hit upon an alternative  growing coffee.
Saplings were brought in from neighboring Vietnam. The French cleared
jungle, planted trees at varying elevations, and carefully nursed the rows
of arabica and robusta. Those on the heights of the Bolaven fared best.
``The quality of the coffee was better than expected,'' said Bounchit
Sitthiboun, director of the French-funded Bolaven Plateau Rural Development Project. ``French planters left their plantations in Vietnam to grow coffee in Laos.'' By the 1940s, coffee plantations covered the plateau and the future looked bright until blight caused the trees to wither and die. Before disease-resistant hybrids could be introduced, World War II broke out, followed by two wars in Vietnam that spread to Laos, bringing first independence, then communism. By the 1980s, remaining trees had either died or gone wild. But interest in Laotian coffee has been rekindled over the last decade as the revolutionary regime that took power in 1975 gradually softened Marxist economic policies.
Foreign investment has again been directed at the old plantations. A
blight-resistant strain of arabica was introduced by French experts in
1992. The national coffee exporters association hopes to ship 20,000 tons annually by the year 2000. The vast majority of current exports go to Europe. ``The soil and climate here are perfect for coffee,'' Bounchit said. ``Come harvest time, the coffee trees are so heavy with beans, the branches sometimes snap under their weight.'' Most growers are small farmers with a few trees. Besides the always-fluctuating world coffee price, they live with another danger  unexploded bombs and other ordnance littering the plateau. Some are killed or maimed.
The coffee-drinking etiquette has a flavor all its own. The tin-drip, used
in Vietnam to filter coffee into a glass, is rare. Laotians favor pouring
hot water through a stocking-like bag filled with ground coffee.
As in Vietnam, an order of hot coffee will come in a glass half-filled with
condensed milk. But perhaps more fitting for the tropical climate is cafe
yen, in which the same concoction is mixed and poured into a mug of crushed ice

Perfect! Describes the situation exactly. I often get useful "typos" when I'm writing but I've seldom seen one that good. Mind if I steal it?

The response was much faster this go-round.

Summit on economic abyss
http://www.news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/europe/newsid_174000/174922.stm

Stocks lost as much as three-quarters of their value from their high in March before recovering somewhat in recent trading. With Friday's gain, the Bovespa has lost 38.43 percent for the year.

Brazilian stocks cap seesaw week with slight rise
http://www.foxnews.com/js_index.sml?content=/news/international/0918/i_ap_0918_114.sml

This site is real tempermental these days.I am suffering withdrawl.I think Bart must need money. Gosh I'm cheap. Would everyone else please send Bart money to keep the site up and running!!! RJ give him all the money you have made shorting!NOW!!!!

That says there will be NO Federal Police! It would appear that there stratagies are changing from using courts an intimidatin to physical violence.
I would NOT put it past them as they seem to be the most Brain-Washed and witch-
hunt indoctrinated people I have ever met. Not to mention that they seem to be completely lacking enough personal maturity to handle anything more than a razor blade, even thats probably a little much.
Nicodemus
Go gold, to the moon Alice!

That says there will be NO Federal Police! It would appear that there stratagies are changing from using courts an intimidatin to physical violence.
I would NOT put it past them as they seem to be the most Brain-Washed and witch-
hunt indoctrinated people I have ever met. Not to mention that they seem to be completely lacking enough personal maturity to handle anything more than a razor blade, even thats probably a little much.
Nicodemus
Go gold, to the moon Alice!

That says there will be NO Federal Police! It would appear that there stratagies are changing from using courts an intimidatin to physical violence.
I would NOT put it past them as they seem to be the most Brain-Washed and witch-
hunt indoctrinated people I have ever met. Not to mention that they seem to be completely lacking enough personal maturity to handle anything more than a razor blade, even thats probably a little much.
Nicodemus
Go gold, to the moon Alice!

That says there will be NO Federal Police! It would appear that there stratagies are changing from using courts an intimidatin to physical violence.
I would NOT put it past them as they seem to be the most Brain-Washed and witch-
hunt indoctrinated people I have ever met. Not to mention that they seem to be completely lacking enough personal maturity to handle anything more than a razor blade, even thats probably a little much.
Nicodemus
Go gold, to the moon Alice!

That says there will be NO Federal Police! It would appear that there stratagies are changing from using courts an intimidatin to physical violence.
I would NOT put it past them as they seem to be the most Brain-Washed and witch-
hunt indoctrinated people I have ever met. Not to mention that they seem to be completely lacking enough personal maturity to handle anything more than a razor blade, even thats probably a little much.
Nicodemus
Go gold, to the moon Alice!

That says there will be NO Federal Police! It would appear that there stratagies are changing from using courts an intimidatin to physical violence.
I would NOT put it past them as they seem to be the most Brain-Washed and witch-
hunt indoctrinated people I have ever met. Not to mention that they seem to be completely lacking enough personal maturity to handle anything more than a razor blade, even thats probably a little much.
Nicodemus
Go gold, to the moon Alice!

XAU END OF DAY SUMMARY
1998-09-18
ABX-Barrick Gold-------CLOSED AT $18.4375 0.3750 XAU CONTRIBUTION ( Est. ) 0.46
ASL-Ashanti Gold-------CLOSED AT $07.5000 -0.3750 XAU CONTRIBUTION ( Est. ) -0.13
BMG-Battle Mountain---CLOSED AT $05.2500 0.0625 XAU CONTRIBUTION ( Est. ) 0.05
CDE-Coeur D'Alene----CLOSED AT $05.3125 -0.1875 XAU CONTRIBUTION ( Est. ) -0.01
FCX-Freeport Mc-------CLOSED AT $12.3125 -0.3750 XAU CONTRIBUTION ( Est. ) -0.22
GGO-Getchell Gold-----CLOSED AT $14.2500 -0.2500 XAU CONTRIBUTION ( Est. ) -0.03
HL-Hecla Mining--------CLOSED AT $04.0000 -0.0625 XAU CONTRIBUTION ( Est. ) -0.01
HM-Homestake Gold---CLOSED AT $11.6875 0.1875 XAU CONTRIBUTION ( Est. ) 0.13
NEM-Newmont Mining-CLOSED AT $20.9375 0.1250 XAU CONTRIBUTION ( Est. ) 0.06
PDG-PlacerDome Gold-CLOSED AT $12.4375 0.3125 XAU CONTRIBUTION ( Est. ) 0.25

XAU CLOSED AT 68.03 0.57

Friday September 18, 6:41 pm Eastern Time

INSIGHT--Dollar lacks drive, may revisit lows

NEW YORK, Sept 18 ( Reuters ) - A lackluster dollar is likely to revisit its recent lows versus
both the yen and the mark in the week ahead, analysts predicted on Friday.

Dollar/yen topped out at 135.77 on Wednesday, abruptly ending a climb started at 128.90 on
September 11.

``Dollar/yen failed near 136 on Wednesday, retreating in a rather aggressive way,'' said Martin
Autotte, technical analyst at CIBC Wood Gundy. ``Dollar/yen is recovering a bit, but I expect
more weakness next week and a retest of recent lows.''

Dollar/yen closed at 132.65/75 yen versus 132.05/15 at the open and vs. 132.05/08 at the close on Thursday.

With a higher close, dollar/yen preserved two strong support levels that technical analysts at MCM CurrencyWatch put at 131.70 yen and
131.00 yen.

However, they also expected the corrective bounce to be capped in the 133.40- to 134.00-yen area, with a fresh downward drift likely to
emerge there.

Autotte shared that sentiment.

``My objective in a new downward trend is at 127.80 yen, which would be the final downleg in an Elliott-Wave move started at 147.63,''
said Autotte, referring to the high on August 11.

http://biz.yahoo.com/rf/980918/bhf.html

Good news dudes.....gold's heading higher...foooorrrr sure.

Shadowfax -- RE: What do they need this armamant for: I JUST cannot 'imagine'!!!

Bully Beef -- Defaultion -- YES! That IS what is going around, and it has NOT stopped, but only begun! ALL usury-based systems end in the same way. Cannot be ANY other way. Got a GOLD pill on hand? BUT, you better also have a lot of other needful daily goods and protection on hand too!

Lend money to people and countries who can't conceivably pay you back.Drive a Porche. Pretend you are smart.Ask the taxpayer to bail you out by paying for bad loans. All this and a free set of steak knives for $9.99. For $100 we will train to show every one you have class. Put ferns and stuff in your condo.Books on the shelf... this one time offer....

Peter Ward of LEHMAN BROTHERS must be burnin real bad cause he didn't buy gold when he should have. I'm gonna love to watch this guy BURN.

Peter Ward is forecasting an average price of AU at $290/oz for 1999. He says AU won't go above $300/oz. ( He said so today )

Well.....

LEHMAN BROTHERS STOCK IS AT ABOUT $35. LEHMAN WAS TRADING AT $80 IN JULY. THE STOCK HAS LOST ABOUT 50% of it's value in a couple of months.

I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!
YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As I've said in the past in this forum. Peter Ward is truly, I mean REALLY, one of the biggest A-Holes around.

( P.S. I hope he's shorted lots of GOLD... As I say, I'm gonna love to see him BURN BURN BURN BURN )

BART -- I cannot imagine what has slowed this site down to almost non-usefulness. Only asking for 'enlightenment' in that regard. I shall miss this site if it's availability is so impaired. Thanks.

Could someone be jamming Kitco? Maybe they hired fifty trained monkeys to continually load from the server.

I'm hoping that Jeils charts are not in the least correct,'cause if they are, a vitual cliff is just in front of us for gold stocks and perhaps the 'commodity'! In the mean time, simple support/resistance areas on ALL charts should provide adequate areas of buying/selling. KEEP your noses to those areas, whether in stocks or commodities! They ARE meaningful! I do not know how to stress this more than that! That 'see-thru-ruler' can be QUITE useful!!!

withdrawals are a b b b*tch. P P Please fix, In n need 1.

This morning, as with several mornings, I noticed that December silver would begin to rise before the open even though spot just sat there. This would particularly start to happen when gold was going down. Eventually the spot price would start to move and when it did the December silver price rise would back off.

Also this morning about a half hour before the stock market open, bothe the gold and silver prices started moving rapidly down. Once the market opened they went back to fairly normal action.

Last night and today, using Kitco became very difficult.

All just coincidence?

s l o w.

http://www.cboe.com/products/cm/sp500c_w.html

Food for thought. The S&P 500 is one of the most watched indexes in the world other than the Dow Jones Industrials. The above URL give the listing of all 500 index components. Forty three point seven one percent ( 43.71% ) of the index is comprised of just eighteen companies. These are some of the largest companies in the United States and in some cases, the world. They are;

AIG 1.18%

T 1.23%

BMY 1.27%

CSCO 1.1%

KO 2.2%

XON 1.93%

GE 3.27%

INTC 1.61%

IBM 1.4%

JNJ 1.17%

LU 1.36%

MRK 1.65%

MSFT 3.04%

PFE 1.61%

MO 1.19%

PG 1.19%

RO 1.23%

WMT 1.59%

The few gold stocks in the index generally comprise less than 0.1% percent of the index. BMG, for example, is about 0.01% of the index.

One month of drama eases

Rapid growth
Flanked
Defence shields activated

Panic sets
Damage fabricated
Sustainable future descends

Control freaks lose spin
Wind on tour of duty
Genesis green spin

Fall to focus
Target moves
Laser hot

Economists jump with rabbits
Road train hits fast
Heads become arses

Enlightenment

anyone home

Hi G.D.

Please check the chart I just made and see if I'm missing something. I'm coming up with a reasonable price for rangy, EVEN EXCLUDING ALL RANDGOLD RESOURCEE shares, AND INCLUDING ALL DEBT, of around $1.90 a share. Either my brain tumor is getting the best of me, or this price ain't gonna last long.

The DURBAN shares alone are worth 55 cents a share to rangy holders.

PB

http://www.geocities.com/~polarbear47/rangyexcel.htm

In answer to your 10:57AM post of yesterday which I only saw at 2:30 AM today and couldn't get on to post before now - I've noticed the three bears have seemed rather agitated and indecisive lately actually - thanks for asking. They've been riding around on various airplanes and rockets and submarines and have been a bit seasick most of the time the past few days. I think they are still not quite sure if they favor the DOW or Gold. Since they've been pretty partial to anything Gold in recent months/years, I've had to stay out of their way as much as possible of course - because of the color of my hair.

I am.

I dint expect that to work, I am at a different computer in a different county ( hello from wet Melbourne ) but got through with my password.

I've been down some old gold mines in Victoria, seen the Site of the Eureka Stockade, and the best darned collection of gold coins I've ever seen at the Gold Museum in Ballarat.

Heck, my 5 year old nephew by marriage has been over here for 4 years, he speaks stryne and loves aussie rules foottie. makes me proud.

You might try appeasing them with porridge. I understand they like it. Some say, though, that they are kind of picky about the temperature.

You have a president of these here United States who has a 'scorched earth' policy in force against those who are following a constitutionally mandated course against him. Something about FBI files comes to mind, but I seem to have forgotten what it was... ;- ) In sum, anything is possible. Why not 'have' a market crash and then have the president ride in as a 'White Knight' to save the day? Hell, with all those FBI files... ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE. I wonder if AG or RR could be in those files?????? Nah.... Bubba wouldn't do that. :- ) )

September 18, 1998

Was the Wizard a story for kids or a political satire?

SOUTH BEND, Ind. ( AP ) -- Roger Baum and Michael Genovese agree on one thing -- Toto was just a dog.

-- The Tin Woodman is the industrial worker, left heartless by dehumanizing work in factories.
-- The brainless Scarecrow is the farmer, not intelligent enough to recognize his political interests.
-- The Cowardly Lion is Williams Jennings Bryan, a leader in the Populist movement ridiculed for having more bark than bite.
-- The Wizard is any one of several presidents in office in the late 1800s trying to be everything to everybody but were just common men, ruling others through deception.
-- The wicked witches of the East and West are the capitalists and bankers who kept the "little people" -- that would be the munchkins -- in bondage.

Baum said. "This is all insane."

http://www.freecartoons.com/WorldTicker/CANOE-wire.Theories-of-Oz.html

gollum
hey there fly buddy. wazz hapenning with the flight schedules for next week? gotta go now, back in a bit and will check in then, with excess baggage, he he. ( found me some nice coins hereabouts )

nick@candleburra
saw me a host of kangaroos at the golf course in Ararat, like golf these roos, eh?

I wouldn't doubt anything. Nor believe either, I guess.

There sure are a lot of things that go bump in the night.

Ever since they've been travelling so much lately, the'vey developed more sophisticated tastes. One day they'll only eat Thai lemon grass soup - the next day it's sushi - then they want only borscht for a while, and just recently they seem to be getting very interested in having a nice fejoada. But I have noticed that perhaps soon they may consider the idea of resuming a European and American diet. Then we can try some porridge on them and see if they have a higher or lower interest in that than the last time I tried.

Ever since they've been travelling so much lately, the'vey developed more sophisticated tastes. One day they'll only eat Thai lemon grass soup - the next day it's sushi - then they want only borscht for a while, and just recently they seem to be getting very interested in having a nice fejoada. But I have noticed that perhaps soon they may consider the idea of resuming a European and American diet. Then we can try some porridge on them and see if they have a higher or lower interest in that than the last time I tried.

Gold unchanged. Silver fell 353,550.

Sorry

Apparently these aren't Russian bears. Actually their tastes are so high class one would almost think they were bulls.

The ECB will restrict gold sales from member CBs in Jan 1999.
I believe they will also change the lease rates to initiate a
rise in gold to at least double the present price. By raising the
lease rates only 3%, they would reduce the forward rate to zero and
kill the gold carry. This would be tantamount to a short trap.
Gold explodes, dollar declines, and the Euro's acceptance is
assured as the next reserve currency for the world. A doubling of
the POG would raise the effective backing of the EURO by gold to
30% from 15%. The exchange losses the ECB would take in dollars
would be balanced by the gains in POG in those same dollars.
This is the reason I have held on to all my gold shares. Although
this is likely the intended scenario, the situation is dangerously
explosive, and the CBs could lose control. Look what they have had to
do to keep the gold carry alive and control POG. They have had to
reduce one month lease rates to 0.36%! This means that European
CBs have been willing to lend gold at next to nothing to induce
speculators to short it at prices that everybody recognizes are
near or at the bottom. I would not short gold at these levels even
if they leased gold for free. I wonder if they will lease it for
free. We may find out. This market is pretty hairy right now.
I think we may see some threatened or even actual CB sales on the spot
market if gold threatens the $300 threshold.

Sorry for answering your post from this morning so late, but
I manage a few posts early in the day, and then must run for work.
I don't catch up on the days action until night.

Tom Hixson and I are comparing notes to see if we can come to
some conclusions on the extent of CB manipulation of the gold market
via leases. Bart thinks leases are a straight formula calculation
related to futures prices and interest rates. I suspect the lease
rates are set arbitrarily for affect by the CBs. Why would any bank
lend money ( real money ) at .36%!!????? We will post our conclusions.

Rhody.

Gov't computers repeatedly loading full pages of our posts will bring Bart's server to its knees. Nothing so forward as direct censorship since Kitco is Canadian. But just as effective - and nobody can trace it!

In Russia they have the rouble

though some would spell it ruble

although now spelling is no trouble

Because we can call it rubble

Burma Shave

thank you for Rangy Web-page, why this stock lingers so low is beyond me!
.......could not go on kitco all day, suffered severe withdrawal symptoms
and started to cut the grass and cleaned the house in sheer desperation,
greetings
l_b

Kinda like interest rates in Japan and the Yen carry trade, hunh?

LEHMAN BROTHERS COMMENTS ON THE OUTLOOK FOR GOLD MINING--In a report by Peter D. Ward of Lehman Brothers, issued early Friday morning: "We are lowering our 1998 and 1999 average gold price estimates to $290 per ounce from $300 per ounce. The current First Call forecast for 1999 is $322 per ounce. We are concerned $300 per ounce may prove to be a technical ceiling for this market. We are continuing with our sector underweight recommendation . . . . For any investors still fearful of inflation, there are inflation indexed US Treasuries. For investors fearful of inflation and overexposure to the US dollar, France this week successfully issued its first inflation indexed bond. We expect other countries to do the same thus further diminishing gold's allure as an inflation hedge. Inflation indexed bonds maintain their value and pay interest which, in our opinion, makes them significantly more attractive than gold as a safe haven investment. We've heard from several people recently who suggest that gold equities are oversold this year since the XAU gold equity index is down while gold is actually up year to date. We disagree. The oversold theory suggests that gold equities should move about 3% ( or more ) for every 1% move in gold prices. We view the widely quoted "3 to 1" rule as overly simplistic. Even if the "3 to 1" rule did have analytical validity, it does not lead us to a bullish conclusion. For example, the price of gold has declined by about 30% since its peak in 1996. The "3 to 1" rule would, therefore, imply a 90% correction in gold equities when the XAU has only corrected about 55%".

GOLD MINING OUTLOOK COMMENTS ON LEHMAN BROTHERS--In direct rebuttal to Peter Ward's comments, it must be remembered that inflation-linked notes, like any paper asset, are only as good as the authority which has issued them. Gold is an asset which has no corresponding liability. If one were currently holding inflation notes denominated in Russian rubles, one would be receiving large quantities of rubles in interest, but they would hardly be considered a prudent investment. Even if one assumes that the U.S. does not experience hyperinflation, if the dollar is declining at a faster rate than the rate of inflation, then one would still lose money with inflation-adjusted notes, whereas gold mining equities would be appreciating substantially in value. Most importantly, there is a critical mass of investors who are not satisfied with the modest single-digit returns available from inflation-linked Treasuries, even if the dollar remains strong, and who seek alternatives to the stock market which have the potential for double-digit gain. Gold mining shares are one of the few such investments which do not correlate positively with the overall equity market. Of course the 3 to 1 "rule" is an oversimplification as are many useful rules of thumb. As for Lehman Brothers' overall trading skills and reliability, their stock price speaks for itself: currently at 34, down 3-5/16 Friday; from their July 13 peak of 85, this represents a 60% drop in just over two months. Although the reason for this decline is sheer speculation on my part, if they are holding positions similar to most of the other firms on the Street, they are probably long stocks on margin and short gold on margin. Since they have certainly lost money in the stock market, by their own admission, it is possible that a rise in the price of gold would squeeze them at both ends and put them in serious financial trouble. Since the gold market is much smaller than the stock market, it is possible that talking down the price of gold is a necessary survival strategy for Lehman Brothers ( and, by extension, for their clients ) . As a comment to Peter Ward, I have learned the hard way that it is dangerous to make a prediction such as "$300 an ounce may prove to be a technical ceiling", since the day that gold goes above $300 an ounce, one is immediately discredited. Finally, I quote from the last line of the report, just before the copyright: "The Lehman Brothers analyst who covers this company also has position [sic] in its securities." Enough said!

Unwinding and s-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g my legs after the binding week of Bart's "Brady" policy.

I've been lurking for 2-3 weeks and am glad I found this place.

It's nice to share the madness.

Go GOLD.

MiloT

I expect Monday's trading to be lighter due to the religious holiday, so after today's triple witch is sub running on the surface? This ride has been a bit to pat so far. The Loui R.show's panelists were in solid denial. The 'crash' has happened according to Marty Zweig ( no Marty, it hasn't yet ) , the other two panelists looked a little shell shocked and were talking about 'all of the GREAT values out there' You know, that's how I felt about gold stocks for the previous two years. It's a funny thing though, they always seemed to somehow become 'better' values as time progressed. :- )

Just call me, 'waiting for the next leg down'. Hmmmm, let me think here. What could cause this next leg down to happen????? Maybe I should check the latest video's at the local Congressional printing office in my neighborhood. :- ) )

- at least so far. They mostly seem to be very confused bears with rather advanced cases of motion sickness. But lets hope that if they maintain their taste for gold, that they do turn out to be bulls. Maybe you could try to see that they get really good seats and all the gourmet food they want on any of your flights ( or submarine trips ) next week - that might make them happier too.

Welcome to the cuckoo's nest.

I HAVE SEEN THAT KITCO'S SERVER CANNOT GIVE THE SIGNAL TO END THE TRANSMISSION.
GEORGE CONFIRMED THAT LAST NIGHT. HE, AS I, GET A BLANK SCREEN AT THE NORMAL END OF TRANSMISSIOM FROM THE SERVER. UNLESS YOU HIT THE STOP BUTTON ON THE BROWSER, IT WILL HANG.
IT ISN'T THE GOVERNMENT, GRIZZ, ALTHOUGH THAT IS A HEALTHY THOUGHT.

HIT THE STOP BUTTON ON YOUR BROWSER WHEN YOU ESTIMATE THAT THE TEXT YOU WANT TO READ HAS BEEN LOADED, THEN HIT STOP SEVERAL MORE TIMES.
I SENT BART AN E-MAIL ON THIS.

MAYBE WE SHOULD KICK IN A BIT OF MONEY TO KITCO TO GET SOMEONE TO DIAGNOSE AND REPAIR THIS DEBILITATING PROBLEM.

P.S. I AM FROM WISCONSIN, AS CHEESEHEAD IS, THEREFORE I SHOUT.

Yesterday and today were both very flat markets after their morning histrionics. The market is looking for direction. Greepspan and Rubin's talks and Starr;s report are in the rearview mirror now.

There is, however, fire in the hole. It takes a few weeks to a month for news of seriously hit banks or brokerages to hit the street. Not to mention the Japanese bank thing.

And then there is the treasury bond thing. Yen carry, gold carry, probably everything including kitchen sink carry, has been cashing in, leasing, and selling things in order to buy treasuries. It has taken tons of dollars out of the markets in order to buy treasuries and driven commodities down.

Eventually it will all unwind.

Some time ago, you graciously enlightened us on the finer elements of a "tupping crayon". In as much as tupping is the topic du jour here in 'Merica, I think it only fair to inform you that, according to an article in today's Oregonian, the 'Mericans have one upped the tupping crayon.

It was only a matter of time. I'm sure you would agree.

It seems that the problem of determining who has been tupped and who hasn't has been solved by means of a device commercially known as the "Heat watch". Consisting of a radio transmitter mounted upon the party appointed as "receiver", or more colloquially as the "serviced", it is activated by weight of the second party commonly referred to as the "servicer", ..... or in archly pedestrian terms, the stud bull.

Such weight, it is expressly assumed, being applied in the process of romantic ardor and not in a frivolous, though equally countable, game of leap frog.

While lacking the elegant simplicity of the tupping crayon, it does boast an uncanny ability to maintain a running account of servicings but, as yet, is unable to determine the degree of promiscuity. Often of interest in a society such as ours. As current events will, no doubt, attest.

At the same time, chip manufacturers, reportedly, are excited about the potential expansion of their markets as well. Recognizing, as we must, that there is precious little revenue to be got from the manufacture of simple crayons for the marking of procreation. While we are told by all that more chips mean more jobs at good wages. ..... Or something like that.

So, there you have it. On this day in history, we are witness to a modern analog of the buggy whip manufacture. The passing of the old and the birth of the new ( so to speak ) .......... and truly remarkable.

I was thinking of giving them windoe seats, but then I thought that due to the nature of some of these journeys it night be better to keep them away from anywhere they could see outside.

I think I;ll retire early this evening. I've got to get up early tomorrow to fis a wheel bearing. G'night.

If the US Gubbmint could attach tupping crayons to their prezzies and 'Heat Watch' to all White House interns, then the US public wouldn't have to wait for it to come out on video. Just a suggestion so that American taxpayers can see where their money is going.

In your big Spring write-up on RANGY, you stated that RANGY owned
6% of Harmony. Since I bought RANGY after your promotion, I have
been valuing 6% of Harmony into my calculations. Now, on your web
site, I see that you are only showing options to buy 4.4 mil. shares.
I was thinking RANGY was a cheap way to buy both DROOY and HGMCY. Now,
I'm a little miffed. What's the discrepancy here? Thanks in advance.

rhody: I like your scenario.

Question: How do you weaken the US dollar for the EURO launch, if you are rich in gold reserves?

Answer: Dump US dollars or buy gold at current bargain fire sale prices, causing the US/gold carry trade to fizzle. The US dollar falls, basically as quickly as you want it to. Little harm done to the EURO, as very little of the world trade is in EURO's only, though there is risk to the Mark and other EMU currencies. Also, the value of your 'excess' gold reserves goes up, and if necessary, you wait for the price of gold to rise, sell a little CB gold to strengthen the EURO. ( As I recall, member countries cannot sell gold, but the EURO CB can.

The only problem with this scenario is that if you drop the US dollar too fast ( by buying gold ) , you could put the world's financial system at risk. Regardless, the holders of the gold can hold the gold-poor world hostage.

What other scenario could mess this up?

1 ) Russian civil war

Result - gold and the US dollar go up together due to 'flight to

safety' Hard to tell if we are about to have a Russian revolution.

2 ) EURO meltdown due to excessive debt, recession, and fears about

Russia. Gold and the US dollar go up due to 'flight to safety'.

This will happen after a honeymoon period of at least 6 months after

1/99.

Notice that in all of the above scenarios, gold goes up?

There is only one scenario where gold might go down, or at least not go up. And that is -- continued deflation in the US, with a continued strong US dollar. More and more unlikely given the WJC situation. I would guess that WJC will resign in January or so, so that Al Gore has a fighting chance for two Democratic terms. However, he may get pulled down in WJC's suction. It will be hard for people to forget the bad taste of WJC, IMHO.

My trading horizon keep growing shorter and shorter... After watching Wall Street Week ( for mostly entertainment purposes only :- ) ) , I get the feeling that these guys are expecting the phoenix, I mean bull, to magically arise from this smoldering ash heap. It is true that there stocks that are going up. The thing that everyone seems to forget, or ignore, is the nature of bear markets. There are short sharp rallies, then sudden and often dramatic failures. Price targets to the upside are approached, but usually fail before hitting the price target. The rallies are said to be the bulls buying, but I believe the truth to be more along the lines of short covering by bears who can't believe how lucky they 'got'.

Yup, Marty says we had a crash and now we trade in a range for several months. I think we're waiting for the other shoe to drop. An interesting thing that Marty did say was that he was trading the range. SO, I guess he's out there long and short and doing that evil market timing thing.............

Rhody tells us of the ridiculous lease rate situation in gold. Long bond just hit new highs. Curiouser and curiouser.

So when are you going to take the M-1A tank out for a test drive? I think they're cheaper to run than sub and they turn better to.

Similarly, should the IRS issue and mandate the wearing of a "Heatwatch" by each taxpayer, there would be immediate of evidence of who has been adequately tupped.

By their names shall we know them. ....... and it's not called the Internal Revenue SERVICE for a lack of functional effect on the taxpayer.

Damn. Site access is really slow.

All: There is one very important point in all of this. WJC was not given any time to make up a rebuttal -- and there is no way for this to leak out fast enough, even if the impeachment committee inadvertently leaked it.

What does that mean? Namely, that there are many congresspersons who want WJC out of the way.

In my opinion, IMHO, the only reason impeachment proceedings are not beginning right now, is that Congress will not act until the public is solidly behind them. Well -- it won't take long now.

All: Looks like Congress is looking in to the ( possibly treasonous ) activity in the Department of Commerce regarding communications satellites ( and security codes? ) . Finally, they are waking up.

What is interesting if the Clinton administration is saying that Commerce is doing it better than Defense. And the comeback seems to be --from income from 'contributions'?

The tide is shifting -- all in the timespan of only about a month. Two more months and the movers and shakers will be visiting WJC to give him an ultimatum. Resign now with protection from prosecution, or fall in complete disgrace later.

http://cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/stories/1998/09/18/satellite.commerce/

Perhaps the spot price you are referring to is Comex Sept. Silver.

If so, this contract's open interest is now less than 160 contracts.

December Silver's open interest is now more than 50,000 contracts.

Most of the total daily volume of Comex Silver is now in the December contract.

The September contract trades only sporadically, now. It is not generally a good indicator of current silver prices. Its settlement price, though, is significant.

Russia is a powderkeg isn't it?

There is a fellow named Richard Mayberry who writes an Early Warning Report. He has a site at http://www.chaostan.com

There is a further pointer from that site to http://www.russiatoday.com
that is also illuminating to read.

New guy on the block.
Does IMHO have anything to do with IMO. I've been watching posts for awhile ... 3 weeks ... and still don't get it. Help me, and then give me Sh** ... if it is required.

Milo

Interesting, isn't it?

And in the USA, banks are being warned about indiscriminate lending. Isn't that like increasing computer chip production when the profit margin goes down due to decreased demand?

Human nature seems to have a perverse streak that introduces a nonlinear catastrophic endpoint to failing markets of all flavors. Everyone piles in to get more and more of less and less when the end is near, making matters worse.