GOLD

[Aussie]

I checked to see if they would ship overseas. Here's their reply


Thank you for your recent inquiry. At this time, due to insurance restrictions, we are unable to ship internationally. We are currently working with different carriers to determine the best fit for our needs. If we are able to find a carrier that fits our needs, notification will be sent out to all account holders. I do apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Should you have any questions, or require any further information, please do not hesitate to let me know.
Respectfully
Brandon Stewart
American Precious Metals Exchange
www.APMEX.com

Sorry Arco, that wasn't meant to be a suggestion for a purchase. I have been down that road as well . . .

I have ordered several times over the past two years from Larry LaBorde at www.silvertrading.net - he's a class act and sent me my delivery insured via FedEx. I had no issues with GST or NZ Customs, it was very easy.

Another good US source that ships down-under is Gainsville Coins in Florida.

http://www.gainesvillecoins.com

[Aussie]

Why is it so hard to get the physical gold?

Merrill Lynch says rich turning to gold bars for safety

Attachment 1160

By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard
The Telegraph, London
Thursday, January 8, 2009

Merrill Lynch has revealed that some of its richest clients are so alarmed by the state of the financial system and signs of political instability around the world that they are now insisting on the purchase of gold bars, shunning derivatives or "paper" proxies.

Gary Dugan, the chief investment officer for the US bank, said there has been a remarkable change in sentiment. "People are genuinely worried about what the world is going to look like in 2009. It is amazing how many clients want physical gold, not ETFs," he said, referring to exchange trade funds listed in London, New York, and other bourses.

"They are so worried they want a portable asset in their house. I never thought I would be getting calls from clients saying they want a box of krugerrands," he said.

Merrill predicted that gold would soon blast through its all time-high of $1,030 an ounce, and would hit $1,150 by June.

The metal should do well whatever happens. If deflation sets in and rocks the economic system it will serve as a safe-haven, but if massive monetary stimulus gains traction and sets off inflation once again it will also come into its own as a store of value. "It's win-win either way," said Mr Dugan.

He added that deflation may prove the greater risk in coming months. "It's very difficult to get the deflation psychology out of the human brain once prices start falling. People stop buying things because they think it will be cheaper if they wait."

Merrill expects global inflation to hover near zero, with rates of minus 1pc in the industrial economies. This means that yields on AAA sovereign bonds now at 3pc will offer a real return of 4pc a year, which is stellar in this grim climate. "Don't start selling your government bonds," Mr Dugan said, dismissing talk of a bond bubble as misguided.

He warned that the eurozone was likely to come under strain this year as slump deepens. "There is going to be friction as governments in the south start talking politically about coming out of the euro.

I don't see the tensions in Greece as a one-off. It is a sign of social strain in countries that have lost competitiveness."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/f...or-safety.html

[shasta]

Merrill Lynch says rich turning to gold bars for safety

Attachment 1160

By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard
The Telegraph, London
Thursday, January 8, 2009

Merrill Lynch has revealed that some of its richest clients are so alarmed by the state of the financial system and signs of political instability around the world that they are now insisting on the purchase of gold bars, shunning derivatives or "paper" proxies.

Gary Dugan, the chief investment officer for the US bank, said there has been a remarkable change in sentiment. "People are genuinely worried about what the world is going to look like in 2009. It is amazing how many clients want physical gold, not ETFs," he said, referring to exchange trade funds listed in London, New York, and other bourses.

"They are so worried they want a portable asset in their house. I never thought I would be getting calls from clients saying they want a box of krugerrands," he said.

Merrill predicted that gold would soon blast through its all time-high of $1,030 an ounce, and would hit $1,150 by June.

The metal should do well whatever happens. If deflation sets in and rocks the economic system it will serve as a safe-haven, but if massive monetary stimulus gains traction and sets off inflation once again it will also come into its own as a store of value. "It's win-win either way," said Mr Dugan.

He added that deflation may prove the greater risk in coming months. "It's very difficult to get the deflation psychology out of the human brain once prices start falling. People stop buying things because they think it will be cheaper if they wait."

Merrill expects global inflation to hover near zero, with rates of minus 1pc in the industrial economies. This means that yields on AAA sovereign bonds now at 3pc will offer a real return of 4pc a year, which is stellar in this grim climate. "Don't start selling your government bonds," Mr Dugan said, dismissing talk of a bond bubble as misguided.

He warned that the eurozone was likely to come under strain this year as slump deepens. "There is going to be friction as governments in the south start talking politically about coming out of the euro.

I don't see the tensions in Greece as a one-off. It is a sign of social strain in countries that have lost competitiveness."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/f...or-safety.html

When i said Gold would be over $US1,000/oz by end of 2009, you can see how it will unfold now surely?

Try buying the physical bullion (Gold/Silver) & tell me the price of them isn't heading north...

[Aussie]

I thought this was interesting

Have you noticed over the past couple of days that Crude Oil has firmed up off its lows? At the same time, Gold has faltered. What is important to note about this is the fact that the major commodity indexes are due to rebalance their weightings within their respective indexes, as they do annually.

I wouldn't trust anything that JP Morgan or Goldman says . . . they are the two major banks of the criminal cartel that has controlled the markets for decades.

Together they act as proxies for the US Treasury and Fed in daily market interventions in all major markets. They are also the banks that hold massive, seemingly permanent short positions in gold and silver on the CRIMEX yet amazingly never seem to attract the attention of the CFTC. The US markets have been rigged by these big banks from top to bottom and side to side.

[shasta]

I wouldn't trust anything that JP Morgan or Goldman says . . . they are the two major banks of the criminal cartel that has controlled the markets for decades.

Together they act as proxies for the US Treasury and Fed in daily market interventions in all major markets. They are also the banks that hold massive, seemingly permanent short positions in gold and silver on the CRIMEX yet amazingly never seem to attract the attention of the CFTC. The US markets have been rigged by these big banks from top to bottom and side to side.

...and what happens when they have to cover there shorts

[JBmurc]

...and what happens when they have to cover there shorts

They'll prob try sell some paper Gold to cover their asses as there's no-way they have the physical,remember these guys have the backing of the Bush US goverment an now -Obama- which was massively supported by the big banks
What I'm hoping is the demand of physical from outside the US will put so much pressure on the fake short selling they'll have to let the price rise

[Aussie]

...and what happens when they have to cover there shorts

shasta, from all the info I have gathered, this is the way that I understand it . . .

I don't think they can cover because they are massively naked - they don't really have the gold! Since these short positions are so enormous and held by just two or three banks, you would think any diligent regulatory authority would be vigilant to make sure such positions are real and being managed properly and are not being held for manipulative purposes - which they clearly are.

The easy way for it to be resolved would be for the CFTC to ask the banks for independent audit details or have an inspection of their holdings, but the COMEX is so crooked and the system so bankrupt that it will never happen. It's a self supporting, self reinforcing web of lies and corruption. It cannot be resolved without these major banks losing $100's of billions as the price of gold rises and we know they will not allow that to happen without a huge fight.

The gold suppression scheme is actually one of the root causes of the crisis we face today as it has been (through the early nineties to now) the cornerstone of the US "strong dollar policy", which is to say that it is a policy based on market manipulation and fraud not fundament worth. We can thank Larry Summers and Robert Rubin for this during the Clinton Administration. They have allowed the world's reserve currency to be so horribly mismanaged for the benefit of the policy makers and insiders and to the detriment of the American people, foreign investors and bond holders and now Summers is back in the Obama administration as a "senior advisor", Geithner from the NY fed is running Treasury, Rubin has this morning quit Citi - you know he's going to turn up in the gov't mix somewhere. . . it's all the same players playing the same game. This is compelling evidence that Obama is simply the "new face" of the status quo and ultimately they are ALL working for the same masters of the financial universe . . . who allow them and their "inside" supporters to collectively rort the system and get fabulously rich.

If gold had not been suppressed, interest rates and the money supply in the US would NEVER have been able to reach bubble status and the banks would not have made their $Trillions in the dot com bubble and the real estate bubble with their derivatives and structured "products". In fact, the entire fake financial services industry that is now collapsing would never had grown to such a dangerous size.

By mobilizing the gold reserves of the American people into the market (without their knowledge) and coercing other central banks into 1999's "Washington Accord", they have effectively disconnected the world's financial alarm system by capping gold while making enormous fortunes that have disappeared God knows where and we are now all paying the price - even here in little 'ol NZ.

Now they (the bullion banks) are in real trouble because they cannot re-acquire and return the massive amounts of central bank gold that has been leased to them over the years without driving the price far higher and losing $billions in the process. So the only thing they can do is keep digging that short hole deeper hoping that something will happen to allow them to escape their desperate situation.

The US gold reserves have not been officially audited since the mid 1950's - why is that? If the world was to ever find out that maybe 1/2 of the US's 8,133 tonnes of gold is gone - forever - sold into the market over a period of decades to support an-otherwise insupportable USD, what do you think would happen to the dollar, the credibility of the USA and the entire dollar based financial system? What do you think the American people would do? I shudder to think. Like I've said before, this is as serious as serious gets.

Huge problems are now brewing in the bond market as the US prepares to try and sell an unfathomable amount of debt to a world that is already saturated with American debt and has lost faith in the global dollar system. Think about the arrogance of a government that is not asking, but expecting the world to literally GIVE it money at interest rates that essentially mean FREE, without which (according to them) economic recovery in America will be impossible.

Do we really think the Europeans, Russians, Saudis and Chinese are happy with the way things are at the moment? Do we think they aren't making their own plans right now? Plans that will drastically reduce or eliminate their future financial dependence on America and it's once mighty dollar. This has the potential to produce a very, very dangerous future geo-political situation by a financially cornered USA. Losing it's AAA rating or reserve currency status would be hugely de-stabilizing.

Anyone who invests in longer term US Treasury bonds from now on is virtually flushing their money away. At the very least they will get their principal back in heavily devalued currency receiving a 30 or 40 percent loss for their generosity - at worst they face total loss.

Watch the spreads on the Treasury bond credit default swaps. They are already rising and are higher than those on lot of corporate debt and will likely explode prior to a US default or currency collapse. What a stupid waste of money this is. Are these idiot financial managers really expecting to be made whole by insolvent institutions like AIG for the losses on their "safe" government investment when this event occurs. They will lose twice.

The global interest in gold as an alternative to US gov't debt in a zero interest environment is just starting to gather steam. The gold problem they created is now beginning to really cook them. Once interest rates start rising, as they will have to in order to continue to attract waning capital, the enormous interest rate derivative positions held "off balance sheet" by JP Morgan, Citi and Goldman will explode them all from the inside out. They thought they had interest rates under control, they thought the game was permanently rigged. But it is not. There is much more pain to be endured in the coming 12-36 months. This is why even the herculean reflation efforts of the Fed and Treasury will be seen as miniscule once the $10's and $100's of Trillion in derivatives start to fall.

All I can say is that anyone who has not seriously considered acquiring at least SOME physical gold as part of their portfolio is risking much. Get some while you still can, because (in my opinion) in the not too distant future a loss of confidence in US government debt will create a historic stampede into precious metals that will be so huge that (for the average person) physical gold will simply be . . . unavailable.

[arco]

World official gold holdings (September 2008) Table

If these facts are still correct US hold 27.3%- worth approximately $241 billion (July 2008)

The IMF gold reserves refers to 3,217 tonnes of gold also held by the International Monetary Fund. It is currently priced at $42 a troy ounce ($1,370/kg) for accounting purposes.

Full table.....................
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Official_gold_reserves

[Aussie]

World official gold holdings (September 2008) Table

If these facts are still correct US hold 27.3%- worth approximately $241 billion (July 2008)

The IMF gold reserves refers to 3,217 tonnes of gold also held by the International Monetary Fund. It is currently priced at $42 a troy ounce ($1,370/kg) for accounting purposes.

Full table.....................
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Official_gold_reserves

Arco, It's my understanding that the figure for the IMF is subject to some dispute. GATA thinks that gold is being double counted since the IMF's gold may in fact only be a "claim" against the actual gold reserves of it's member nations. This is supported by the fact that IMF gold sales have to be approved by the governments of member nations and the US Congress.

It's interesting to ponder how much debt could be erased from the books of world governments by a large re-valuation of gold. Makes you wonder . . .

[ScrappyO]

Ive been watching gold over the past 2yrs and have noticed a pattern that whenever trading starts on the New York Nymex that the price of gold rockets up or down...

Example the last few days..
http://www.kitco.com/charts/livegold.html