Money For Nothing

Truth and Consequences of Fed Money Printing

"Don’t be persuaded by the theory that the dollar is invulnerable … that inflation is dead … or that none of this really matters. Above all, don’t let anyone talk you out of protective investments. Indeed, the same investments that can help shield you from the consequences of the Fed’s folly also have the potential to deliver some of the greatest profit bonanzas of this era. Our editors are continually scouring the globe for the best opportunities at the best time. Today, I want to set the stage by taking you on a tour through time — to help you experience the consequences of central bank money printing … and to see the fortunes that can be lost, or made, as a result." Continue reading →

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Bill Bonner: Why the Crowd Is About to Get Destroyed in US Stocks

"In the US, as in Japan, QE does not help stimulate a real recovery. But it does help simulate one. House prices are up (thanks, in part, to ultra-low mortgage rates). The middle class has more 'wealth' (albeit the paper kind) due to gains in their stock market portfolios. The rich are feeling fat and sassy, too. The Fed can continue modest tapering. But this is likely to produce a selloff in the stock market. Then the Fed will stop tapering. But it will be too late to reverse the damage to equities. They will go down for many years… bringing us even closer to the Japanese model. Our guess now is that this situation will persist for a few years." Continue reading →

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Weather seems to blame for U.S. slowdown, Fed’s Yellen says

"Unusually harsh winter weather appears to be behind recent signs of weakness in the U.S. economy, Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen said on Thursday, suggesting the central bank was poised to press forward in ratcheting back its stimulus. Testifying to the Senate Banking Committee, Yellen said the Fed would watch carefully to ensure weather was indeed the culprit, but she reiterated that it would take a 'significant change' to the economy's prospects for the Fed to put plans to wind down its bond-buying program on hold. The world's largest economy added fewer than 200,000 jobs combined in December and January, well below expectations." Continue reading →

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The Bearish/Bullish Conundrum

"At some point there will be a breakdown. Real market forces will reassert themselves. But 'when' is not easy to discern. I personally know people who are continually trying to sell this market short and are surrendering over and over because the timing is not right. The IPO market is revving up; top central banking doves are in place; the JOBS Act is ready to pour its promotions on receptive investors around the world; central banks are coordinating money printing in ways never seen before; gold remains down. It is sensible to predict the demise of this empyrean equity fairy tale. But those elite bankers controlling the central banking money printing have different ideas." Continue reading →

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Austrian Economics, Central Bank Disasters and the Housing Bottom

"Business cycles are in a sense predictable because the entire economic environment is structured via central bank money printing. It is this artificiality that makes Austrian economic forecasting viable. What one can never predict, of course, is the timing of the 'turning.' Exactly where we are in the business cycle is uncertain, though again, one can certainly point out that we are in a precious metals bull market, even despite the recent difficulties of gold. This particular pro-metals market started early in the 2000s and may well continue until we reach a precious metals 'mania' of sorts as we saw in the 1970s. The only way to puncture something like that in the short term is to raise interest rates." Continue reading →

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Keiser Report: Pickpockets Rule UK?

"In this episode of the Keiser Report, Max Keiser and Stacy Herbert discuss the beggar economy in which the biggest pickpockets rule. They look at the London Gold Fix, in particular, where every day for the past more than twenty years, pockets were picked every single day, according to the data. In the second half, Max interviews precious metals expert, James Turk, about his new book, 'The Money Bubble,' and about the dollar, gold and Bitcoin." Continue reading →

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3 Urgent Steps for the Ultimate Strategy in 2014!

"There’s no doubt we’re living in crazy times. Despite a slight reduction in the amount of unbacked money it prints every month, the Fed is still burying the world in unbacked paper dollars. Despite a 'budget deal,' the massive federal debt is nearing the $18 trillion mark and annual deficits are still massive. Despite the trillions Washington has poured into the economy over six years, growth is still sub-par. Despite Washington’s claims to the contrary, the real unemployment rate, measured the way our government used to, is still 13.2 percent. Yet this year alone, the S&P 500 has hit nearly four dozen new all-time highs in 2013. So what’s the wisest wealth-building strategy in times like these?" Continue reading →

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Bill Bonner: Avoid This Popular Stock in 2014…

"All eyes have been fixed on the stock market in 2013. But one of the most significant moves has happened in supposedly 'safe haven' bonds. Mom & Pop investors who rushed out of the stock market and into bond funds have been burned. In 2013, investors holding the iShares Barclay’s 20+yr Treasury Bond ETF lost 13.5%. This is strange, because the Fed has been supporting the long end of the Treasury market with $540 billion of Treasury bond purchases under QE3. If this is how long-bond investors are rewarded with the Fed set to buy another half trillion dollars of long bonds next year, it doesn’t bode well for bond bulls. Our advice: Steer clear of T-bonds in 2014." Continue reading →

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Paul Krugman Is Wrong: Bitcoin Isn’t Evil, But Monetary ‘Stimulus’ Is

"Krugman asserts that bitcoin is evil because it is a 'weapon intended to damage central banking' and makes it harder for states to tax and monitor people. He gets it exactly backwards. A weapon is a tool used to attack someone. But bitcoin users aren’t attacking anyone; they are avoiding an attack. As the tax burden grows heavier, and surveillance intrudes more deeply, it’s reasonable for people to seek shelter. They just want to protect themselves." Continue reading →

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Bill Bonner: Should You Turn Bullish in 2014?

"As far as we know, as long as the Fed keeps pumping, prices for stocks, Andy Warhol doodles and Manhattan apartments will keep going up. But that doesn’t mean any of them are good investments. Stocks, for example, are an option on a bigger Fed-induced bubble. But they’re not cheap. A simple look at the 12-month “as reported” P/E for the S&P 500 will tell you that. Could this continue? Yes, of course. Or, it could blow sky-high. Yes – 2013 was one for the history books; 2014 almost surely will be, too." Continue reading →

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