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The U.S. Federal Reserve has aggressively
inflated our money supply during the past dozen years. It
has performed this act in its effort to stimulate our economy
and forestall a potentially damaging period of economic
weakness. Prior to this time, and in ever increasing amounts
as the years passed, dollar credits have hemorrhaged from
our nation. This was largely the result of our unending
and expanding balance of payments deficits that were primarily
caused by three events: 1. the increased liquidity in our
banking system that was generated by the issuance of inflationary
purchasing media, 2. the wide-spread availability of enticing,
cheap goods offered by our trading partners, and 3.the dollar
has depreciated against other currencies which raised the
dollar cost of their offered items.
The expatriated U.S. dollars resulting from this massive
dollar outflow entered and swelled the central bank coffers
of our trading partners. This circumstance has systematically
forced foreign countries to increase their own monetary
aggregates and threatens to spread inflation around the
globe.
The transfer of dollars from the U.S. to other countries
resulted in the temporary exportation of inflation from
the U.S. to those lands receiving our dollars. If this did
not occur and the dollars remained within our monetary system,
the U.S. would have already seriously suffered from inflation.
Remember, inflation is essentially caused by the over-issuance
of purchasing media, in this case dollars. In effect, as
the amount of circulating money increases while the quantity
of available goods and services remains essentially constant,
too many dollars are chasing the same goods, and nominal
prices are bid up by supply and demand.
Through a series of banking system transactions, much of
the foreign money acquired by a business or individual ultimately
winds up in the vaults of their country's central bank.
When a central bank receives another nation's money they
generate a bookkeeping credit to the domestic depositor's
account in the local currency. Further, the central bank
normally uses the acquired dollars to purchase U.S. Treasury
Paper. This allows them to at least earn interest on the
foreign deposits. The newly created local monetary units
then enter their banking system and increase the nation's
money supply. The end result which may take time to work
through the system, is the reduced purchasing power of those
monetary units already in existence, and higher domestic
prices.
A good example of the effect of the above process was recently
highlighted in news emanating from China. As you know China
is one of our nation's most important trading partners,
and is likely destined to one day lead the list. Their generally
low prices have attracted an enormous influx of U.S. dollars
as American after American has sought the great bargains
produced in their country. While the flood of dollars used
to purchase their goods has helped their nation improve
both their economy and the state of their citizenry, it
has also had a deleterious effect. Quoting a recent New
York Times article, "China's inflation rate rose to
2.9 percent in the first two months of the year...The cost
of food, which accounts for about a third of the index,
rose 8.8 percent in February after climbing 4 percent in
January and 2.4 percent in December." Inflation is
beginning to emerge there.
The January, $15.3 billion U.S. trade deficit with China
was an individual country record. Most of these $15.3 billion
dollars will find their way to their central bank which
in turn will be compelled to issue new yuan credits to their
depositors. Thus, their money supply will be further expanded.
The final result will be the stimulation of future across
the board price increases for their nation.
I have used China as an example. However, all of the trading
partners with which we are in a balance of payments deficit
are suffering a similar fate. Japan, South Korea, Malaysia,
European Union countries and a host of other nations are
also being similarly forced to increase their monetary aggregates,
and are thereby threatened with an upset to their domestic
pricing structures. This, in order for them to continue
doing business with the U.S.
As the United States continues to inflate its money supply,
many other countries have taken our lead. Japan, which has
yet to extricate itself from its fifteen-year economic malaise,
numerous European Community countries, as well as a number
of additional states are pursuing a similar tact. Their
goal is not only an attempt to similarly stimulate their
economies via the printing press, but to also improve their
competitive advantage in the world's markets by weakening
their respective currencies.
The foreign accumulation of 2+ trillion U.S. dollars combined
with the fostered money supply increases by many of our
trading partners has damaging consequences. Not only have
they been forced to increase their monetary aggregates with
each dollar that they acquire, but many are also aggressively
expanding their measures of money in order to cheapen their
currencies, and thus halt the dollar's decline against their
domestic monetary units.
We are beginning to see the first signs of rising global
inflation unfold as depicted by China's current experience.
Several commodities are already trading near or at all time
highs. I believe that this trend is destined to continue
and will produce far higher prices for all commodities,
as they respond to the enormous issuance of fiat currencies
by all of the world's major countries. At some point increasing
prices will feed upon themselves. One nation after another
will experience higher prices as both the cost of needed
commodities and finished products, work their way through
their economies.
The hardest hit nation will be the U.S. This will occur
because foreign held dollar credits will finally return
to our shores. These will swell our already enormous pool
of domestic dollars. Foreigners are just beginning to sense
that all is not right with the dollar. The first countries
are beginning to limit their U.S. dollar holdings. Russia,
Malaysia, China, Japan and South Korea have already announced
their desire to achieve this goal. Later, a flight from
the dollar will occur.
Foreign entities will sell their U.S. treasury securities
and will exchange the received dollars for their own currencies.
Our bond market will plummet as will the dollar, and inflation
will become rampant. Gold and to a lesser extent silver
will then act as life boats on a stormy sea. They will save
those who recognize their importance, and gold will again
return to the limelight as the only true and desirable form
of money worth holding.
This series of events will not occur overnight. We likely
have a few years or more to prepare. Our government will
fight the demise of the dollar and the outbreak of inflation
with all of the available methods at their disposal. They
will call in all of the favors owed them by other nations,
and will twist as many arms as is necessary to coerce the
other countries to retain their dollar holdings. In the
end they will lose. I for one hope that they will be successful
for as many months or years as possible. It will not be
a pleasant experience when our dollars finally come home
to roost, but the stage is being set for an inflationary
storm when they return.
I publish Financial Insights. It is a monthly newsletter
in which I discuss gold, the financial markets, as well
as various junior resource stocks that I believe offer great
price appreciation potential.
Please visit my website www.financialinsights.org
where you will be able to view previous issues of Financial
Insights, as well as the companies that I am presently following.
You will also be able to learn about me and about a special
subscription offer.
CAVEAT
I expect to have positions
in many of the stocks that I discuss in these letters, and
I will always disclose them to you. In essence, I will be
putting my money where my mouth is! However, if this troubles
you please avoid those that I own! I will attempt wherever
possible, to offer stocks that I believe will allow my subscribers
to participate without unduly affecting the stock price.
It is my desire for my subscribers to purchase their stock
as cheaply as possible. I would also suggest to beginning
purchasers of these stocks, the following: always place
limit orders when making purchases. If you don't, you run
the risk of paying too much because you may inadvertently
and unnecessarily raise the price. It may take a little
patience, but in the long run you will save yourself a significant
sum of money. In order to have a chance for success in this
market, you must spread your risk among several companies.
To that end, you should divide your available risk money
into equal increments. These are all speculations! Never
invest any money in these stocks that you could not afford
to lose all of.
Please call the companies
regularly. They are controlling your investments.
FINANCIAL INSIGHTS is written and published by Dr. Richard
Appel and is made available for informational purposes only.
Dr. Appel pledges to disclose if he directly or indirectly
has a position in any of the securities mentioned. He will
make every effort to obtain information from sources believed
to be reliable, but its accuracy and completeness cannot
be guaranteed. Dr. Appel encourages your letters and emails,
but cannot respond personally. Be assured that all letters
will be read and considered for response in future letters.
It is in your best interest to contact any company in which
you consider investing, regarding their financial statements
and corporate information. Further, you should thoroughly
research and consult with a professional investment advisor
before making any equity investments. Use of any information
contained herein is at the risk of the reader without responsibility
on our part. Past performance does not guarantee future
results. Dr. Appel does not purport to offer personalized
investment advice and is not a registered investment advisor.
The information herein may contain forward-looking information
within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act
of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934. In accordance with the safe harbor provisions of the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, the statements
contained herein that look forward in time, which include
everything other than historical information, involve risks
and uncertainties that may affect the company's actual results
of operations. © 2005 by Dr. Richard S. Appel. All
rights are reserved. Parts of the above may be reproduced
in context, for inclusion in other publications if the publisher's
name and address are also included for credit.
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