5 Reasons to avoid the gold rush

The Contrarian Edge ^ | 9/10/2009 | Vitaliy Katsenelson

[Jewbacca]

Couple of nukes is all it would take.

[CodeToad]

Let’s see now, many of us bought Gold at less than $400 and silver below $10. Silver at $16 and Gold at $980. Not bad, even considering the loss in spot versus paid price.

[Soren]

Same tired arguments I’ve been reading since gold was below $300. They pull these out every time the gold shorts get nervous.

[CodeToad]

Very true. The metals gold and silver have industrial uses which the anti-gold, pro-stock market salesmen fail lie and say it has no value because it has no use.

[CodeToad]

“Couple of nukes is all it would take.
“

Having a background in nuclear warfare, I’d say your wrong about that one. What has been learned will not magically be forgotten once a nuke blows. There is no “blow us to the stone age” result.

[CodeToad]

Nagasaki today:

[OB1kNOb]

I highly doubt a compelte and total collapse will ever happen such that we all become cavemen.

"Not this $*&t again." ;-)

[org.whodat]

Free investment advice is worth what you pay for it aways keep your back to the wall and never bend over.

[org.whodat]

They are not selling gold, they want to sell you a certificate saying you have invested in gold.

[CodeToad]

lol! perfect!

[the invisib1e hand]

gold is a store of wealth as old as civilization, notwithstanding the emmissions of the Oracle of Omaha.

the value of currencies is nominally determined by the interaction of electrons, ultimately by the tax-generating power of the nations. In the first instance a power-outage is enough to reduce all accounts to zero, in the second, an honest reckoning of net worth will due it.

Yes, "nothing is done" with gold, making it the perfect store of value -- for a consummable commodity wouldn't do for that purpose.

It is the ultimate destination of any "flight to quality."

Until a loaf of bread becomes more valuable, that is.

[HiramQuick]

From one twilight zone fanatic to another ... yes I do realize it ... and the concept is just as valid in reality as it was in the zone scenario. That quart of water is worth more than it’s weight in gold

[Broker]

A handful of gold coins and a case of spam works for me.

[o_zarkman44]

“(All with receipts and withdraw receipts, too, in case some idiot ATFer in the current day decides to presume it’s drug money.)”

Documentation on my legal ownership of a firearm won’t stop confiscation without representation. Best case is completely stashing cash/gold/silver/guns/ammo out of the prying eyes of government intruders.

The rule of law is only as good as who has the best aim in a given moment. Hesitate on the draw and you have been robbed.

[tyou48]

Thanks for your post. It has generated a good discussion.

I believe it is better to view purchasing of gold (and silver) as a form of savings rather than an investment. It is no more than a store of value. The US dollar has fallen substantially over the last eight or so years and to a remarkable extent (90%+) ever since the establishment of the Federal Reserve. Precious metals offer an individual protection from the debasement of a fiat currency.

[Graybeard58]

gold can never be worth nothing.

Where I'm going, the streets will be paved with it.

[seowulf]

Had you taken the money and bought a good rifle instead, for example, you would still have a high value asset in the future; one that has some utility. Gold can’t be turned into anything of higher value without additional expense and effort.

How many rifles do you need?

By the way, how big does a gun safe have to be to hold 10,000 rifles?

[Cyberrat]

"Then she asked, “If the $ is no good, why do the people selling their gold want dollars that are not good for their gold?”"

Reminds me of my daughter when she was about ten. We drove up to an ATM to get some cash and she asked, "Daddy, why do they have those little bumps on the ATM buttons?"

I explained to her that they were Braille so blind people could use the ATM.

She just looked at me with a puzzled expression and said, "Daddy... I know that, but this is a drive-thru ATM!"

We need more ten year old logic in this country.

[blam]

"Actually you’d use the gold to trade for food and ammo and other supplies. Unlike in video games, ammo gets depleted and you may not wish to spend all you time hunting or tending crops so you need something that’s more or less permanent means of exchange."

I had a suprise this morning.

I went to Wal-Mart today and I usually get their brand of bean & bacon soup for $0.68 a small can. Today it was priced at $1.08 a can. I looked up the manager an asked him if there was a mistake...he said no, prices are going up. I said $0.40 at a time. He shrugged his shoulders and walked off.

My point is, beans and bacon soup have been a better investment (I have lots of the $0.68 soup in storage) than my gold or silver...so far.

[Atlas Sneezed]

Then she asked, “If the $ is no good, why do the people selling their gold want dollars that are not good for their gold?”

---

Explain the concept of merchants and retailers. They ear a living buying a product at a lower price, and selling it at a slightly higher price. Nothing to do with the idea that gold sellers might believe they are scamming their customers.

But at least this childish view of economics is coming from a child for a change.