Russia has become the first
major country to call for a partial restoration of the Gold Standard to
uphold discipline in the world financial system....
Chinese and Russian leaders both plan to open debate on an
SDR-based reserve currency as an alternative to the US dollar at the
G20 summit in London this week...
A long-time friend and colleague had told me early last week that
someone he knows who lives in Switzerland said that the financial
circles had been buzzing with a rumor that the BRICs were going to
unveil a new currency trading/clearing system that would enable the
world to conduct commercial trade without using the dollar or the
nefarious SWIFT system.
Looks like there may be some truth to that rumor - here's the article: LINK
I want to point out and correct one egregiously incorrect statement in
the article. The author avers that the dollar inflation caused by the
Viet Nam War and the Great Society social welfare programs forced Nixon
to "close" the gold window.
Actually what happened was that the Bretton Woods Agreement created a
gold-backed system in which the United States could only issue debt to
the extent that it had gold to back the amount of debt outstanding.
Foreign sovereign creditors had the option of redeeming their debt
claims for gold at the Fed "window." Eventually it became obvious to
those paying attention - i.e. Charles De Gaullle - that the U.S. had
issued debt well in excess of its gold holdings. The French began to
redeem their Treasury notes for gold. When it was rumored that the
Swiss were going to start doing the same, it became necessary for Nixon
to close the gold window or risk a run on the U.S. gold "bank" and being
exposed for violating Bretton Woods by issuing more debt there was gold
in Ft. Knox to back it.
The rest, as they say, is history. Many of us have been arguing that
eventually the Chinese/Russians/etc would eventually reassert a gold
standard. When this happens the dollar price of gold will do a space
launch and the standard of living in this country - for those who don't
have any gold and silver - will decline to 3rd World standards...
i am wondering... I see no contradiction in the two arguments , (a) that vietnam war and new deal, based on deficit spending on one side and (b) foreign sovereign creditors requesting gold for their dollar reserves forced the usa to close the gold convertibility.
ReplyDeleteI think they are different sides of the same coin. What is in your opinion essence the difference?
USA debt is 29 times as high as 1975. Nothing else, not even money supply, rose that much. By increasing the debt, the US Government could suck up money supply and keep inflation in check. Now that the USA can no longer borrow from Peter to pay Paul, they will be forced to monetize maturing debt. (Print new money to pay maturing debt). That will be highly inflationary.
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