Appendix
US Dlr Crisis Could Catapult Gold Over $600
By Jim Hawe
Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
TOKYO (Dow Jones)--The price of gold could surge to levels not seen since the early 1980s if a big chunk is taken out of the value of the U.S. dollar in coming years, one market insider says.
A further devaluation of the greenback by 20%-30% would make bullion more attractive as an alternative store of value and could propel the yellow meta over $600 a troy ounce, said Michael Kosares, founder and president of gold firm USAGOLD-Centennial Precious Metals Inc.
Kosares said crumbling confidence in the U.S. currency due to America's enormous budget and current-account deficits has left investors scampering for safe havens such as gold.
Phones at his Denver-based office have been ringing off the hook recently and there has been a sharp increase in requests for gold-investing information packets over his company's Internet site, he said.
"There has been increased buying by our regular customers, but also by a lot of first-time investors," said Kosares.
These investors have taken note that gold has been moving higher in a very tight inverse correlation to the drubbing of the U.S. dollar.
The author of "The ABCs of Gold Investing: Protecting Your Wealth through Private Gold Ownership" said the weak dollar trend will likely continue for the next four years with the Bush administration taking an almost benign stance toward the waning dollar.
"The euro bottomed against the dollar at 82 cents (October 2000) and has since peaked at around $1.30, an appreciation of 58%. In a similar manner, gold has risen 72% since its bottom," said Kosares. Gold hit a low of around $255 in April of 2001, but has been trading just under $440 in recent sessions.
The Wall Street Journal and Japan's Nikkei Financial Daily in recent days have both reported what currency traders have long suspected - that while the administration under President George W. Bush continues to say it favors a "strong dollar," it is happy to let the greenback fall. Barring increased U.S. saving or decreased consumption, a weaker dollar is one of the few remedies for the country's current-account gap.
The Nikkei report, in line with many economists' estimates, concluded the dollar would need to fall by 20%-30% to halve the ratio of the U.S. current account deficit to the gross domestic product - now near 6%.
This is the same 20%-30% devaluation Kosares said could kick gold over $600.
Dehedging - Backbone of Bull Market