"In Friday's Wall Street Journal, not one article on the New Orleans disaster on page 1 and page 3. On page 2 only one article. Unbelievable ! London's Financial Times had full page 1, 2 and 3 coverage on New Orleans. Can there be any better proof of the state of denial on Wall Street."
That is what MIDAS calls orchestrated denial and repression of facts detrimental to US markets. It is the reason GATA is not even allowed to be mentioned in the US financial market press after all these years, even after holding two major conferences in Durban, South Africa and Dawson City in the Yukon Territory of Canada.
Now to the nitty-gritty of all of this and how (I believe) it is going to affect all of us.
For years it has been my contention (and that of many of my GATA colleagues) that the price of gold would never do anything until one of two events occurred:
Demand for physical gold outstripped what The Gold Cartel was able to secure from the dwindling supply of the central banks.
Some event struck the market which overpowered the Gold Cartel’s massive derivatives operation – meaning financial market events made it impossible for the cabal to manipulate and suppress the gold price any longer.
It seems to me Katrina is such an event and will prove to be the tipping point which will force The Gold Cartel into a Napoleon-like retreat. Why:
* The economic damage resulting from Katrina is likely to be far greater than any other calamity to hit the US. The actual cost of the catastrophe could be 5 to 10 times greater.
*The US will likely print money like crazy to handle the problem. The dollar, in trouble to begin with, is sure to crater in the weeks and months ahead.
*The US economic numbers are going to be horrendous in the months to come.
*Inflation is going to pick up substantially as numerous costs escalate in the US due to the devastating hurricane.
*The US consumer, already saddled with enormous debt and the smallest family savings in history, will be forced to cut back spending as energy costs alone remain very high for the foreseeable future. This reduced spending will have an increased multiplier effect on the US economy.
*Huge energy price increases are going to affect many homeowners. This could easily prick the housing bubble as distressed owners put homes back on the market.
*Various industries will have severe financial problems. The mortgage and banking concerns in the southern gulf area come to mind.
*The US is stretched financially and manpower-wise in Iraq. Katrina exposed how vulnerable we are and there will be more cries to get out of there. If we stay it will lead to further stress on the US financial markets. Leaving in the near future could lead to unbelievable chaos.
*Iraq is near civil war anyway, based on the latest reports … hard to imagine civil war will not erupt by this fall. The reputation of the US, in rapid decline, will plummet, adding more pressure on the dollar and giving additional support to gold.
*Short-term the US stock market could do anything due to the Orwellians pulling the strings. However, it is only a matter of time before it tanks. Foreigners are likely to cut back further with their Treasury purchases, sending US long-term interest rates much higher over the next year.
*Then, there is the inflation,/gold issue. When you step back and look at the big picture, The Gold Cartel’s price suppression scheme could not be more obvious. A picture is worth a thousand words, so let us review the monthly charts of oil and the CRB versus gold’s: