ARCHIVES
05/13/2008 - A Valuable Backstop for Wealthy Investors
Greg’s Note: Over the past several weeks we’ve seen a dip in the price of gold. After reaching and surpassing the $1000 mark in March, gold has eased a bit in light of some conservative Fed forecasting. But does that mean that the crisis is over and gold will be steadily falling? Hardly. The Fed might be hinting at a rate cut freeze, but this overall credit crisis is still going, and there are still shoes left to drop. 04/24/2008 - Zen and the Art of Monetary Mayhem
Greg’s Note: Economists talk about a lot of things. They talk about credit, savings, investing, GDP, and many other important topics. But do they ever talk about money? Adrian Ash explains that sometimes the subject of money takes a backseat to many other issues when great economic minds get together. So how important is money anyway? 04/21/2008 - 40 Years of Inflation, 80 Years of Dow/Gold
Greg’s Note: With inflation surpassing the interest rates being paid to savers, it really doesn’t pay to keep your money in dollar-oriented investments — literally. That’s why Adrian Ash is beating the gold drum again, and also finding some interesting correlations between the price of gold, and the Dow Jones. Where should you be keeping your money now? 04/16/2008 - Gold, Euros and Risk
Greg’s Note: We’ve all heard that gold is a reliable store of value in a down economy. But why? Well our gold expert Adrian Ash takes a look at why this happens and what factors help out gold the most. It seems to me that you can rely on gold no matter what’s going on, and that may just be the case. 04/10/2008 - Rich West Sells Gold; Asian Nations Sell Dollars?
Greg’s Note: The International Monetary Fund is trying to figure out what to do with the world’s currency problems. Adrian Ash tells us about the goings on with global money policies and which way we can expect things to go. Either way might not be that bad. 04/04/2008 - Game for a Laugh?
Greg’s Note: If you think that the Fed bailout of Bear Stearns sets a bad precedent, wait until you find out who’s really paying for it. Adrian Ash does a little trickery with some quotes to make it more obvious for you. Think it’s funny now? Wait until you read this. 03/28/2008 - You Think $1,000 Gold Is Important?
Greg’s Note: In the world of commodities, there are several psychological milestones. $100 oil is one, and $1,000 gold is certainly another. While the media loves reporting on these big, round numbers, Adrian Ash warns that other milestones may carry even more weight. We haven’t heard about deutschemarks in a while, but here’s a friendly reminder. 03/21/2008 - The Shadow of the Depression and the Lesson of the ‘70s
Greg’s Note: Have we learned nothing from the 1970s? The Fed has set us on a path toward inflation that may save some jobs in Washington, but lead our dollar into a black hole. Adrian Ash reminds us of some of history’s important lessons, lest we be doom to repeat them. Perhaps two dissenting voters know more than the rest of us. 03/14/2008 - The True Cost of This Crisis
Greg’s Note: Panic is never a good thing, especially when it is coming from some of the word’s most powerful central banks. Adrian Ash explains why so many countries are hitting the panic button and how this sweeping bailout could wind up costing us more. Is there any end in sight? 03/07/2008 - Chocolate Bunnies and the Easter Heat Wave
Greg’s Note: The dollar has continued its downward spiral against the euro recently. Adrian Ash explains why some people in Europe are actually getting concerned that the euro is worth too much. Will the Fed continue to tear down the value of the dollar while trying to stave off a recession? And what’ll happen to the price of gold? 02/27/2008 - Six Months of Fun, Fun, Fun from the Fed
Greg’s Note: Inflation is rising and the price of materials is skyrocketing. Adrian Ash explains what is happening, and why Bernanke hasn’t gotten the result he’d hoped for when he began slashing interest rates. Are we in for a period of stagflation? And what’s a certificate of confiscation? 02/21/2008 - Narodny Rock and the G-7’s Men of Action
Greg’s Note: It’s amazing how important banks are to the world. Usually when a company is mismanaged and its stock price plummets, they simply hang a “for sale” sign in the front window and the guys in charge are hauled off to jail. Adrian Ash explains why this is not the case for some of the world’s largest banks. Maybe they’re too big to fail because no one will let them. 02/13/2008 - Inflation Killed by Recession! and Other Lies to Destroy Your Money
Greg’s Note: When a recession hits, how could inflation possibly keep rising? There has to be silver lining to this whole recession thing, right? At least the dollar will be worth something. Not so says Adrian Ash. He uses all these things called statistics to point out why we can still expect inflation in the near-term. 02/05/2008 - From Credit to Money, Part II
Greg’s Note: We hear about a weak dollar and a strong euro. We know that our interest rate cuts will affect us at home and the euro across the ocean. Adrian Ash explains why there is a lot more at stake than just those two currencies. The whole world will feel the effects. 01/29/2008 - From Credit to Money, Part I
Greg’s Note: With our new interest rate cuts, we can expect the dollar to become weaker. As we focus on fixing our broken credit markets, inflation will most likely rise. But that’s our problem, right? Adrian Ash explains why a weak American dollar is causing some pain for our partners overseas. How much scrubbing must be done before our currency is clean? 01/23/2008 - Gold Kaufen!
Greg’s Note: More news about gold today. With unexpected rate cuts coming yesterday, gold is bound to see another uptick. As stock markets around the globe continue to fall, the fed is trying to salvage the American markets, yet more inflation should be on the near horizon. Adrian Ash gives us his view of how inflation affects everyone in these volatile markets. 01/03/2008 - Solid Gold
Greg’s Note: Owning gold is expensive. It is a precious and beautiful metal, yet as an investment, it is not nearly as sexy as owning stocks or bonds. Adrian Ash knows this as well as anybody, yet he still believes you can make a good income owning gold. Inflation is rising and gold right in toe. 12/26/2007 - Britney, Lindsay & Gold
Greg’s Note: The markets have been fluctuating and gyrating as wildly as some of our most lampooned celebrities. Adrian Ash compares their unpredictability with the inebriated girls gone wild that grace our favourite supermarket tabloids every week. Is this just a wild fit of partying right before the holidays or should we expect the unexpected from here on out? 12/13/2007 - The Battle Between Debt and Recession
Greg’s Note: In order to sufficiently navigate the troubled economic waters ahead, our captain will need a quick mind and a steady hand. Adrian Ash doesn’t seem to think that President Bush is employing either while he attempts to balance rising debt and a coming recession. Our president has shown a willingness to wage war in the past, this time he’s trying to fight both sides at the same time. 12/10/2007 - Gold’s Big Drunken Night Out
Greg’s Note: The weekend is over and now it’s time to get back to work. Adrian Ash relates a (fictional?) story about a drunken louse attempting to get home after a night of debauchery. He may stumble once or twice but eventually he’ll reach his destination. Is gold on the same uneven path? Should we expect our investments to sleep it off at some point? Is it too late to order pizza? 12/03/2007 - Two Shocks, One Solution
Greg’s Note: News flash of the day: Banks need money. Adrian Ash tells us that across the globe, they need money now more than ever. Credit troubles have some banks in hot water, but will an influx of cash do anything to help the economy? Probably not. Banks will be okay, but inflation could spiral out of control. Economic policymakers have their hands full and, for once, the U.S. isn’t alone on an issue. 11/27/2007 - Goldfinger? Bofinger!
Greg’s Note: The rapid depreciation of the dollar is a big problem for us in the States. Adrian Ash reports that it could be just as big a concern for our foreign friends around the globe. What are some other big economies supposed to do when they are owed money by a country whose money is worth less and less? Countries have long fought to keep up with the U.S. and now they may be following our trends once again. Can we expect foreign currencies to devalue as well? And what about China? 11/20/2007 - A Crisis to Shatter the Whole World
Greg’s Note: As the dollar continues to lose its value, some countries are growing tired of our currency’s “intrinsic value.” Adrian Ash offers his take on the situation and compares what we’re going through now with some other pretty bleak times. Something’s got to be done, but will it happen in time? This one’s got it all: Peak Oil, gold, the falling dollar and an angry Frenchman. 11/14/2007 - Beauty and the Beast? Gisele vs. Bette
Greg’s Note: While you may not know it to look at them, Gisele Bundchen and Bette Midler actually do have a lot in common. While both are untrusting of the U.S. dollar, their paranoia is reflected in different ways. Adrian Ash tells us which one of these bold beauties made the right choice, and how the rest of us can finally be like our favorite celebrities. 11/06/2007 - Poor Cousins
Greg’s Note: We’re all well aware of the rising debt of the average American household. Adrian Ash now tells us that a similar problem is brewing in the U.K. As our friends across the pond are becoming just as pound-foolish as we are, the price of gold lies in the balance. What money is worth is not a dilemma isolated to America, and gold could be growing rapidly even in the gray skies of London. 10/31/2007 - Red-Hot Inflation Now Baked in the Crust
Greg’s Note: The already expensive price of food and other commodities is just going to get worse, you can bet on it. In fact, the Wall Street eggheads already are. As Adrian Ash tells us, they’re just making sure that inflation goes up while they try to recoup their losses in the housing game. They’ve left one sector of the market unlivable and what they’re doing now will definitely be hard to swallow. 10/24/2007 - Gold and the End of History's Holiday
Greg’s Note: Those who are blind to history are doomed to repeat it. Yet even some top historians and experts are not invincible to history’s pendulum swing. Adrian Ash explains how so many of these so-called experts and pundits could have been so wrong about gold and the inevitable vulnerability of Western monetary and financial systems. 10/16/2007 - Hologram Tam & the Great Global Banking Swindle
Greg’s Note: How do you define money? That question, debated by top economists, could have an answer that people don’t want to hear. Adrian Ash is here to shed some light on the similarities between a drunken Scottish ex-con, and the British banking system. He also explains why this problem may not be exclusive to our friends across the pond. 10/08/2007 - How Central Bankers Control the Gold Price
Greg’s Note: Today Adrian Ash explains how — and why — central bankers control the gold price. He discusses the covert action of “gold-lending” by central banks. And then there’s the more open actions of manipulating interest rates to alter the comparative opportunity cost of holding, say, dollars rather than gold. 10/03/2007 - Buffett's Dictum & Your Margin of Safety
Greg’s Note: Do you understand where you put your money? Really understand? Do you know exactly how it’ll get used and your likelihood of getting it back? Adrian Ash poses this question in the context of the historic run on the U.K. bank Northern Rock. 09/25/2007 - New to the Gold Market?
Greg’s Note: Why buy gold now? Is it even a good idea, considering its six-year bull rampage? Adrian Ash gives you his opinion below… 09/18/2007 - Fraud, Folly, and Central Banking
Greg's Note: What's worse: Borrowing what you can't repay…or lending what you can't even hope to get back? Adrian Ash returns to ask those questions today. It could happen that credit extension slows down in the near future as the trust in lending institutions falters. And then what'll happen to the dear Consumer? Let's see. 09/07/2007 - America's Credit and the New Bid for Gold
Greg’s Note: Adrian Ash thinks that the U.S. government’s plan to bail out the subprime debt defaults looks the same as Depression-era banks putting all their cash in the front windows to “inspire” account holders not to withdraw all of their deposits in a mad bank run. Hmm…but what are the specific plans for this bailout? They seem pretty silly — or sad, or at least dumb — Washington wants to lend money to distressed debtors, the gov’t. will cut its own tax receipts and then they’ll underwrite the next two years of subprime refinancing. 08/30/2007 - U.S.D. R.I.P.
Greg's Note: Today our London pal Adrian Ash returns with a discussion on inflation — and specifically inflation in the realm of food and drink. Put simply, he thinks that inflation is "less stuff per dollar." What can you do to combat the inevitable ravages of further inflation? Ade has a simple suggestion at the end of his piece. 08/22/2007 - Autumn in August?
Greg’s Note: Adrian Ash returns with his take on the August credit crunch. Apparently it feels like a chilly autumn and not summer for him. But what does that mean for gold? And what does it mean that gold’s recent price has stayed relatively flat even though the dollar has re-surged? 08/17/2007 - A Bull Market in Fools
Greg’s Note: There’s a bull market in fools according to Whiskey’s new correspondent, Adrian Ash. One interesting thing about today’s bubble is that the classic “smart folk” in the hedge and investment-banking world have jumped at the chance to act the fool. That leads you to wonder — who is the “smart” money in this charade? Is it Joe Public, who perhaps unknowingly dabbled in the leveraged debt bubble through his pension plan? | 
