Re: SILVER
Cynic,
Governments determine what currency is, human nature determines what money is... again you have money and currency mixed up. Gold is the best natural money that man has found, silver is quite probably the second best. Silver is not in a bull market today because of its value as a commodity, it is in a bull market due to its value as money.
BTW, it can be easily proven that gold is not a good inflation hedge just by looking at historical data. Natural monies are a crisis hedge, they gain value when people lose faith in governments ability to reliably maintain the financial system. They are the only money in the world today that do not represent someone else's liability. This is why people are turning to them.
If you think of gold and silver as commodities you will get this market wrong. I have had people telling me since 2000 odd that gold and silver simply have not got the supply demand funnies to do well. The people telling me that completely over looked their roll as money. Since then gold has compounded at 20%+ PA in USD mainly due to the growing concern over the USA's ability to keep the system together.
Central banks hold gold because in the end it is the only easily held money that they can guarantee will be trusted. Silver is poor mans gold, money that is no ones debt.... whatever its form, over time, it will retain value unlike our ever diminishing FIAT currencies.
Cynic,
Governments determine what currency is, human nature determines what money is... again you have money and currency mixed up. Gold is the best natural money that man has found, silver is quite probably the second best. Silver is not in a bull market today because of its value as a commodity, it is in a bull market due to its value as money.
BTW, it can be easily proven that gold is not a good inflation hedge just by looking at historical data. Natural monies are a crisis hedge, they gain value when people lose faith in governments ability to reliably maintain the financial system. They are the only money in the world today that do not represent someone else's liability. This is why people are turning to them.
If you think of gold and silver as commodities you will get this market wrong. I have had people telling me since 2000 odd that gold and silver simply have not got the supply demand funnies to do well. The people telling me that completely over looked their roll as money. Since then gold has compounded at 20%+ PA in USD mainly due to the growing concern over the USA's ability to keep the system together.
Central banks hold gold because in the end it is the only easily held money that they can guarantee will be trusted. Silver is poor mans gold, money that is no ones debt.... whatever its form, over time, it will retain value unlike our ever diminishing FIAT currencies.