Posts by rapidranger54

Regarding the naming of this latest Variant... my apologies if someone has already shared this video where a gentleman discusses how public communication should be handled during a pandemic.
The video outlines essential principles for communicating with the public, and around the three-minute mark, he mentions that a disease—or an outbreak—needs a name that is simple and catchy. It immediately brought to mind the choice of name for this newest Variant.

..Following an organized vaccination drive at the Downtown clinic this past Sunday, the rollout for adolescents aged 12 to 18 continued. Roughly 10 kids were vaccinated during the session...

There wasn't exactly a stampede...😁

velvetfalcon44 said:Look, on one hand, this whole inheritance thing is just plain stupid—once these heirs get their hands on a windfall, they lose all drive to actually do anything with their lives...
Honestly, the best move would be to kick them out once they hit 18 and let them figure things out on their own, while the older generation stays focused on liquidating everything until the very end.
The way we operate, we’ve basically raised a nation of slackers who have zero clue what to do with inherited real estate because they never worked for it—they never actually developed an entrepreneurial bone in their bodies.
The absolute peak of this nonsense is watching people try to flip property to some foreign investor who rolls in with a suitcase full of cash, begging for a deal, only for the owner to demand millions in return.
It keeps the whole country stuck in place because everyone is too tied down by these properties they didn't earn.
A lot of them end up single or just failing at life because they lack any real ambition—they were handed everything on a silver platter and they're just coasting, so why bother with marriage or building a future? They get way too picky.
That inheritance is a blessing and a curse all rolled into one.
That's why it's way better to start from nothing and build your own empire if you can—it tastes much sweeter, even if it's a massive uphill battle in this broken-down version of America we live in, though it actually works in more functional countries.
You can't exactly marry someone just for their money and expect to walk in with an equal split from day one. If parents aren't willing to help you out while they're still around, then you don't need it after they're gone—or right before they pass—because if they weren't thinking about helping you during their lifetime, they're really just passing the burden onto you later on.

Precisely. You hit the nail on the head.👍
Perhaps the "kick them out" part is a bit extreme for my taste; I would suggest giving them a five or six-year grace period before assessing the situation...
Truly an excellent post...
Unlike those discussions regarding gold or Forex... I don't find myself agreeing with you on every single point here.

Andrew Barrett4 said:it's

a true Oracle animal farm😂🤣

anyway, does anyone actually know why "In God We Trust" is printed on US dollars?

Ever since they ditched the gold standard, I guess it's more like: In Go(L̶ )d we trust 😂

I was reading some data today—purely by chance—noting that the USA holds over 8,000 tons of gold reserves, while the Chinese man's country holds barely 1,000. At least in terms of national reserves. Suddenly, this whole discussion about rising demand and prices makes more sense. Why would China lag so far behind the USA in gold holdings? It seems almost childish. Like asking why one kid in preschool has a worse phone than the other.🙂

Henry Hernandez7 said:The real Problen is gonna be when that gallon of milk ends up costing more than the Ferrari.😁

In that case, since I own two goats, perhaps I could finally afford a Lamborghini Gallardo.😂

vividgull10 said:Anything can happen in the market at any given moment.

I am currently reviewing the September unemployment figures for the USA—hitting a four-year low at 7.8%. Should we expect this to significantly impact the dollar, oil prices, or gold?☕

Andrew Barrett4 said:Don't forget that back in 2012, Americans were meeting 83% of their energy demand from domestic sources. That’s the highest amount we've seen since 1991. click and click.

They have a functional, cohesive state, unlike Europe, which seems only superficially unified and suffers from huge internal divides.

The economy is incredibly flexible, whereas many EU countries act somewhat semi-socialist, where reacting to shifting market conditions tends to be slow.

And then there was this past summer; when the Euro dropped, it was a real lesson in just how much 'mass' actually trusts the dollar (even if it's just a choice between the lesser of two evils 😁). It showed what being a global reserve currency truly means. I honestly expected people to rush toward every other currency except the dollar. Wrong.

So, I guess you just have to weigh all that up.

I suspect America is stronger than most people realize.

Indeed. Even I find the concept of a total Dollar collapse difficult to grasp, despite my affinity for those dystopian sci-fi films. If you are referring to the long-term erosion of the Dollar's value, then yes, that is observable. I recall when $1 used to equal two Deutsche Marks, and receiving $100 from relatives abroad as a kid felt like a fortune. Today? If I offered a kid $100, they’d likely tell me to get lost.
However, can I truly envision a sudden, catastrophic crash of the Dollar?
What, precisely, would trigger it? Would a news anchor suddenly appear on television tonight and announce: "Sorry folks, bad news, the Dollar is no longer valid, we are paying everything in gold"?
In reality, the logical progression would imply the downfall of both the Dollar and the Euro...
But politics and central banks will not permit such an outcome. It is akin to owning an old Fido junker; everyone tells you to buy something newer, yet you simply keep repairing it, over and over, just to keep it on the road.

dustyheron5 said:You have to understand that demand for investment gold is drawn from the total pool of liquidity—much like stocks, bonds, real estate, silver, commodities, and so on. For example, someone holding bonds—pension funds, hedge funds, etc.—might find they aren't satisfied with the returns because they aren't beating inflation. They decide to sell those bonds and buy gold—and just like that, you have new demand...

Or perhaps you own real estate and decide to pivot into gold. You could have simply kept that money in a bank account earning, say, three percent interest—while the official inflation rate here is four percent. In that scenario, you are essentially accepting a negative real return just by keeping cash in the bank...

Regarding mining, it only increases the gold supply by about two percent. If investment demand grows faster than production, then logically, it cannot exert downward pressure on the price...

Furthermore, without crises, Zira, NIRPa, or interventions from the CBA, gold wouldn't be nearly as sought after—the price would likely remain stable rather than climbing...

One shouldn't forget that gold is the ultimate form of liquidity—which is absolutely vital during times of crisis...

I shall correct my own previous estimation regarding those 100 kg I claimed were being redeemed daily in America. Upon further calculation, I suspect I may have been somewhat hyperbolic. Let me recalculate—brother to brother—300 branches multiplied by an average of 100 grams per day.🤔—roughly 30 kg at most.

dustyheron5 said:😁

I have been following this thread, and I must admit it is quite engaging for someone who isn't an economist by trade, but simply follows these matters out of pure curiosity. However, there are a few points I cannot quite grasp. I will jump in briefly to pose a question, though I will likely end up looking foolish...
The entire situation regarding fiat currency and the inflationary pressures exerted by central banks—which politicians pressure to print unbacked money just to maintain some semblance of "domestic peace" or economic stability—is clear enough to me.
It is also obvious that this results in the erosion of purchasing power. I am certainly not young enough to be unaware of how much one could buy with a hundred dollars decades ago compared to what fifty dollars buys today. It is the same principle.
It stands to reason that people "flee" from paper money in favor of gold. After all, it is a millennia-old alternative that serves as the most efficient way to preserve the value of one's savings...
But I am somewhat perplexed by one fact: the amount of investment gold in circulation increases every single day. In the US alone, perhaps 100 kilos of gold from old family jewelry probably find their way to buyback stations every day to be converted into investment grade. And that is to say nothing of what is being pulled from the mines...
How, then, can we expect the price of something to rise when its market supply grows daily?
Ultimately, both gold and paper money are symbols. Behind the dollar stands America and her economy; behind gold stands a thousand years of reliability. Who stands behind the Euro? The Germans? The Greeks?🙂I shall stop here before I appear too ignorant.

Anthony Evans78 said:"That's fine, I guess Ben Bernanke will just print more gold if he needs to."😂

Every so often, I find myself wondering why one of us on this forum isn't running the Federal Reserve. If Ben can be this clumsy, surely there's someone better suited among us...

quiettrucker12 said:We’re drifting into the third stage of this bull market, and honestly, things are about to get much tougher for traders. You’re going to need a heavier core position, preferably in physical assets—not just for security, but because you can actually hold physical stuff through the inevitable roller coaster. Today was a perfect example. Holding a heavy long position right before Ben's speech was basically just gambling. I’m guessing plenty of traders who don't quite grasp how bull markets evolve or where we are in the cycle tried to short this. Predicting the next move is tricky, but one thing is certain: the trend has shifted. Currency pair analysis suggests a rough climate for PMs in the short term, but if you take a quick glance at gold or silver, you'll see a totally different story. Right now, staying out of longs feels like too much of a risk.

If we get at least $3500 in this upcoming wave over the next two and a half years, and then after another correction like this one—once everyone decides the bull market is dead—we could see another surge like this, leading us right into the final bubble toward the end of the decade.

Reading the comments, I notice most of you are professionals or seasoned experts in identifying opportunities and trends... which is certainly not my case.
When I weigh everything up, the consensus seems to be that the price of
gold will continue to rise for a few more years. If, for instance, I had a few tens of thousands of dollars in savings, would it be a mistake to put half of that into gold for a period of two years?

[QUOTE=Anthony Evans78;41065563]Sure, sure... as if gold buybacks here in America dictate global market prices 😁[/QUOTE

Of course they don't. But I assume the local buyback rate is just a reflection of the global market;
it's hardly an exclusive privilege for the US, is it?[/QUOTE]

vividgull10 said:I was thinking about how we've seen a massive surge in gold and silver buyback shops over the last couple of years. The fact that they're operating means one thing: they're buying low so they can sell high. The guy buying from them isn't waiting for a dip. In plain English, it's unlikely we're at the peak if everyone is busy buying up everything from the public.

just my 2 cents

Yes, it truly is madness. Try opening a storefront like that and you'll quickly realize the overhead involved. They operate around the clock—you need at least two employees, plus electricity, water, and all the rest. And they don't even have much insurance; they get robbed quite often, yet they just shrug it off and keep going. You have to respect the hustle; clearly, the margins are there. It’s impressive, really. But I suspect we are nearing the end of this cycle. The entity driving this massive demand and cashing out on these buybacks is likely getting tired. Once they stop buying, price inertia might carry things up briefly, followed by a sharp correction. At least, that is my view.

Anthony Evans78 said:Hey quiettrucker12, what kind of commodity is gold, really? Is it being consumed? No, most of it is just sitting there as jewelry or held as currency.
It’s been used as money for thousands of years.
The issue isn't that silver is theoretically manipulated; it's being manipulated in practice every single day, and the evidence is everywhere. Unless you actually believe it's normal to sell more silver than exists on the entire planet—selling short at the level of total annual production—but I guess the rules of physics don't apply to paper trading.
What traders? What amateurs? In a world run by Citadel and algorithms, human traders are basically just statistical errors. That chart you posted just proves it wasn't people selling that silver, but computers (just look at that insane volume spike in such a tiny window).
And you're missing the bigger picture. We're living through a complete shift in how "investing" works. It should be obvious that you don't stand a chance against machines; it takes literally one second to get wiped out. The final parabolic move? When the dollar and the euro hit zero, people will be scrambling to buy gold, silver, land, and guns, while trillions in paper and digital zeros become worthless overnight. 🙂
At the end of the day, the only thing that matters is knowing how to actually do something useful. 😉 I suspect traders (along with lawyers and managers) will be the first victims of natural selection. 🙂

I agree with this 100 percent. While this would represent a worst-case scenario,
realistically, I hope it remains impossible. One wonders who would benefit—perhaps a psychopath or a religious fanatic?
It is far more efficient to simply keep "the public" under control; trigger a crisis here and there to remind everyone who is in charge, and that is that.

vividgull10 said:There's zero euphoria here. I haven't bet on a single investment instrument, nor does it cross my mind to defend one. An investment is only as good as the cash it puts in your pocket. Period.

Based on what I'm seeing right now, my take is that it's a solid investment (talking about physical gold and silver; I trade "paper" assets less frequently). I could be dead wrong.
I'm currently short on silver (not physical, obviously), but long-term, I think being long is a smart move.

As for the general public... just for the sake of discussion, without trying to convince anyone: if this is the peak, look around. How many people do you actually see selling off their gold right now? Do you really think someone orchestrated things so that the average person sells at the absolute top? (Rhetorical question.)

PS.
No reason to feel like an idiot... we're just talking. 😉

If there is euphoria, it exists in the sense that there are millions of advertisements, billboards, newspaper spreads, TV spots, and even ads appearing right here on this forum.
I see you were particularly moved by that recent BlackRock commercial featuring those two hens, where one advises, "Don't put all your eggs in one basket." A classic proverb, indeed.

As for how much gold the public is actually selling, I honestly have no feel for it. Given this aggressive advertising blitz, one might conclude that the average American has already liquidated their holdings and that there isn't much buyback activity happening...
Is that what you meant?

quiettrucker12 said:The Bull market hasn't hit the average person yet. Right now, we're in the phase where they're squeezing gold out of people through various buyback programs. Of course, by the final stage, the "little guy" will get burned again because they'll be buying at the absolute peak after selling everything while it was still cheap.

Well said. A very polished sentiment.
I can't help but wonder what the price of gold would look like if, heaven forbid, Israel and Iran actually went at it—oil hitting $300 per barrel, total economic collapse, and all that. At that point, I suspect the biggest winners wouldn't be investors, but rather some grandmother out in rural Montana with a cellar full of potatoes and a couple of sheep in her barn...

vividgull10 said:Hey everyone

I've been lurking here for a bit because I think it's high time people stop overlooking this type of investment.
Personally, I’m leaning toward silver right now. Even if I'm looking at the long haul—mostly just to preserve value—I doubt you can go wrong picking either silver or gold.

The real headache is the state of precious metals here in the States. I still need to figure out the simplest, cheapest way to start building a stash. There's info everywhere, but since I don't personally know anyone who actually deals with this stuff, I'm pretty skeptical of every corner shop claiming they "work with gold." This is our money and our future we're talking about.

As for prices and what's coming next, I don't have much of a dilemma. If you strip away the speculation, investing in precious metals is my most reliable bet for the long term (assuming you accept that nothing is 100% certain). All I need to do is track two things: the US Dollar money supply and gold prices. In my opinion, the crisis of faith in fiat currency is right around the corner.

I will likely look like a fool in your eyes once the gold euphoria hits—that inevitable boom and all that—but to me, it feels far too much like the real estate bubble from ten years ago...
gold is just metal...if you want something durable that won't rust, there's aluminum or stainless steel...just kidding.
to me, this looks like yet another mechanism to siphon money from the public through the media and the banks, all designed to enrich a select few...