Have nations reached a 'Keynesian endpoint' with few options to bolster economic growth?
*Bloomberg, by William Pesek, June 14, 2010:
''It's hard to decide what's more frightening: that investors are
losing confidence in paper money or that the shepherds of the world's
major currencies don't get what's going on. Gold's climb of
almost 30 percent in a year reflects fear, not just market concern over
inflation or deflation risks. People have lost trust in the
global financial system.
As Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. was crashing in September 2008,
Superfund was loading up on gold. At the time, Santer got his
share of giggles and rolled eyeballs for predicting gold would rise to
$1,500 an ounce over the next two or three years. With gold
around $1,230 an ounce, no one's laughing anymore.
'Black Swans'
There are many reasons why gold is back in vogue, yet two in particular
are worth considering. One is fear about 'black swans,'
unexpected events that have great impact. The second reflects how
little gold many central banks in Asia and elsewhere hold on their
balance sheets.
A year ago, the idea of gold hoarding struck me as odd. It was
hard not to view fans of the precious metal as akin to people standing
on street corners with megaphones predicting apocalypse. The
world economy seemed to be on the mend, a sense of order was returning
to markets and doomsayers like Nouriel Roubini were getting fewer
headlines.
Greece's unraveling was a sobering reality check. It wasn't that
a fiscally irresponsible economy smaller than Iran's was
stumbling. It was how, as in the case of Iceland before it,
Greece was cast in the role of canary in the financial coalmine.
European banking shares suggest a Greek debt default may be just a
matter of time.
Contagion's Return
It was suddenly clear that the contagion that emanated from the U.S. in
2008 had never really gone away. Greece's troubles cast a huge
shadow over far more important economies, like Spain's. The idea
that the 10th biggest economy, one bigger than Canada's, might someday
renege on debt put an end to hopes for a smooth 2010.
Perhaps the best explanation of these all-too-tangible risks comes from
Anthony Crescenzi, a strategist at Pacific Investment Management Co.,
the world's largest bond-fund manager. The question is this: As
the U.S. is aggressively backing its financial system, who is backing
the U.S.?
Thinking back to the darkest days of 2008, few will quibble with
government efforts to stave off Armageddon. The promise was that
if investors tolerated a surge in debt issuance, capitalism and
prosperity would be saved. As fear is returning to the global
economy, the worry is that industrialized nations are out of ammunition.
'Keynesian Endpoint'
Have nations reached a 'Keynesian endpoint' as exhausted balance sheets
leave policy makers with few options to bolster growth? We've
known for years that the Group of Seven nations were losing their
ability to guide markets. Now, they're losing hope of shielding
economies from them.
As all hell threatens to break lose anew, are you going to buy
stocks? Probably not. Bonds at a time when no one trusts
credit ratings? Doubtful. Euro? Nope.
Yen? Risky. Dollar? For many, the U.S. currency is
the least ugly contestant in this financial beauty contest.
A question here is what central banks do. Many are sitting on too
many dollars for comfort and upping gold reserves may be the
diversification move of choice.
'I believe the biggest customer base will be Asia,' says Santer. 'And
if Ben Bernanke doesn’t see why then we have even more reason to worry
about the global economy.' ''
*This information is solely a highlight of the opinion of a third-party publication and is incomplete. Please subscribe to this publication for the full and timely opinion of the author and call a Monex Account Representative for any additional up-to-date information. This is not an offer to buy or sell precious metals. Investors should obtain advice based on their own individual circumstances and understand the risk before making any investment decision.
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