Real money shouldn’t have any purpose or value other than as money; it is meant to keep track of the values for other things, not to have a value of its own.
So NOW breaking the rules will cause the US to go broke? What is broke? Spending more than you earn as policy? Having permanently more liabilities than assets? Imposing taxes higher than the net gain markets can produce? By any measure the US has been broke since the 60s, and we're just NOW worrying about it? Best always. PM
I think that's Bill's point. We could get by ignoring reality in the 60's, but it is impossible to do so today. Cheaters, such as the US government, are eventually exposed for what they really are. We should be happy and really listen this time. It's the truth. Wouldn't you rather live the truth than a lie?
Cheaters. Not only is the US government and its representatives are mostly corrupt and cheaters. How about ALL the cheaters and fraud in Minnesota. This is the tip of the iceberg. Every state in the Union should be audited and find where the tax money has gone.
Um, yeah, my first exposure to the von Mises school was via Jerome Smith's 1980 book "the Coming Currency Collapse". I was convinced we could not survive $1 trillion-dollar debt (cumulative deficit) that came in 1979/80. Silly me. Best always. PM
GOLD GOLD GOLD🎉.. I am a 3rd Generation Goldsmith, made my living for 45 years in Canada 🇨🇦; I have been investing ( speculating) in Gold mining companies since .. 1987✅🙏. The current Bull Market is Nothing that I have ever …seen🥇. About Rules based systems …WEF, Mark Carney made a gutsy speech in Davos💪👏. It’s Not a Transition, it’s A Rupture😡; Just recently…. Look at the utter nonsense DJT SPEWING about the Gordie Howe Bridge… Built entirely by Canada 🍁
“Screwing with people's minds” is the norm of the intelligence complex/deep state. Under nice Republicans, say, the Bushes, you were fine with it, but now, oh my, Orange Man Bad.
Yes, people who understand this reality might as well be talking to the fence in their backyard. Trump and his true believers are incapable of comprehending and capable only of screaming, "TDS, TDS, TDS, TDS!!!" Just read here again at the end of the day.
Ed I understand you don't like trump. Well I've voted for him 3 times and I don't like him either. Would we be better under Biden or kamala? I think you might be forgetting our choices. Either way this country will suffer hard times. I myself would rather suffer under a man Who does not call me a racist for being white Or tell me men can have children. I guess you would prefer that.
And regarding paper(now electronic) gold and silver, if it is true that “fractional reserve” is truly universal practice for paper precious metals, meaning even stalwarts like BAR and PHYS and SIVR practice it, then we can conclude that holding “paper” metals will be worthless in a financial crisis, especially the mother of all financial crises that we are told to expect. The precious metals flash crash that we just experienced at the end of last month was quite instructive, especially for silver. That the flash crash appeared to be a coordinated manipulation driven by short sellers timed with a government press release regarding Trumps new Fed chair nominee only adds to the thinning of the ice looking forward. But we have been encouraged of late to hold physical gold and silver, being told that they are safe from confiscation and are not subject to the manipulations of the paper markets. But is this really true? As money, both gold and silver rely first on liquidity and secondarily on legality. In 1933 holding physical gold was made illegal. Could that happen again? It appears that the globalists are dead set on a programmable digital currency that has no competition. If this comes to fruition, then gold and silver become black market money, in which case both liquidity and matters of practicality and even fungibility rise to the surface. The issue we are facing here is just how quickly things can happen and how quickly and unpredictably the financial landscape can change. Gold and silver may be good investments in a world that has retained a level of operational integrity and the rule of law. Beyond that, all bets are off.
We use the Dow to Gold ratio a lot. Have you ever considered looking at the average income to national debt level over time to see if it shows anything of value. I see a lot of people promote the stock market as having about 8 percent anula gain and that will make you a millionaire over time. With inflation at 8 percent I don't see any real gain in wealth with the stock market average?????
The speech at Davos by PM Carney was for one purpose only and that is to ruffle the feathers of DJT. Carney needs the 'bogeyman' Trump for when he calls an election this year to try an secure a majority in parliament. In the last April federal election here in Canada, Carney was able to convince a whole generation of Liberal 'elbows up' boomers that Trump would destroy the Canadian economy and their federal pensions and the boomers fell for it hook-line-and-sinker. Carney's one big election promise was to have a deal with Trump by July 21, 2025...nothing...crickets. Meanwhile, deals are being sealed by the UK and others. Proof of just how incompetent the Carney government is can be seen during an hour of parliamentary question period. Carney is NOT the Prime Minister of Canada...he is the Prime Minister of Brookfield... He is 91% invested in the US...he moved Brookfield head office from Toronto to New York...he is less than 1% invested in Canada...he is all about Brookfield. Liz Truss had to resign as PM of Great Britain while he was the governor of the BoE.
"Real money shouldn’t have any purpose or value other than as money; it is meant to keep track of the values for other things, not to have a value of its own."
On the face of it, this is a ludicrous statement. Who would want to exchange something of value for something that does not have "value of its own". To emphasize his point, Bonner mentions the usefulness of other metals - iron ore, copper, aluminum - while neglecting the fact that these are much more abundant. It isn't until the next paragraph that he mentions a key attribute of gold is its scarcity. Scarcity is something that is crucial for money along with the fact that money should be able to be sectioned into various sizes without losing value per weight. The fact that you have to put in effort to mine gold and that it is scarce AND that it has uses is what makes gold valuable. If this were not true, what then would be the difference between bitcoin and gold (both are scarce) except for the fact that gold is real and bitcoin exists in "cyberspace". Bitcoin can only be used for money. Seems to be a perfect fit for Bonner's definition of money.
In any event, the bitcoin comment is not central to my argument. And Bonner does go on to make several good points. But his assertion that money should not have a value of its own is totally wrongheaded.
I don’t actually disagree with BB on this score - gold is money and that is its exclusive role … Money!!
And, because it’s not man made it cannot be manipulated like fiat and crypto currencies. If Bitcoin is to function as money it must be divisible and as I understand it can be (satoshis) - but if, so where does that process stop? And, let’s imagine that it is money … is it not that competing with government issued fiat currencies. That’s pure inflation!! And, I can’t see governments world wide allowing that to happen.
As I have argued there are only 2 currencies in this world - Gold and a gun barrel to your head.
"Annual US government deficits will rise from $1.9 trillion in 2026 to $3.1 trillion in 2036, according to new 10-year projections reached by the Congressional Budget Office."
The CBO also projects no recessions, depressions, or wars in the next 10 years and unless there is a massive change in the way Congress and the President spend and tax, the CBO's new 10 year projection will miss the target even more than the guess they made 10 years ago.
Seems like you are in Love with Mr. Carney. (We thought you hated central bankers and found them full of feces, yet here you are).
Not sure if it is Mark or Art Carney you are supporting but the fact remains the Canadians hate this jack ass more than they did Trudeau.
Alberta and perhaps BC have referendum's to leave Canada because of his stupidity and lack of leadership, potentially becoming states 51 & 52. (then Obamas comment will be correct about us having 52 states :-))
Yet, here you are supporting his statement as if it were total and 100% true. Where is the proof? All I hear from the sewer rat is whining like a little babe whose toys were taken away.
Play fair, or FAFO. Mark FAFO’ed. he don’t like it.
Meat head won't get his majority. There are 13 seats up for grab and his ability to secure these seats are far less than what is believed given his Eastern constituents have turned. Although, when your a professional criminal anything is possible. So I wouldnt rule it out entirely.
Bill, as usuaql, this is a powerful lesson in the failing of the dollar. I did NOT know that there was a 0% reserve requirement since COVID. Our dollars are truly counterfeit!
Bill, despite some fair comments about gold and currency you couldn't have picked a worse example of financial or policy acuity than Mark Carney.
Mr. Carney's policy poison of mass undocumented immigration, climate alarmism, globalism and fiscal irresponsibility were implemented by the narcissistic. incompetent, USA hating (Trump?) Justin Trudeau to dire effect.
Carney's only political asset in Canada is his disregard for President Trump. The egotistical indulgences of JT and him have resulted in the significant decline of the Canadian economy versus that of the the USA since 2015. Carney's faulty characterization of, and incredulous foolishness toward, the Canada USA relationship will further erode the stature of Canada on the world scene. and diminish Canadian democracy and economoc viability until Carney is removed as Prime Minister.
A weak individual should not poke the bear unless he is suididal.
Those who would infer any wisdom, or benefit, from Mr. Carney or his comments are either deluded, ill-informed or completely ignorant of his policies and positions and the negative consequences that Canada has suffered because of them.
What is broken is the will of the people. We've become fat and lazy. We allow our leaders(?) to enslave us. We only have ourselves to blame for what is ahead for us, our children and grandchildren. The only question now is when. Next year? 2030? Later? And how chaotic and violent will it be? America - a grand ride while it lasted!
So NOW breaking the rules will cause the US to go broke? What is broke? Spending more than you earn as policy? Having permanently more liabilities than assets? Imposing taxes higher than the net gain markets can produce? By any measure the US has been broke since the 60s, and we're just NOW worrying about it? Best always. PM
I think that's Bill's point. We could get by ignoring reality in the 60's, but it is impossible to do so today. Cheaters, such as the US government, are eventually exposed for what they really are. We should be happy and really listen this time. It's the truth. Wouldn't you rather live the truth than a lie?
"Eventually" is a long time, evidently. But I get it: it's "finally" here. Best always. PM
Cheaters. Not only is the US government and its representatives are mostly corrupt and cheaters. How about ALL the cheaters and fraud in Minnesota. This is the tip of the iceberg. Every state in the Union should be audited and find where the tax money has gone.
I'm guessing the broken rule was Biden's confiscation of Russian money.
Paul,
At least two foundations, likely more, have been for some time worrying about what's now occurring.
The Peterson and the Mises have been pontificating for years what the likely consequences will be if the US continues to spend more than it earns.
Trump's erratic deportment is exacerbating matters too
Um, yeah, my first exposure to the von Mises school was via Jerome Smith's 1980 book "the Coming Currency Collapse". I was convinced we could not survive $1 trillion-dollar debt (cumulative deficit) that came in 1979/80. Silly me. Best always. PM
I am unfamiliar about this book; impressed you read it.
It's title was prescient
GOLD GOLD GOLD🎉.. I am a 3rd Generation Goldsmith, made my living for 45 years in Canada 🇨🇦; I have been investing ( speculating) in Gold mining companies since .. 1987✅🙏. The current Bull Market is Nothing that I have ever …seen🥇. About Rules based systems …WEF, Mark Carney made a gutsy speech in Davos💪👏. It’s Not a Transition, it’s A Rupture😡; Just recently…. Look at the utter nonsense DJT SPEWING about the Gordie Howe Bridge… Built entirely by Canada 🍁
... it's likely the bridge is another Trumpian deflection.
Seems many folks have yet to realize.
Whether calculating genius or genuine idiot.
Trump enjoys screwing with people's minds.
Trump regularly tosses ludicrous ideas out to obfuscate another policy in the making.
Or just to piss liberals off...
"Trump enjoys screwing with people's minds."
Not a very effective way to run a government or to promote your program.
“Screwing with people's minds” is the norm of the intelligence complex/deep state. Under nice Republicans, say, the Bushes, you were fine with it, but now, oh my, Orange Man Bad.
😂😂😂
... I disagree, it's extremely effective.
Trump has managed to exacerbate or alleviate the globe (depending upon your POV).
It seems most do not approve of his methodology or style.
But I don't think they question the effectivity.
Yes, people who understand this reality might as well be talking to the fence in their backyard. Trump and his true believers are incapable of comprehending and capable only of screaming, "TDS, TDS, TDS, TDS!!!" Just read here again at the end of the day.
...respectfully Ed,
I think its provable Trump supporters understand a lot more than Democrats regarding maintaining sovereignty and security...
Not sure what Trump haters think the President's function ought to be.
To conservatives the Presidents first and foremost duty is to secure the nation from adversaries.
Nice post.I would like for your opinion on the current investibility of gold, rather than t d s.
How about silver still kind of a bug took some profit?
Ed I understand you don't like trump. Well I've voted for him 3 times and I don't like him either. Would we be better under Biden or kamala? I think you might be forgetting our choices. Either way this country will suffer hard times. I myself would rather suffer under a man Who does not call me a racist for being white Or tell me men can have children. I guess you would prefer that.
And regarding paper(now electronic) gold and silver, if it is true that “fractional reserve” is truly universal practice for paper precious metals, meaning even stalwarts like BAR and PHYS and SIVR practice it, then we can conclude that holding “paper” metals will be worthless in a financial crisis, especially the mother of all financial crises that we are told to expect. The precious metals flash crash that we just experienced at the end of last month was quite instructive, especially for silver. That the flash crash appeared to be a coordinated manipulation driven by short sellers timed with a government press release regarding Trumps new Fed chair nominee only adds to the thinning of the ice looking forward. But we have been encouraged of late to hold physical gold and silver, being told that they are safe from confiscation and are not subject to the manipulations of the paper markets. But is this really true? As money, both gold and silver rely first on liquidity and secondarily on legality. In 1933 holding physical gold was made illegal. Could that happen again? It appears that the globalists are dead set on a programmable digital currency that has no competition. If this comes to fruition, then gold and silver become black market money, in which case both liquidity and matters of practicality and even fungibility rise to the surface. The issue we are facing here is just how quickly things can happen and how quickly and unpredictably the financial landscape can change. Gold and silver may be good investments in a world that has retained a level of operational integrity and the rule of law. Beyond that, all bets are off.
In the near future the "state" will come for your Gold, as FDR did in 1933.
If your Gold is not registered then you may be able to keep it but will be unable to sell.
Silver will be the best option for small transactions, but only coins.
As silver is seen as an industrial metal the price will be kept low by the usual practice of short selling etc...
Might as well go ahead and spend my kids’ inheritance while the spending is good! …and I’m not really sure how much I’m joking with that anymore 😂😩
Go ahead and mortgage , all your assets , it'll be pelly
Better transcription , mortgage or assets and pay them off with Increasingly, devalued dollars.
Sure seems like that’s the federal government’s plan.
But no thanks. I’m mortgage, loan, and credit card debt-free, and will stay that way.
We use the Dow to Gold ratio a lot. Have you ever considered looking at the average income to national debt level over time to see if it shows anything of value. I see a lot of people promote the stock market as having about 8 percent anula gain and that will make you a millionaire over time. With inflation at 8 percent I don't see any real gain in wealth with the stock market average?????
True, and don't forget your taxes
Solid commentary Mr Bonner, a “back to basics” reminder that the whole game is the debt and confidence in the US Dollar
The speech at Davos by PM Carney was for one purpose only and that is to ruffle the feathers of DJT. Carney needs the 'bogeyman' Trump for when he calls an election this year to try an secure a majority in parliament. In the last April federal election here in Canada, Carney was able to convince a whole generation of Liberal 'elbows up' boomers that Trump would destroy the Canadian economy and their federal pensions and the boomers fell for it hook-line-and-sinker. Carney's one big election promise was to have a deal with Trump by July 21, 2025...nothing...crickets. Meanwhile, deals are being sealed by the UK and others. Proof of just how incompetent the Carney government is can be seen during an hour of parliamentary question period. Carney is NOT the Prime Minister of Canada...he is the Prime Minister of Brookfield... He is 91% invested in the US...he moved Brookfield head office from Toronto to New York...he is less than 1% invested in Canada...he is all about Brookfield. Liz Truss had to resign as PM of Great Britain while he was the governor of the BoE.
Bonner starts his column with the following:
"Real money shouldn’t have any purpose or value other than as money; it is meant to keep track of the values for other things, not to have a value of its own."
On the face of it, this is a ludicrous statement. Who would want to exchange something of value for something that does not have "value of its own". To emphasize his point, Bonner mentions the usefulness of other metals - iron ore, copper, aluminum - while neglecting the fact that these are much more abundant. It isn't until the next paragraph that he mentions a key attribute of gold is its scarcity. Scarcity is something that is crucial for money along with the fact that money should be able to be sectioned into various sizes without losing value per weight. The fact that you have to put in effort to mine gold and that it is scarce AND that it has uses is what makes gold valuable. If this were not true, what then would be the difference between bitcoin and gold (both are scarce) except for the fact that gold is real and bitcoin exists in "cyberspace". Bitcoin can only be used for money. Seems to be a perfect fit for Bonner's definition of money.
In any event, the bitcoin comment is not central to my argument. And Bonner does go on to make several good points. But his assertion that money should not have a value of its own is totally wrongheaded.
I don’t actually disagree with BB on this score - gold is money and that is its exclusive role … Money!!
And, because it’s not man made it cannot be manipulated like fiat and crypto currencies. If Bitcoin is to function as money it must be divisible and as I understand it can be (satoshis) - but if, so where does that process stop? And, let’s imagine that it is money … is it not that competing with government issued fiat currencies. That’s pure inflation!! And, I can’t see governments world wide allowing that to happen.
As I have argued there are only 2 currencies in this world - Gold and a gun barrel to your head.
To use gold as money , it needs to be converted to cash or bitcoin. Good luck at the grocery store gas station with your speck of gold.
Gold back dollars $ will do the job… like it did until 1971
Just to clarify. Bitcoin is/will be better than the dollar. There is a limited quantity of it. Unlike the dollar; it can be increased.
Sorry it cannot be increased
Gold and silver are in fact industrial metals, whose prices have been manipulated for decades.
Both Gold and Silver are money. And industrial metals.
And yes, the price of both are manipulated.
Still good things to have, in the form of coins.
"Annual US government deficits will rise from $1.9 trillion in 2026 to $3.1 trillion in 2036, according to new 10-year projections reached by the Congressional Budget Office."
The CBO also projects no recessions, depressions, or wars in the next 10 years and unless there is a massive change in the way Congress and the President spend and tax, the CBO's new 10 year projection will miss the target even more than the guess they made 10 years ago.
Seems like you are in Love with Mr. Carney. (We thought you hated central bankers and found them full of feces, yet here you are).
Not sure if it is Mark or Art Carney you are supporting but the fact remains the Canadians hate this jack ass more than they did Trudeau.
Alberta and perhaps BC have referendum's to leave Canada because of his stupidity and lack of leadership, potentially becoming states 51 & 52. (then Obamas comment will be correct about us having 52 states :-))
Yet, here you are supporting his statement as if it were total and 100% true. Where is the proof? All I hear from the sewer rat is whining like a little babe whose toys were taken away.
Play fair, or FAFO. Mark FAFO’ed. he don’t like it.
Bill provided an excellent explanation why gold makes for an ideal currency. He also made clear how it was misused.
What now?
Bill, you have a ghost writer the past two days, or you didn’t fall on your head for two days? Thank you for writing what we are paying for!
Meat head won't get his majority. There are 13 seats up for grab and his ability to secure these seats are far less than what is believed given his Eastern constituents have turned. Although, when your a professional criminal anything is possible. So I wouldnt rule it out entirely.
Bill, as usuaql, this is a powerful lesson in the failing of the dollar. I did NOT know that there was a 0% reserve requirement since COVID. Our dollars are truly counterfeit!
Bill, despite some fair comments about gold and currency you couldn't have picked a worse example of financial or policy acuity than Mark Carney.
Mr. Carney's policy poison of mass undocumented immigration, climate alarmism, globalism and fiscal irresponsibility were implemented by the narcissistic. incompetent, USA hating (Trump?) Justin Trudeau to dire effect.
Carney's only political asset in Canada is his disregard for President Trump. The egotistical indulgences of JT and him have resulted in the significant decline of the Canadian economy versus that of the the USA since 2015. Carney's faulty characterization of, and incredulous foolishness toward, the Canada USA relationship will further erode the stature of Canada on the world scene. and diminish Canadian democracy and economoc viability until Carney is removed as Prime Minister.
A weak individual should not poke the bear unless he is suididal.
Those who would infer any wisdom, or benefit, from Mr. Carney or his comments are either deluded, ill-informed or completely ignorant of his policies and positions and the negative consequences that Canada has suffered because of them.
What is broken is the will of the people. We've become fat and lazy. We allow our leaders(?) to enslave us. We only have ourselves to blame for what is ahead for us, our children and grandchildren. The only question now is when. Next year? 2030? Later? And how chaotic and violent will it be? America - a grand ride while it lasted!
Some of us are neither fat nor lazy, and we'll happily die on a pile of hot brass to protect our liberties.
But you're right about one thing---the only question is when.