Peter Schiff posted a recent article called 'A Green Light for Gold?' where he explored whether we might be nearing the end of the US Dollar as world reserve currency (and explained this should benefit the price of precious metals):
The reality is that Washington has now committed itself to a policy of permanent debt increase and QE infinity that can only possibly end in one way: a currency crisis. While the dollar's status as reserve currency, and America's position as both the world's largest economy and its largest debtor, will create a difficult and unpredictable path towards that destination, the ultimate arrival can't be doubted.
He started and ended the article referring to a road map:
It is rare that investors are given a road map. It is rarer still that the vast majority of those who get it are unable to understand the clear signs and directions it contains. When this happens the few who can actually read the map find themselves in an enviable position. Such is currently the case with gold and gold-related investments.
Sometimes maps can be very easy to read. If the dollar is doomed, gold should rise.
The article implies that the free markets will take the price of Gold higher. However an interesting find in the WikiLeaks cables by Frank Knopers and shared by Koos Jansen on his blog points to a (1974) road map for a post USD (as reserve currency) world where Gold could be used for international settlement. Is this map still relevant (at the time it was just a discussion rather than proposal)? Could we see Gold used in this fashion and at what price would Gold need to be in order to facilitate international settlement?
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FOLLOWING IS TEXT OF STATEMENT MADE TO C-20 DEPUTIES' MEETING ON MAY 7 BY DUTCH TREASURER-GENERAL OORT RE ZEIST MEETING OF EC FINANCE MINISTERS APRIL 22 AND 23 ON GOLD:
I HAVE BEEN ASKED TO REPORT ON AN INFORMAL DIS- CUSSION - AND I EMPHASIZE THE WORD INFORMAL, REPEAT INFORMAL DISCUSSION - WHICH THE MINISTERS OF FINANCE OF THE EEC HAVE HELD ON APRIL 22 AND 23 AT ZEIST ON THE SUBJECT OF GOLD.
BEFORE I REPORT TO YOU ON THE OUTCOME OF THE DISCUSSION I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE CLEAR THAT IT HAS RESULTED NEITHER IN A FORMAL DECISION ON THE PART OF THE EEC COUNTRIES NOR EVEN IN A FIRM PROPOSAL.
MADE IN A WIDER INTERNATIONAL CONTEXT, WHAT CAME OUT OF ZEIST WAS A CONSENSUS ON CERTAIN SUBSTANTIVE PROPOSITIONS THAT ARE TO BE FURTHER EXPLORED BEFORE THEY ARE SUBMITTED TO A NEXT MEETING OF THE COUNCIL OF MINISTERS OF THE EEC. IF AT A LATER STAGE THE COUNCIL REACHES AGREEMENT ON A CERTAIN POSITION, THE FURTHER PROCEDURE COULD BE THAT THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY FORMULATES A FORMAL PROPOSAL ON HOW TO DEAL WITH THE PROBLEM OF GOLD IN THE PERIOD BEFORE THE REFORM OF THE INTERNATIONAL MONETARY SYSTEM.
IN ZEIST, MINISTERS HAVE AGREED ON TWO GENERAL PROPOSITIONS. FIRST, THEY HAVE RE-ASSERTED THAT THE SDR SHOULD BECOME THE PRINCIPAL RESERVE ASSET IN THE FUTURE SYSTEM, AND THAT ARRANGEMENTS FOR GOLD IN THE INTERIM PERIOD SHOULD NOT BE INCONSISTENT WITH THAT GOAL. SECOND, THEY HAVE AGREED THAT SUCH INTERIM ARRANGEMENTS SHOULD ENABLE MONETARY AUTHORITIES TO EFFECTIVELY UTILIZE THE MONETARY GOLD STOCKS AS INSTRUMENTS OF INTERNATIONAL SETTLEMENT.
THERE WAS A CONSENSUS AMONG MINISTERS THAT AN INCREASE OF THE OFFICIAL GOLD PRICE, ALTHOUGH IT MIGHT SERVE THE SECOND OBJECTIVE, WOULD BE INCONSISTENT WITH THE FIRST. IN ORDER TO MOBILIZE MONETARY GOLD AS AN INTERNATIONAL RESERVE ASSET, THEY HAVE AGREED THAT:
1. MONETARY AUTHORITIES SHOULD BE PERMITTED TO BUY AND TO SELL GOLD BOTH AMONG THEMSELVES, AT A MARKED-RELATED PRICE, AND ON THE FREE MARKET. THE MONETARY AUTHORITIES WOULD HAVE COMPLETE FREEDOM TO BUY OR TO SELL GOLD, AND WOULD HAVE NO OBLIGATION WHATEVER TO ENTER INTO ANY PARTICULAR TRANSACTION.
2. CERTAIN DELEGATIONS ARE OF THE OPINION THAT GOLD TRANSACTIONS WITH THE FREE MARKET SHOULD NOT, OVER A CERTAIN PERIOD OF TIME, LEAD TO A NET INCREASE OF THE COMBINED OFFICIAL GOLD STOCKS.
3. IN ORDER TO APPLY THESE PRINCIPLES, VARIOUS PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS CAN BE ENVISAGED. TWO WERE MENTIONED IN PARTICULAR. ONE IS THAT MONETARY AUTHORITIES PERIODICALLY FIX A MINIMUM AND A MAXIMUM PRICE BELOW OR ABOVE WHICH THEY WOULD NOT SELL OR BUY ON THE MARKET. THE OTHER CONSISTS IN CREATING A BUFFER STOCK TO BE MANAGED BY AN AGENT WHO WOULD BE CHARGED BY THE MONETARY AUTHORITIES TO INTERVENE ON THE MARKET SUCH AS TO ENSURE ORDERLY CONDITIONS ON THE FREE MARKET FOR GOLD.
4. THESE ARRANGEMENTS WOULD BE ADOPTED PROVISIONALLY AND WOULD BE REVIEWED IN THE LIGHT OF EXPERIENCE.
IN CONCLUDING, MR. CHAIRMAN, I WOULD LIKE TO EMPHASIZE ONCE MORE THAT WHAT I HAVE JUST SAID IS NOT REPEAT NOT A PROPOSAL BY THE EEC, BUT A REPORT ON AN INTERIM-STAGE IN THE DISCUSSIONS. MINISTERS HAVE PER- MITTED US TO MAKE THIS REPORT IN ORDER TO INFORM YOU AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE OF THE DIRECTION IN WHICH A CONSENSUS AMONG THE EEC COUNTRIES IS EMERGING. THEY EXPECT DEPUTIES TO INTERPRET THE STATUS OF THE INFORMATION IN THE LIGHT OF WHAT I HAVE JUST SAID.
I HAVE BEEN ASKED TO REPORT ON AN INFORMAL DIS- CUSSION - AND I EMPHASIZE THE WORD INFORMAL, REPEAT INFORMAL DISCUSSION - WHICH THE MINISTERS OF FINANCE OF THE EEC HAVE HELD ON APRIL 22 AND 23 AT ZEIST ON THE SUBJECT OF GOLD.
BEFORE I REPORT TO YOU ON THE OUTCOME OF THE DISCUSSION I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE CLEAR THAT IT HAS RESULTED NEITHER IN A FORMAL DECISION ON THE PART OF THE EEC COUNTRIES NOR EVEN IN A FIRM PROPOSAL.
MADE IN A WIDER INTERNATIONAL CONTEXT, WHAT CAME OUT OF ZEIST WAS A CONSENSUS ON CERTAIN SUBSTANTIVE PROPOSITIONS THAT ARE TO BE FURTHER EXPLORED BEFORE THEY ARE SUBMITTED TO A NEXT MEETING OF THE COUNCIL OF MINISTERS OF THE EEC. IF AT A LATER STAGE THE COUNCIL REACHES AGREEMENT ON A CERTAIN POSITION, THE FURTHER PROCEDURE COULD BE THAT THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY FORMULATES A FORMAL PROPOSAL ON HOW TO DEAL WITH THE PROBLEM OF GOLD IN THE PERIOD BEFORE THE REFORM OF THE INTERNATIONAL MONETARY SYSTEM.
IN ZEIST, MINISTERS HAVE AGREED ON TWO GENERAL PROPOSITIONS. FIRST, THEY HAVE RE-ASSERTED THAT THE SDR SHOULD BECOME THE PRINCIPAL RESERVE ASSET IN THE FUTURE SYSTEM, AND THAT ARRANGEMENTS FOR GOLD IN THE INTERIM PERIOD SHOULD NOT BE INCONSISTENT WITH THAT GOAL. SECOND, THEY HAVE AGREED THAT SUCH INTERIM ARRANGEMENTS SHOULD ENABLE MONETARY AUTHORITIES TO EFFECTIVELY UTILIZE THE MONETARY GOLD STOCKS AS INSTRUMENTS OF INTERNATIONAL SETTLEMENT.
THERE WAS A CONSENSUS AMONG MINISTERS THAT AN INCREASE OF THE OFFICIAL GOLD PRICE, ALTHOUGH IT MIGHT SERVE THE SECOND OBJECTIVE, WOULD BE INCONSISTENT WITH THE FIRST. IN ORDER TO MOBILIZE MONETARY GOLD AS AN INTERNATIONAL RESERVE ASSET, THEY HAVE AGREED THAT:
1. MONETARY AUTHORITIES SHOULD BE PERMITTED TO BUY AND TO SELL GOLD BOTH AMONG THEMSELVES, AT A MARKED-RELATED PRICE, AND ON THE FREE MARKET. THE MONETARY AUTHORITIES WOULD HAVE COMPLETE FREEDOM TO BUY OR TO SELL GOLD, AND WOULD HAVE NO OBLIGATION WHATEVER TO ENTER INTO ANY PARTICULAR TRANSACTION.
2. CERTAIN DELEGATIONS ARE OF THE OPINION THAT GOLD TRANSACTIONS WITH THE FREE MARKET SHOULD NOT, OVER A CERTAIN PERIOD OF TIME, LEAD TO A NET INCREASE OF THE COMBINED OFFICIAL GOLD STOCKS.
3. IN ORDER TO APPLY THESE PRINCIPLES, VARIOUS PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS CAN BE ENVISAGED. TWO WERE MENTIONED IN PARTICULAR. ONE IS THAT MONETARY AUTHORITIES PERIODICALLY FIX A MINIMUM AND A MAXIMUM PRICE BELOW OR ABOVE WHICH THEY WOULD NOT SELL OR BUY ON THE MARKET. THE OTHER CONSISTS IN CREATING A BUFFER STOCK TO BE MANAGED BY AN AGENT WHO WOULD BE CHARGED BY THE MONETARY AUTHORITIES TO INTERVENE ON THE MARKET SUCH AS TO ENSURE ORDERLY CONDITIONS ON THE FREE MARKET FOR GOLD.
4. THESE ARRANGEMENTS WOULD BE ADOPTED PROVISIONALLY AND WOULD BE REVIEWED IN THE LIGHT OF EXPERIENCE.
IN CONCLUDING, MR. CHAIRMAN, I WOULD LIKE TO EMPHASIZE ONCE MORE THAT WHAT I HAVE JUST SAID IS NOT REPEAT NOT A PROPOSAL BY THE EEC, BUT A REPORT ON AN INTERIM-STAGE IN THE DISCUSSIONS. MINISTERS HAVE PER- MITTED US TO MAKE THIS REPORT IN ORDER TO INFORM YOU AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE OF THE DIRECTION IN WHICH A CONSENSUS AMONG THE EEC COUNTRIES IS EMERGING. THEY EXPECT DEPUTIES TO INTERPRET THE STATUS OF THE INFORMATION IN THE LIGHT OF WHAT I HAVE JUST SAID.
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