Surging Inflation Launches Gold Rocket “To the Moon”

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Inflation is the fuel that will send the gold rocket to the moon

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)’s December 2021 inflation update pushed the cost of living to a nearly 40-year high of 7% after nineteen consecutive months of increases. A far cry from the Federal Reserve’s self-imposed target of 2%.

The bad news is, inflation is most likely headed higher. The most recent Producer Price Index (PPI) report, which tracks cost increases at the manufacturing level, measured 9.7%. The official BLS press release didn’t even try to sugarcoat the news…

the largest calendar-year increase since data were first calculated in 2010.

Gold futures climbed and continue to climb on this double helping of bad news.

As Peter Spina, president and CEO of Goldseek put it,

The most important takeaway for gold here is that gold is a rocket ship and inflation is its fuel. Now with inflation showing itself to be baked into the system and growing recognition of inflation, gold is going to benefit in a big way.

The U.S. dollar fell against most currencies after these reports. It seems as though global traders aren’t really expecting the Federal Reserve to follow through on its 3 predicted price hikes in 2022 (or maybe they’re already priced in?)

Jeff Wright, chief investment officer at Wolfpack Capital, said of Powell’s recent comments,

No fireworks, rather dovish and no surprises. Gold has done well with Powell’s ‘go slow’ management of the Fed.

On the downside, Wright said there’s a possibility that both quantitative tightening and tapering could accelerate, which would stop a gold rally in its tracks.

What are the odds?

Bond king on “recession watch”

Jeffrey Gundlach, the billionaire “Bond King” doesn’t think the Federal Reserve will be able to thread the needle and bring the economy to a soft landing.

Inflationary pressure is building. If we look at the economy, it’s undeniable that’s been supported by the quantitative easing and the Fed’s balance sheet expansion. And since that’s going away, it is just not plausible to think that we don’t have more headwinds in 2022 for risk assets and, ultimately, for the economy. The signals from the bond market are starting to look a little bit like a pre-recessionary period.

Gundlach believes gold is the best asset to hold in periods like this, when inflation consumes so much of our purchasing power and the world’s central banks don’t seem able to contain the chaos.

He’s bullish on gold because he’s bearish on the long-term value of the U.S. dollar. And when dollars shrink in value, it takes more and more of them to buy the same amount of gold. (From this perspective, buying gold early offers a sort of discount…)

Gold Approaches $1,900 While Investors Mull Fed Chair Powell’s Reappointment

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Gold Approaches 1,900 While Investors Mull Fed Chair Powell Reappointment
Photo by Aaron Munoz

Although analysts expect that gold could have a very volatile closing of the year, the consensus is that the metal is eyeing $1,900 as the next level to breach in the near-term, via Kitco. Market participants are always keeping a watchful eye on the Federal Reserve, so it’s no surprise that questions over the next Fed Chair nominee have caused a bit of tumult.

Some believe that there is a strong chance that Federal Reserve Governor Lael Brainard could take Powell’s spot after recent dissatisfaction with the incumbent’s actions. A Brainard appointment would result in a major shift in short-term yields, said OANDA senior market analyst Edward Moya, along with delaying hike expectations even further.

However, Moya noted that a Powell renomination would be far from negative for gold. Risk remains to the upside, and hikes are questionable regardless of who’s helming the central bank. Pepperstone’s head of research Chris Weston said that a new Fed Chair would cause the kind of uncertainty that most market participants dislike, yet that volatility seems to be in the cards regardless. (Update: Powell was renominated to his current position on November 22. His last Senate confirmation won 84 of 100 votes in 2018, so Congressional resistance is extremely unlikely.)

Weston expects an anything-goes December, partially because the U.S. Treasury will exhaust its measures by the middle of the month as the U.S. debt ceiling issue once again comes to the forefront. The central bank’s meeting, which should announce the tapering schedule, could be another stir for the markets.

TD Securities said that gold remains vulnerable to priced-in rate hikes, even in the absence of any evidence that they will materialize. So long as this remains in view, the bank believes that gold could come under further selling, especially if prices fall below the $1,840 level. Moya expects a very volatile week ahead, saying that gold could trade in a range as wide as $1,840-$1,890.

If the metal does dip to $1,840 or below, Standard Chartered precious metal analyst Suki Cooper expects an influx of buyers on every turn due to gold’s fundamental picture. She noted that gold’s headwinds are mostly absent and not of particular consequence. On the other hand, the upside to physical gold ownership is tremendous. Growth risks, elevated inflation, an expected pullback in the U.S. dollar and real yields establishing themselves in negative territory are far more pronounced than anything pushing gold downwards.

However November’s price action plays out, Moya expects investors to start pouring into gold as an inflation hedge next month and push it above the $1,900 level. This could be expedited by both uncertainty coming from Europe or any number of data reports scheduled for this week turning out disappointing.

Inflation, Other Forces Will Continue to Push Gold Higher

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Inflation, Other Forces Will Continue to Push Gold Higher

As Forbes contributor Frank Holmes points out, two weeks ago, the greenback hit its highest level in about a year. It beat a basket of other currencies in doing so, and once again showed strength against expectations. But was it a show of strength on the U.S. dollar’s part, or a show of weakness on the part of foreign currencies?

We’ve mentioned in the past that gold has been hitting all-time highs in currencies around the world heading up to 2019. Only when it comes to the greenback has its rise been slow, last year notwithstanding. And sure enough, checking the gold market’s price action in dollar denominations shows a familiar correlation: dollar up, gold down.

Dollar’s effect on gold’s price

Yet simple logic demonstrates that gold has little to worry about regarding dollar strength. With trillions of U.S. dollars printed last year, it’s questionable where that strength is coming from and how long it can persist.

Interestingly, despite the dollar’s relative strength recently, oil’s price has skyrocketed over the last few months. Americans notice at the gas pump when filling their tanks. However, oil price has much more far-reaching consequences than an extra $20 spent at the convenience store. Higher oil prices mean higher transportation prices, driving up costs of everything from fresh foods to imported manufactured goods.

Which leads us directly into the highest inflation in the last 30 years…

The Fed is losing control of inflation

The Federal Reserve has done nothing but downplay the threat of inflation so far. The PCE index, which monitors the prices of goods and services purchased by U.S. consumers, rose by 4.3% year-on-year in August. It was the ninth straight month of massively surging inflation, and the highest figure in the last 30 years.

It just so happens that the PCE index is the Fed’s preferred measure of inflation, which might explain why Fed Chair Jerome Powell voiced expectations of ongoing market disruptions, which are intrinsically tied to inflation, well into next year. Quite a statement for someone promising to embark on a major tightening program next month.

As just one example of the kind of damage that inflation is doing, home prices, as measured by the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller National Home Price Index, rose 19.7% in the year ended July 2021. Hearing that it’s the highest annual rise since 1987 is troubling. Learning that the index started in 1987 really puts this number into perspective.

The dollar’s role in determining gold’s price

One of the key points of Trump’s presidential tenure was an ongoing back-and-forth with the Federal Reserve over various things, with the greenback being near the top of the list. President Trump wanted a weaker dollar for trade purposes, often saying that China’s devaluation of the yuan is continuing to give the nation a trade advantage.

Holmes notes that while a strong dollar might sound good on paper, it’s actually harming U.S. exporters, and it’s doing so during a time when no nation can afford to have economic weakness.

How this plays out remains to be seen. And while we wait for gold to truly respond to any of these tailwinds, it’s good to remind ourselves just how liquid of an asset gold is during a time when cryptocurrencies are taking their place on the global market.

While Holmes often tells people that gold is the fourth most liquid asset, the latest World Gold Council data shows that it’s actually the second, coming only behind S&P 500 stocks. Its daily trading volume beats all commodities, government and corporate debt and even currency swaps. Even amid bouts of tepid price action, the gold market itself is as action-packed as they come.

Buy the Dip While Panic Selling in Gold Lasts

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Buy the Dip While Panic Selling in Gold Lasts

Gold has always been prone to bearish Wall Street sentiment and investor overreactions, and this was perhaps on full display after the latest Federal Reserve meeting. Optimistic GDP forecasts and hints at interest rate hikes in 2023 and onwards sent gold tumbling to a two-month low, with weekly losses above 5% percent. Yet, as usual, the drivers of the move downwards are questionable at best.

Adrian Day, president of Adrian Day Asset Management, said that the Fed meeting was actually bullish for gold upon closer inspection. He expects prices to bounce back in the short-term. Day notes that the Fed chair essentially said the government wants to rein in its loose monetary policy, but doesn’t have a way of doing it. This is clearly demonstrated by their inability to hike rates for at least two more years.

Day believes a lot of the selling was automated on some level and that investors will soon return to their previous bullish outlook.

Colin Cieszynski, chief market strategist at SIA Wealth Management, said that markets were looking for an excuse to rebalance from technically overbought gold and oversold U.S. dollar, and that the Fed meeting was just that.

Cieszynski said that it wasn’t so much the Fed’s projections that caused the pullback, but rather the signal that officials are looking for a way to tighten monetary policy. While the statement alone was enough to send the markets selling, Day is among the numerous experts who don’t see any feasible way for the Fed to either tighten its monetary policy or subdue inflation.

The latter has been an especially prominent talking point as of late, with core and consumer inflation rising at their fastest pace in over a decade and consensus forecasts that more inflation is coming. Phillip Streible, chief investment strategist at Blue Line Futures, said that his firm has been waiting for an opportunity to buy gold.

Streible said his company has already started buying the dip, noting that they are positioning themselves for higher inflation accompanied by weaker-than-expected growth later in the year.

Last week’s Kitco News Weekly Gold Survey of 18 Wall Street analysts showed that 56% were bearish on gold in the short-term, with bullish and neutral sentiment tied with 22% votes for each. A Main Street poll with 2,174 respondents showed considerably more optimistic sentiment, with 52% of voters expecting gold to bounce back this week, 31% expecting additional pullbacks and 17% voting neutral.

A Stagflation Flashback Ahead? Keep an Eye on Gold

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Stagflation flashback ahead? Keep an eye on gold

Ever since gold’s correction from August’s high, market participants have been watching closely as to whether we will bear witness to a similar scenario to the one between 1971 and 1980. Back then, economic conditions eerily mimicked what seems to be on the horizon today: a stagflation environment propelled by low growth, rising prices and excessive interest rates.

That bout of stagflation came, most would agree, as the result of the U.S. dollar being untethered from gold. The metal subsequently jumped from its $35 tether valuation to $200, corrected to $100 and then soared far above to reach $850 within a few years’ time. What might we guess, based on this historic pattern?

Today there’s no tether-based gold valuation. Recent calls for a return to a gold standard or a similar tangible backing of the dollar from various corners have very much driven that point across.

The Federal Reserve maintains inflation is running well below its stated annual target of “around 2% on average,” and that they know this because their measurements are accurate. We are forced to wonder how that’s possible, given the historic amount of money printing. Even such a luminary as former U.S. Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers fears the nation could be facing its biggest inflationary problem in 40 years.

Wealth preservation and inflation concerns

Reports from various government mints show that precious metals purchases have maintained their record-shattering pace over the past few months ‑ regardless of fluctuations in price. In other words, buyers seem very much concerned about long-term wealth preservation and aren’t deterred by momentary corrections.

And it appears they have every right to be.

With the debt bubble ballooning and government deficit perpetually increasing, many wonder how and when the Fed will choose to address these issues. In the absence of a debt default (which is viewed as highly unlikely), the remaining options boil down to spending cuts, tax increases or allowing inflation to run its course.

Spending cuts mean austerity, less services for taxpayers, less money for special interests. That’s simply not a politically tenable path.

Tax increases could raise funds for federal coffers. On the other hand, taxing the wealthy all too often results in nothing more than emigration to more wealth-friendly nations. To raise taxes on a thing is to risk driving it away.

That leaves us with inflation, which seems to be the Fed’s favored option. And it is almost certainly already underway.

Inflation destroys debts

The Fed’s comments indicate the official sector has braced for a public response over claims they wouldn’t oppose inflation running past the desired target. Given how the Fed measures inflation, it seems citizens are especially vulnerable to being caught by it off-guard in the form of a sudden spike in consumer prices.

On this topic, Indonesia’s 30% increase in tofu prices since December, Russia’s 60% rise in sugar prices over the last year and a 20% spike in grain prices are worrying examples of how consumer goods can shoot up both suddenly and unevenly.

The market response to a high-inflation environment is fairly well laid-out. An initial boost of the stock and real estate sectors is followed by erosion of purchasing power, together with excessive monetary demand, a loss of confidence in fiat currencies and an ongoing increase in money printing.

Look familiar? Initial boost in stock and real estate? Check. Erosion of purchasing power? See food inflation data above (or recent stories about manufacturing concerns over steel or lumber prices). Excessive monetary demand? Yes in capitals; businesses are issuing new debt at a record page. Might the boom in bitcoin and other digital currencies have something to do with the loss of confidence in money backed by nothing but faith? Increased money printing: yes, again at record levels.

What does the future hold?

It should come as no surprise that the public have flocked to precious metals, with the latest social-media driven rush to silver being perhaps the first of many warnings.

When inflation does hit in such a way that not even distorted CPI can disguise it, the small subset of the public who have invested in gold and silver have managed to preserve the majority of their wealth. The rest scrambled to secure any sort of hard asset with their rapidly-depreciating currency.

The Fed Has Cemented Its Place as a Powerful Driver of Gold

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The Fed Has Cemented Its Place as a Powerful Driver of Gold

Having already provided a tailwind for gold prices prior to the pandemic, the Fed’s latest announcement may drive the metal even higher. Find out why here.

Before the pandemic hit, gold had been on a steady upwards trend since the start of last summer. Although the metal rested on plenty of solid fundamentals, the momentum shift occurred as the Federal Reserve decided to slice interest rates in succession, joined by central banks around the world. The massive amounts of stimulus issued in response to the crisis, along with a prolonged zero-rates policy, also played a key role in helping gold breach its all-time high and climb above $2,000.

Considering the latest announcement by Fed Chair Jerome Powell and gold’s response to it, the Fed’s place as an exceedingly powerful driver of gold prices appears well-set. On Thursday, Powell announced that the Fed’s inflation rate could exceed 2%, a revelation with numerous positive implications for gold.

Inflationary expectations were already running rampant before the trillion-dollar stimulus, and the announcement that Fed officials aren’t too concerned about possible spikes in inflation are likely to play heavily into that role. Likewise, the purpose of the statement appears tied to the Fed’s desire to keep interest rates low, which some consider to be perhaps the most powerful tailwind for gold.

Having held onto the $1,940 support level for the better part of the past two weeks, gold was quick to respond, hitting a high of $1,973 during Friday’s trading session. Delano Saporu, founder of New Street Advisors, shared some of his views on gold’s current state, as well as what investors can expect from the markets moving forward. As Saporu and many other analysts noted, those looking for a safe-haven asset, be it as a hedge or otherwise, have nowhere to turn with the bond market being in dire strides. These investors are likely to pour into gold, not only as a source of safe returns but also due to concerns over the ever-increasing money supply.

Nancy Tengler, chief investment officer at Laffer Tengler Investments, echoed Saporu’s sentiment, highlighting that the strong fundamentals that have drawn investors to gold are still in place. Besides the addition of a sluggish economic recovery with plenty of concerns, negative real rates and ballooning government debt have been sticking out as red flags. The need to spur an economic recovery is likely to worsen the sovereign debt issue, which is generally viewed as a problem without a palatable solution.

Furthermore, Tengler also pointed to the uncertainty in the stock market, stating that only a few tech stocks aren’t high-risk plays right now. Noting that her firm called for a pullback when gold breached the $2,000 level, Tengler advised investors to buy the dip in gold whenever possible.

Is the Fed About to Become a Major Gold Buyer?

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Due to a new round of fiscal stimulus and waning global confidence in the dollar, Guggenheim’s Scott Minerd argues the Fed may resume buying gold in a big way.

In a recent note, Scott Minerd, chief investment officer of Guggenheim Investments, outlined a possible scenario that could manifest as a result of the Federal Reserve’s massive pandemic-related stimulus. The U.S. dollar has held a tight grip on its status as a global reserve currency over the past few decades, yet recent years have seen talks of that status potentially being usurped by another sovereign in the not too distant future, with the Chinese yuan as perhaps the most aggressive candidate.

Minerd doesn’t believe that the greenback’s place as the reserve currency has been placed into question so far, but he already sees concerning signals in the form of the dollar losing its market share. These are a clear result of the Fed’s attempts to deal with a massive government deficit while also staving off a recession.

In his note, Minerd expanded upon a sort of vicious cycle that the Fed could soon find itself in. As the CIO explained, the Fed’s current rate of asset purchases is outpacing the rate of bond issuance, and the central bank is likely to try and solve this problem by upping its asset purchases to a massive $2 trillion annually.

Although the Fed’s recent pumping of trillions of dollars into the economy represented the biggest stimulus to date, Minerd thinks that an official (and even greater) quantitative easing (QE) program is on the way. With a budget deficit exceeding $3 trillion and the Fed’s commitment to boost the economy at any cost, Minerd expects the central bank to keep interest rates zero-bound for a minimum of five years, if not longer.

Needless to say, any environment of low or negative interest rates greatly benefits gold, and the yellow metal has been reaching all-time highs in numerous countries whose central banks have adopted similar policies. But there are more reasons why gold could be the refuge investors need moving forward. A commitment to zero rates, especially over a protracted period of time, would likely raise inflationary expectations and potentially pave the way for a sudden spike in inflation.

Along with weakening the greenback on their own, intrusive measures such as these could reduce confidence in the dollar and intensify speculation in regards to its place as the reserve currency. In return, the Fed could attempt to offset its risky policies by accumulating even more gold, despite its reserves already far exceeding those of any other central bank. As Minerd notes, the historic tendency of sovereign nations to hoard gold in order to maintain economic leverage is well-documented, and Minerd would not at all be surprised to see the Fed becoming a major gold buyer in the near future to avoid losing dominance on the global stage.

The Fed Raised Interest Rates. Now What?

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Not only has the Fed raised interest rates, they want to keep on doing it through 2018. Can our economy sustain the ongoing increases?

The Fed Raised Interest Rates. Now What?

From Filip Karinja, for Birch Gold Group

This week, the Federal Reserve voted to raise interest rates a quarter of a percent to 0.5%, the first rate risesince 2006.

But this wasn’t the only bold announcement the Fed made. In a report released the same day, titled “Economic Projections“, they predicted that by 2018 they would raise rates to 3.3%.

It seems odd that they would come out with such a view on rates when, just last month, Janet Yellen said she would consider lowering rates into negative territory if the market was to fall considerably, like in 2008.

Considering the astronomic levels of our federal debt, having rates at 3.3% would be economic suicide; the United States simply would not be able to meet its obligations to its debt.

Interest rate target Federal Reserve The Fed Raised Interest Rates. Now What?

Projected Federal Reserve interest rate target (SOURCE)

So what does the Fed see changing in the next three years so positively — not only in the United States, but around the world — to be able to raise rates so sharply?

Here are the present day facts:

  • The global economy is beginning to contract, with many central banks already printing money like crazy and reducing rates into negative territory.
  • Retail sales have been falling short of expectations.
  • New housing has dropped off sharply.
  • The United States is becoming more polarized than ever — on politics, race, religion, etc.
  • The possibility of war in Syria and the Middle East region is ever intensifying, with nations taking turns dropping bombs all over the region.
  • Terrorism is increasingly spreading into the western world.
  • The threat of conflict with nations such as China, Russia, Syria and Iran is on the rise. Consider how Turkey shot down a Russian jet earlier this month.
  • Youth unemployment in Europe is reaching worrying levels.

For some reason, none of these factors seem to be weighing in on the Fed’s projections for the coming years. But ask yourself: How many of these problems do you think will be solved any time soon?

If you think any of this is overly cynical, take a look at this video, from Mr. Positive himself, motivational coach Tony Robbins. In it, he explains the nation’s debt problem and how there is no solution for it. Even if the rich were to be taxed a full 100% on earnings, it would not put a dent in the deficit.

Now, pretend you’re over two years in the future, in 2018. Would you guess that the debt will increase or decrease?

With the debt already so absurdly high, if the Fed moved rates out to 3.3%, the interest on this debt would be practically impossible to pay.

So put yourself two years in the future, and think about what it may hold for our nation. If you have any concerns, you may want to consider protecting your savings with some precious metals. Give us a call — we’re ready to help.

Is the bond market the next shoe to drop in Wall Street? Read why here.

photo credit: Perspectived, lines, madame #instaprol via photopin (license)

Wall Street Has The Death Star Pointed At The Bond Market

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star wars movie comes out first before hike Wall Street has the Death Star Pointed at the Bond Market

From L Todd Wood, for Birch Gold Group

This is shaping up to be a monumental week. Depending on your interests in life, you may be looking forward to the new Star Wars release, camped outside the movie theater for first crack at the coveted golden ticket.

Or, you could be anticipating the much heralded twenty-five basis point increase in the Fed’s short term interest rate. Either one is likely to be talked about over and over in the press for some time to come.

However, I think it’s telling that we have waited longer for the Star Wars movie than a Fed rate hike.

Birch Gold has written much recently about the consequences of an interest rate hike in this weakened economy. Although, there is one issue that is only starting to be discussed in the financial press that is the weakness in the credit markets and lack of liquidity since the Dodd-Frank bill was implemented.

As an ex-bond trader, I can tell you that life on this part of the ‘Street’ has gotten very difficult. Electronic systems are replacing many trading jobs as it did with the equity markets over the last decade.

However, the bond market is unique. Some bonds are not freely traded and it takes a good trader to know where the bones are buried and how to make sure liquidity in a certain security is adequate. Periods of stress in the interest rate markets make this job all the more difficult.

In addition to technology destroying jobs in the bond market, Dodd-Frank disincentivized large banks from participating in the market. This consequence may turn out to be extremely destructive as the Fed begins to raise rates. Investors holding certain bonds may see the need to sell those securities as a rise in interest rates will make the paper less valuable going forward.

The problem is, with big banks out of the market, there is no one to take the other side of the trade. In the past, hedge funds and such could just sell a large position to a broker, who would take it on their balance sheet and ‘work’ the sale over several weeks or months, limiting the impact on the price of the security.

Now, there is no one to off-load the position to. If you call a large trading desk (if there are any left), they will offer to ‘try and find a buyer.’ If you need to sell right away, to cover a margin call or other financial need, you could devastate the price of the bond. This is what market crashes are made of.

Over the past few trading days, there have been failures of three bond mutual funds at last count, due to this very reason. The liquidity in the market is just not there. I saw in 1994 when the Fed raised unexpectedly, investors who thought they were in ‘safe bond funds’ saw their principal reduced by upwards of thirty percent.

It seems many others are remembering these days as well and are attempting to get their money out. Why they waited this long is a mystery as the Fed has been looking to raise for some time now. However, these funds are now trying to sell bonds and there are no buyers. So they close and go into bankruptcy and investor money is held up longer.

This risk is very real. The Federal Reserve hiking rates will have all kinds of unintended consequences and as with roaches in the kitchen, if there is one, there are many. I can almost guarantee, if three bond funds fail, there will be many more. All of this negative activity could land us in a new recession. The bond market may just be the proverbial canary in the coal mine.

Don’t let your portfolio be destroyed as the markets readjusts. Make sure your savings is protected and back your money with a safe-haven asset such as physical precious metals.

If you’re on Twitter, be sure to follow us here. We will keep you up to date on all relevant and important financial news you need to know.

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Will Economic Disaster Follow After The Fed Raises Interest Rates?

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AWAITING THE BIG ANNOUNCEMENT FROM THE FED, WE QUESTION IF THEY’LL RAISE RATES AND WHAT THE ECONOMIC REPERCUSSIONS COULD BE.

fed interest raise december Will Economic Disaster Follow After the Fed Raises Interest Rates?

From Filip Karinja, for Birch Gold Group

With the Federal Reserve set to meet next week to vote on what to do with interest rates, many are speculating that we may see a rate hike.

This is something Janet Yellen has hinted at over the past few months but has kept delaying.

Should the Fed raise rates, it would be the first hike in 7 years since rates were lowered to 0.25%. Prior to these past years, it was unheard of to have rates so low, and for such a long time.

With some financial experts claiming that the economy is likely headed for another recession, why would Yellen want to raise rates now? According to the L.A. Times, ”…she said one reason to raise the so-called federal funds rate… is so the Fed has the flexibility to lower it if those risks cause the economy to falter in the future.”

In other words, the claim is that Yellen is buying herself some breathing room. By raising rates now, if (and when) crisis strikes in the future, she can lower them again back to today’s levels, and thus avoid having to lower rates all the way down to 0% (or negative) and/or launch QE4.

So by next week, backed by her dubious claims that the economy is finally on solid footing, we may see Yellen increase rates rise to 0.5%. And in the coming months, she may even go as high as 0.75%.

Here’s the problem: This illusion of a recovery put on by the Fed has so many holes in it that a growing number of people are beginning to see through. And more people are also questioning, Why further stunt growth of our plodding economy by increasing rates?

Can you imagine how embarrassing it will be if they raise rates next week and the economy slows even further, or we see a sell-off in stocks? What will they do then?

They won’t be able to raise rates any higher, as it will just compound the problem. But lowering rates immediately may not work either, as it would be a huge blow to confidence in the Fed’s ability to forecast the economy, something for which they already have a poor track record.

After next week’s decision, if the Fed needs to take steps in the future to begin easing monetary policy again, the only other option it will have is to fire up the printing presses again and print money through some form ofquantitative easing (QE). In fact, some experts are predicting that QE4 will be launched early in 2016.

Keep in mind that on a global level, Europe is already printing money as the global network of central banks collude and take turns in trying to prop up the frail global economy.

When it’s the Federal Reserve’s turn to print money, you can rest assured that we are nearing the end game.

But until our economy reaches that final point of no return, you can count on Yellen to continue to do whatever is necessary to keep the economy going, even if her decisions aren’t sustainable.

Is such an aimless monetary policy something you want to tie your savings to? If you want to put at least some of your savings into an asset that can provide a counterbalance, give us a call.

What will happen to gold if the Fed raises interest rates? Find out here.

photo credit: Federal Reserve Chairman Janet Yellen testifies before the House Finance Committee with Senior Fellow Donald Kohn observing. via photopin (license)