Man Standing Next to All the Gold on Earth!

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A Guy Standing Next To All Of The Gold In The World

Warren Buffett famously observed that if you melted all of the gold in the world together, you could get a cube of about 68 feet per side. He said this would fit inside a baseball infield.

Deutsche Bank's Daniel Brebner and Xiao Fu recently published a massive report on gold. Like Buffett, the analyst illustrate what all of that gold would look like.

Business Insider: A Guy Standing Next To All Of The Gold In The World

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USA Consumer Sentiment At 4-Month High, Posts Significant Gain

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USA Consumer Sentiment: Thomson Reuters / University of Michigan

Consumer sentiment boosted in early September by optimism on jobs

(Reuters) - Consumer sentiment rose to its highest level in four months in September as Americans saw better prospects for the job market and economy.

The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan's final reading on consumer sentiment rose to 78.3 from 74.3 in August, the highest level since May.

Still, it was shy of economists' forecasts for 79, according to a Reuters poll, and gave up some of the advance seen in September's preliminary reading when the index climbed to 79.2.

Consumer expectations improved strongly, rising to 73.5 from 65.1, also the highest since May. More consumers expected the unemployment rate to fall than to rise, while twice as many survey respondents expected economic growth than those that anticipated a downturn.

USA Consumer Sentiment by Month

USA Consumer Sentiment by Year

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David Stockman: "Federal Reserve & central banks are fundamental threat to economic future!"

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David Stockman on Federal Reserve Arrogance and Monetary Mission Creep!

Welcome to Capital Account. Now that the Fed has announced QE3 and Japan announced QE 8, Brazil is threatening defensive measures and bringing talk of Currency wars back, according to multiple press reports. Brazil's finance minister coined the term 'Currency Wars' two years ago as governments battled to lower exchange rates to boost competiveness. We talk to David Stockman, former director of the Office for Management and Budget during the Reagan administration, about the malignant effects of Federal Reserve policy and the lack of market-set interest rates!

Our guest, David Stockman, author of "The Triumph of Politics," recently had some choice words Federal Reserve, stating:"The Fed (and the lunatics that run it) are telling the whole world untruths about the cost of money and the price of risk." We talk to him about monetary policy, taxes, sound money, and more.

Plus, the U.S. Senate panel probing JP Morgan's multibillion dollar 'Whale Trade' loss plans to unveil its findings to press regulators to tighten the Volcker Rule. We ask David Stockman if this would be enough to rein in too big to fail bank risk.

Also we launch our Facebook page today! Check it out at www.facebook.com/pages/Capital-Account. Lauren shows off the new page and discusses your comments in Viewer Feedback.

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Gold Market Update: Volatile Week Ahead!

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Commodities Next Week: Gold Outlook After nearing 2012 highs, gold is set for volatile week ahead. CNBC's Sharon Epperson explains.

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Jim Rogers: Economic Conditions Will Worsen In 2013 & 2014

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Jim Rogers

Jim Rogers: Conditions Will Worsen in 2013 and 2014.

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USA Consumer Sentiment At 4-Month High, Americans More Upbeat

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USA Consumer Sentiment: Thomson Reuters / University of Michigan

Consumer sentiment boosted in early September by optimism on jobs

(Reuters) - Consumer sentiment unexpectedly rose in early September to its highest level in four months as Americans were more upbeat about their economic and job prospects.

The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan's preliminary September consumer sentiment index rose to 79.2 from 74.3 in August. That topped expectations for a decline to 74.0, according to a Reuters poll.

The gauge of consumer expectations climbed to 73.4 from 65.1, though the barometer of current economic conditions nudged down to 88.3 from 88.7. Both the sentiment and expectations measures were at their highest level since May.

But the improved optimism was likely a temporary bounce after the recent presidential candidate conventions, the report cautioned. "The sooner it is tempered, the less economic damage will be incurred due to failed expectations," survey director Richard Curtin said in a statement.

USA Consumer Sentiment by Month

USA Consumer Sentiment by Year

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Daryl Guppy: Dollar Index Headed for Rapid Collapse

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Daryl Guppy

Dollar Index Headed for Rapid Collapse: Chart

Quantitative easing is really another word for currency wars. A weak U.S. currency puts continued pressure on the Japanese Yen, the Chinese Yuan, the South Korean Won, the Australian dollar and other currencies.

Cheap money also fuels speculation and this money quickly drifts into commodity markets and the ETFs that help propel commodity market speculation. This is inflationary for food prices.

The lower the U.S. dollar the greater the intensity of currency wars. The break below the key uptrend line on the Dollar Index chart was an early warning of the third round of quantitative easing (QE3). The most important question now is to use the chart to examine the potential downside limits of a QE3 weakened U.S. dollar.

The U.S. Dollar Index is a basket of currencies. They are the Euro, yen, British Pound, Canadian dollar, Swiss Franc and Swedish Krona. The Dollar Index is used as a measure of the strength or weakness of the U.S. dollar.

There are three significant features on the weekly Dollar Index chart. The first feature is the uptrend line that started in September 2011.

One year later, in September 2012, the Dollar Index fell below this uptrend line. The weekly close below this uptrend line was the first signal of a major change in the trend direction. It came before the announcement of QE3, last week. Traders had good warning to move to the correct side of the new market trend by closing long side trades.

The second significant feature is the support level near 79. This provided both support and resistance in 2011 and 2012. Temporary consolidation behavior may develop at this level. There is a low probability this level will provide strong support after the announcement of QE3 so traders will use the consolidation as an opportunity to build short side positions.

The third significant feature is historical support near 74.5. This is the upper edge of a consolidation band between 73.5 and 74.5. This is the downside target for the Dollar Index following a fall below 79. This target can be reached very rapidly over three to four weeks. A rapid collapse of the U.S. dollar puts immediate pressure on other dollar-linked currencies.

There is a very low probability the U.S. dollar will resume its uptrend. The move below the value of the uptrend line and a fall below 79 confirm that a new downtrend has developed. The weakness in the U.S. Dollar will hurt export dependent economies and companies.

(CNBC 9-17-12)

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Peter Schiff: Fed Launches Operation Screw, Goes All-In on Quantitative Easing

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Peter Schiff

Operation Screw: The Fed Goes All-In on QE

The geniuses at the Federal Reserve have concocted a bold new plan to revive the U.S. economy -- print a bunch of money, loan it to Americans at super low interest rates so they can speculate on rising real estate prices, extract the appreciated equity and spend it on consumer goods. In other words, build an economy of real estate, by real estate, and for real estate. The only problem is we've been there and done that. The last time it almost destroyed the U.S.economy.

I guess almost isn't quite good enough for the Fed, so now it's determined to finish the job. These actions will destroy Americans' savings and hurt people on fixed incomes. To protect yourself, I recommend a strategy of foreign equities, commodities, and gold and silver.

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USA Consumer Confidence Drops to 9-Month Low, More Pessimistic Outlook

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The Conference Board: Consumer Confidence Index

Consumer Confidence Index by Month

Says Lynn Franco, Director of The Conference Board Consumer Research Center, "The Consumer Confidence Index is now at its lowest level since late last year (Nov. 2011, 55.2). A more pessimistic outlook was the primary reason for this month's decline in confidence. Consumers were more apprehensive about business and employment prospects, but more optimistic about their financial prospects despite rising inflation expectations. Consumers' assessment of current conditions was virtually unchanged, suggesting no significant pickup or deterioration in the pace of growth."

Consumer Confidence Index by Year

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USA Consumer Sentiment At 3-Month High, Pessimism Persists

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USA Consumer Sentiment: Thomson Reuters / University of Michigan

Confidence Posts Slight Gain

(Reuters) - Consumer sentiment hit a three-month high in August as households chipped away at outstanding debt, though Americans were pessimistic about the future.

The survey's barometer of current economic conditions rose to 88.7 from 82.7, the highest since January of 2008.

However, the survey's gauge of consumer expectations fell to 65.1 from 65.6, the lowest level since December of 2001. Half of those questioned said their financial situation was worse than it was five years ago and the majority anticipated no wage gains during the year ahead, the survey showed.

"Despite the August gain, confidence has been in a holding pattern during the past few months. Aside from the past few years, the average level of consumer confidence in 2012 was lower than in any other year since 1982. Currently, a major source of uncertainty is about when the fiscal cliff will be bridged, and who will bear the burden of the tax increases and the spending cutbacks. This uncertainty will increasingly cause consumers to become more cautious spenders. While some worry about the negative impact on spending from upper income consumers, the spending of every worker is threatened by the end of the payroll tax cuts in January," survey director Richard Curtin said in a statement.

USA Consumer Sentiment by Month

USA Consumer Sentiment by Year

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