Weekly Article 08/22/2024 - ADV Distractions

There are many stories out there that allow us to see the true state of our economy- as long as we do not rely on our “news” outlets to get the information.

While we are distracted by the presidential reality show the world around us is, and has been, collapsing.

I am sure those “in charge” can’t wait for football to start so the masses can be distracted even more with irrelevant stories and either real or manufactured stories of romance between football stars and singers.

I am also sure that they are thrilled that the gambling sites that millions are frequenting will be teeming with young and old alike who will not be worried about working or adding any value to society but will be looking to make quick buck. Another GREAT distraction from reality.

I was sad to hear about the billionaire who lost his life in his yacht off of Sicily but the fact that this would be a front-page story in the Wall Street Journal allows me to see that even a paper that many look at as the financial go-to source is putting out stories that distract us from the real stories that can and do affect all of our lives.

Both candidates are promising lower interest rates and a weaker dollar. Both make it sound like the good times will be right back right after they get in. What nobody calls into question is “HOW DOES A WEAKER DOLLAR HELP ME?” A weaker dollar- likely engineered with lower interest rates means that everything I buy I will need more dollars to get the same goods so both candidates are promising more and higher INFLATION.

I cannot explain how higher expenses and the cost of probably all goods skyrocketing is a positive.

Of course, higher inflation means a stealth tax on us that disproportionally hurts those that earn the least. It is terribly evil to say that you will not raise taxes on those earning less than whatever but in the meantime your actions make it so that the American dream becomes a nightmare for most of our society.

Housing- a basic human need has become a luxury in our “new” economy as homelessness is increasing exponentially and our younger generation is feeling left out as home prices continue to rise FAR faster than their incomes. Not only this but as prices rise for food, rent, insurance and other necessities, assets that could have been set aside for a downpayment are now being consumed on basic necessities.

Things are so bad already that MANY are resorting to using credit to pay for many weekly and monthly bills.

It is not only individuals but corporations, cities states and our US Government that are binging on debt at a pace that has NEVER been seen before in history. This debt is giving the ILLUSION of prosperity and solvency where none- without the faux cash would exist.

Need proof? How about this.

If you go the USDEBTCLOCK.ORG you will see that the USA admits to $37.2 TRILLION in national debt.

We also know that funding for wars is not included in that number along with other off balance sheet items like propping up Social Security and Medicare which required around $540 BILLION in 2023 to cover shortfalls. This is a clear indication of the status of those “trust funds.”

What caught my eye this time was TOTAL US DEBT. This number does not include off balance sheet items but does include private, corporate, and public debt.

While I have seen a little press about a 400- ounce gold bar being over $1 MILLION in the press nobody seems to talk about our insatiable need for DEBT.

Total national debt as of August 21st at around 2:30 was a STUNNING $101 TRILLION. If that does not disturb you consider this:

We are adding to this debt RIGHT NOW …

$1,000,000.00 EVERY 5 SECONDS.

$12,000,000.00 EVERY MINUTE

$720,000,000.00 EVERY HOUR

$1,728 BILLION PER DAY

$518,400 BILLION PER MONTH

$6.2 TRILLION PER YEAR if the current trend continues.

Interest- just on the $35 TRILLION that they admit to is likely going to $1.4 TRILLION this year and even if rates get reduced by 2%, I have seen the number go to $1.2 TRILLION anyway. While this would make it so that the government could pay its bills with less “printed money,” The Fed would have to “print up” the “money” to reduce rates in the first place. The translation- YOU will pay more via inflation so the government can spend less on interest expenses. Again- How does this help You?

At the same time economic activity is collapsing as retailers are reporting that revenue is DOWN even though prices are UP. Many, like Macy’s, Wal-Mart, Home Depot, and Lowes are all warning about consumer weakness. Those “strong” jobs numbers touted by the government were revised LOWER by 818,000 today. Even that number is highly suspect as 3 part-time jobs equals 3 jobs created as we lost 1.5 MILLION full-time jobs in the last 6 months.

What this illustrates to me is that we either keep on conjuring up cash in exponentially higher amounts or the entire edifice would collapse under its own weight. This alone allows me to believe that virtually all hard assets and those things we need for sustenance will likely be skyrocketing in dollar terms in the VERY near future. This is not just here in the USA, but it is a global phenomenon.

As the government continues to bury us in ever increasing debt there has been NO discussion of paying debt down or any talk of pulling back on wars, freebies, or frivolous spending. Of course, any candidate that would dare suggest getting our fiscal house in order would not be elected.

My guess is that they are using polarizing issues that make people argue like religion, abortion, trans rights, etc. to keep our eye off of our real problem which is that we are spending and consuming FAR more than we are producing and we are headed for a cliff that many can’t see coming even though it is right in front of our eyes.

While this has gone on FAR longer than I anticipated it is glaringly obvious that we are getting to the end of the story of the Bretton Woods agreement that made the US dollar the reserve currency.

What comes next? My best guess is that there will be no dominant currency in the next few years and that gold and other hard assets like silver, oil, industrial metals, and critical minerals will be used to infuse trust back into the system.

I also believe this is being done on purpose and those “in the know” are already well prepared- like billionaires, large banks and central banks buying gold in record amounts. Others, like the countries in BRICS, SCO, ASEAN, and others are repatriating their gold and buying more.

What is YOUR plan?

Be Prepared!

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