Daily Dispatches

By James K. Galbraith
The Guardian, Manchester, England, UK
Monday, December 18, 2006

http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/james_k_galbraith/2006/12/clueless_i...

Speaking as I rarely feel entitled to do, on behalf of all my fellow professional economists, I felt true, true sympathy last week for Ben Bernanke, as he trailed after Henry Paulson in China.

Paulson's China policy is easily understood. In the United States government the Treasury represents the interests of Wall Street, as Joe Stiglitz has written eloquently from direct observation. An alumnus of Goldman Sachs, Secretary Paulson is ideally suited to his job.

9:25p ET Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Dear Friend of GATA and Gold:

Reginald H. Howe, plaintiff and litigator in the first federal gold price-fixing lawsuit and consultant to GATA, has studied the latest figures on derivatives in gold, silver, and commodities, as compiled by the Bank for International Settlements. He concludes that the Western central banks and their agents are using fewer forwards and swaps and more options to restrain prices. Maybe this is because the real goods are running out, leaving only paper to deceive the markets with.

9:14p ET Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Dear Friend of GATA and Gold:

GoldSeek's companion site, SilverSeek, has posted a long colloquy between silver market analyst Ted Butler and Jim Cook of Investment Rarities in Minneapolis. It's particularly interesting for Butler's observations about the new silver contracts on the Comex and London Metals Exchange, which he calls "no delivery" contracts, contracts that can be settled only in cash and that, as a result, seem designed to divert investment demand away from any possibility of collecting the real stuff. You can find the colloquy, "Interview with Ted Butler," here:

The Dollar Has Fallen;
When Is Gold Dinar Coming?

By Dzikrullah W. Pramudya
The Brunei Times (Brunei Darussalam)
Tuesday, December 19, 2006

http://www.bruneitimes.com.bn/section/opinion/19Dec2006-3.php

The veteran samurai of capitalism has acknowledged that his sword is no longer sharp enough to rule the world. Last week former US Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said he expected the dollar to stay weak for the next few years and will continue to drift down, weighed by the US balance of payments deficit.