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Only 40 european banks have disappeared since the 2008 financial crisis, compared to almost 500 in the United States. The governments have decided to keep their banks alive, and this has caused the healing process to slow down.

Andrew Huszar: Confessions of a Quantitative Easer. We went on a bond-buying spree that was supposed to help Main Street. Instead, it was a feast for Wall Street.

This confidential 1974 memo to Paul Volcker is a continuation of the US thinking on the issue of the SDR, the fate of paper currencies, and the preservation of US control over reserve currency status

Bitcoins : it’s new, it’s in, so to speak, and we keep hearing a lot about this virtual money that was created in 2009 and that is breaking record after record. What should we think about it?

Even if its goals are laudable, a tough regulation always generates perverse effects. Such is the case with Basel III, and it’s a shame, because it’s the solidity of our banks that is concerned.

The Euro which is a rubbish currency is up 8% against the dollar since July and over 65% since 2000. So even against another weak currency, the dollar is losing ground rapidly. And in real terms which of course is gold, the dollar has lost 98% since the creation of the Fed in 1913.

With the shutdown absurd showdown – temporarily – over, we are now faced with having to re-evaluate the U.S. debt in depth. Is it still a safe, risk-free asset, with the Fed backing it forever with new money? This is an important question.

Central bank gold is a reserve of safety, providing "fairly good protection against fluctuations of the dollar and risk diversification," according to Mario Draghi, President of the European Central Bank (ECB)

Gold price forecast in a new gold standard. The formula used by Nick Laird came from James Rickards. It's based on the rule they had in place in the early 1900's where the monetary base was backed by 40% gold

The dollar is very susceptible to losing its vaunted reserve currency position by the first major trading country that stops inflating its currency. There is evidence that China understands what is at stake; it has increased its gold holdings and has instituted controls to prevent gold from leaving...