Monetary history

Money, as a medium of exchange, has existed throughout human history in many different forms. For centuries, there has been a constant tension between those who advocate hard, metallic money and those who defend credit money or debt money.

France is known for having the 4th largest stock of gold in the world, even though the country ranks 23rd in wealth per capita. In fact, over 2,400 tons of gold, or €146 billion at €60,000/kg, are stored in the vaults at 39 Rue Croix des Petits Champs in Paris. But do the French own so much gold...

The price moves in the coming months and year are likely to be spectacular. The combination of technical and fundamental factors can easily drive gold well above $3,000 and silver to new highs above $50.

Zimbabwe has replaced its local dollar, which collapsed after less than 5 years in existence, with a new gold-backed currency. This is the latest step taken by President Emmerson Mnangagwa's government to end decades of monetary chaos.

The history of gold spans several millennia and the entire globe. The cornerstone of civilizations, used as a medium of exchange and then as a standard, gold as a currency helped create trust between individuals. As the heart of the global economy shifted, so did the world's gold reserves.

The total mismanagement of the US financial system has led to the dollar losing 98% of it’s value since Nixon closed the gold window in 1971. Most other currencies have followed the dollar down at varying speeds.

Increasingly, countries are beginning to openly express their intentions to strategically explore using gold as a medium of exchange in the coming years. The Malaysian government is now considering using the gold dinar as a reserve currency to reduce dependence on the US dollar.

We now have two dangerous wars, maybe we will have a global war. We have a coming collapse of stock markets and debt markets and a banking system which probably will not survive in its present form.

Some people know the story of the Gold Rush from the Charlie Chaplin film, others from TV shows or books of all kinds. At the very least, historians consider this period to be one of the most significant of the 19th century. Both fascinating and structuring, it is particularly revealing of Americ...

One major phenomenon is often overlooked: the role of debt in the birth of the Revolution of 1789 and the bloody decade that followed. This period marked the end of a long economic cycle. Today's world has many similarities with the French situation at the end of the 18th century.