16 November 2014

135 years of US Fed Earmarked Gold

Inspired by this post by Koos Jansen, which included a chart back to 1999 of earmarked (custodial) gold held by the US Federal Reserve Bank for other central banks, Nick Laird at Sharelynx went sleuthing for more data and was able to pull together from multiple sources data going back to just before 1880.

The resulting 135+ year chart of the US Fed's custodial gold, as well as the US' gold reserves, provides a fascinating insight into gold's monetary role. I have an article in the latest journal of the Gold Standard Institute featuring the chart and providing some commentary.

One of the more interesting periods is 1950 to 1965, during the Bretton Woods. While the total amount of gold held by the Fed over these 15 years was relatively stable at 25,000 tonnes, in 1950 only 15% of the gold stored in the Fed was owned by foreign central banks but by the end of 1965, 48% of the gold was owned by foreigners. Any guesses why?

Also of interest is the spate of recent withdrawals, which Koos Jansen has speculated are repatriations by Germany. Since June 2013, 75 tonnes has been withdrawn and if all are related to Germany, then they are on track with their plans to transfer 150 tonnes from New York to Frankfurt by 2015 and another 150 tonnes by 2020.

You can find my article the Gold Standard Institute's November journal here.

10 comments:

  1. 'Any guesses why?'

    You've read this : http://fofoa.blogspot.com/2014/06/fiat-33.html ?

    ReplyDelete
  2. No discussion or opinion or anything from Bron?---Just a cut and paste of this link and this post saying it's "interesting"---Try posting your own original work Bron.

    He says, "any guesses?"---LOL

    Any idiot knows what happened in the years between 1964-1968.

    Dollar Crisis: February 1965.

    De Gaulle:

    “The fact that many countries accept as a principle, dollars as good as gold for the payment of the differences existing to their advantage in the American balance of trade, this very fact, leads Americans, to get into debt and to get into debt for free at the expense of other countries. Because, what the US owes them, it is paid, at least in part, with dollars they are the only ones allowed to emit.

    Considering the serious consequences a crisis would have in such a domain, we think that measures must be taken on time to avoid it. We consider necessary that international trade be established, as it was the case, before the great misfortunes of the World, on an indisputable monetary base, and one that does not bear the mark of any particular country.

    Which base? In truth, no one sees how one could really have any standard criterion other than GOLD! “

    HERE'S THE YOUTUBE VIDEO:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-g2iGskFPE

    Because Bron is, of course, a bankster shill and a moron who runs this worthless blog, he wouldn't understand that this same phenomenon is happening today with the depletion of GLD holdings. Gold is shipping to China that will never see the Western Light of Day.

    Eventually, GLD trading will shut down along with a zero Comex paper price.

    Is it important to worry about paper pricing of anything?
    ANSWER: NOPE

    Is Bron an idiot?
    ANSWER: YEP!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Motley Fool,

    It was a rhetorical question, in my original article in the journal, I noted that it was due to US deficits, or as FOFOA says, an imbalance in the physical plane. That time period and the reaction of the other countries and the US giving up its gold is so clearly demonstrated in that chart and why I called it fascinating.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hey Bron

    I guessed so, but was just hedging my bets. ^^

    @Jake

    Get a life.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous Idiot:

    Who said anything about correlating GOFO rates to paper-priced gold?

    Read what I said: Negative GOFO shows that there is a lack of confidence on the part of gold holders to let someone else hold their gold in exchange for payment, you moron.

    It also shows there is a lack of confidence on the part of physical gold holders that promises to return their gold will be honored, you idiot.

    This also shows your annoying obsession with paper-priced gold. Why are the anti-gold bankster-defending crowd so concerned with the paper pricing of gold?

    Do you all think you can trade a bankster-manipulated paper gold market?--ANSWER: probably yes.

    Are you all, liars by extension? ANSWER: yes

    ReplyDelete
  6. Here's a great quote By Gary Tanashian From GOLDSEEK:
    http://news.goldseek.com/GoldSeek/1416319496.php

    "...gold, an element dug out of the ground for centuries, once as money and now as a marker to sound money systems will one day be shown to be a calm oasis from the fallout to global monetary shenanigans currently ongoing. At least it would be an oasis to those who have valued it as such. It is going to feel like a giant dinosaur (minus the kitsch value) ripping through a city built on paper to the multitudes who have taken the bait on the current too big to fail global inflationary operations. They will fail. Timing is the only question."

    ReplyDelete
  7. Interesting That Australia Exports Most of Their Gold To China:

    From: http://srsroccoreport.com/austraila-exports-two-thirds-of-its-gold-production-to-china/austraila-exports-two-thirds-of-its-gold-production-to-china/

    "In 2012, Australian gold exports to China more than tripled compared to the year before reaching 110 mt, representing 44% of its 251 mt gold mine supply. Then in 2013 when the paper price of gold was smashed (starting in April and then again in June), the clever Chinese couldn’t pass up on what they saw as a real bargain by loading up with even more of the precious yellow metal.

    Australia enjoyed two gold records in 2013; 1) it had the highest gold production in over a decade at 266 mt, and 2) it exported a staggering 176 mt of the precious metal to China. In just two years, Australian gold exports to China increased from 12% of its mine supply in 2011 to 66% in 2013.

    While it’s true that Australia also imports gold ($4.6 billion – 2013), exporting 66% of its of total gold mine supply to China alone is a significant figure."

    ReplyDelete
  8. More Mis-characterization From TraderDan:

    "I would suggest to gold and silver perma bulls that they stop dissing US economic data and actually start rooting for solid growth prospects, not just here, but globally if they wish to see their metals run higher for more than a short period of time."

    Who are these "permabulls" Dan?---They're just traders like you (although, I don't believe you actually trade anything).

    Bullish/bearish---Dan?---Why criticize other traders if you think they're on the wrong side of the trade?---and in what time frame?---Maybe they might be right in some short time frame where you might be right in a longer one?---Who cares anyway? You're All Just TRADERS.

    Gold accumulators are not traders as such. Most have a mindset that physical gold is a savings vehicle, not an "investment'---This is why Bron and TraderDan and Hypey Silverdoctors Types get it wrong about gold/silver.

    Paper pricing is for the trading crowd who think they can accumulate more paper over the long term. Let them lose all their paper---It's meaningless to the true goldbug. In the end they hold paper and the goldbug holds gold. Why would anyone think goldbugs have it wrong?

    So, I have a suggestion for Bron and Dan and Hypey Blogs like TFMetals/KWN/Jim Willie/Silverdoctors/Etc, Who Hype up the metals prices and are so concerned with paper nonsense---Try characterizing the goldbugs as gold holders or gold accumulators who are not concerned with paper.

    Gold permabulls are still just traders like you say you are Dan.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I also have a message for those physical gold holders who still concern themselves with paper gold pricing: If you think you made a mistake accumulating gold/silver at prices that are higher, on average, than current prices and are "waiting for higher prices to vindicate yourself" or "lower prices to buy more", stop and re-assess what this says about your true mindset.

    Any concern for pricing means you will be willing to part with your gold/silver for paper profits or losses. If this is true, you are still just a trader. You haven't yet released yourself from the insanity that is propagated from the bankster/trader/investment adviser community.

    The idea that you can "trade' your way to "paper profited nirvana" is fantasy. Even Dan says, that there isn't a person alive who knows whats going to happen into the future.

    This "trader" mentality comes from a mindset put forth by criminal brokers in the banking and finance world to get you to think of your savings as an "investment". Nothing could be farther from the truth. Potential trading profits are just paper promises, nothing more.

    Trading is for those who are lying to themselves about somehow profiting over the long term from wisdom derived from "trading principles and analysis". Yes, in the short-term, "traders" get lucky, but they still just have paper. No one continually buys bottoms and sells tops. It's impossible.

    Types like TraderDan belong to the lying trader crowd who continually mis-characterize those who simply accumulate gold and silver for the purpose of SAVINGS. They lump gold/silver accumulators in with hypey permabulls like Jim Willie. There is a big difference between goldbug accumulators and "goldbug permabulls".

    Therefore, to all you anti-goldbug liars, permabull goldbugs are not accumulator goldbugs. Permabulls are still concerned with paper pricing and are willing to part with their gold for promised "trading profits". Thus, they should be grouped by TraderDan as traders, (just like what Dan says he is).

    Accumulators hold gold/silver for the purpose of spending their holdings at some later date in exchange for needed goods and services at inflation-free prices that their gold/silver protected against long ago.

    ReplyDelete