PodCasts – McAlvany Weekly Commentary

A Look At This Weeks Show: -Debt ceiling arguments in Washington are merely a political game to distract us from the real structural issue (a 77 trillion dollar funding gap). -Contrary to the propaganda, not raising the debt ceiling does not mandate a U.S. Debt default. -A default by any other name is still a default and Greece DID default. Now what happens?

A Look At This Weeks Show: -  “Gold is not money,” says Bernanke. Tell that to the Chinese as gold tops $1,600. -  Bond markets indicating what the “New European Union” will look like after the shakeout. -  The conflict of statists and individual liberty that is at hand.

A Look at This Weeks Show:   -The middle class: “When they feel the heat, they’ll see the light.” -Replace the flawed U.S. tax code with a national sales tax. -Work toward a gold standard.

A Look At This Weeks Show: -Austerity measures cannot work in a democracy. -Gold is a currency, not a commodity. -Prepare for an inflationary depression over the next 3 to 5 years. About the Guest: ZULAUF ASSET MANAGEMENT AG was founded in 1990 and is fully owned by Felix W. Zulauf as an independent investment manager seeking absolute return. The firm manages a global fund seeking absolute return in a conservative way and invests worldwide in liquid assets only. www.zuam.ch    

A Look At This Weeks Show: -Central bankers worldwide see a “phase out” of the U.S. Dollar reserve currency status. -The history of central banks in America—Or, the third time’s a charm (actually a curse). -Hamilton and Jefferson: Two founders competing views of U.S. Money that impact us still today. Be Sure to Visit: McAlvany Financial’s You Tube Channel – Click Here

Show Highlights: -We are currently seeing the Collapse of Western Socialism in Europe. -A Greek default is the first phase of a chain reaction involving Portugal, Spain, Italy…and ultimately most sovereign debt. -During this debt “end game” scenario, it’s critical for the investor to be postured in a defensive strategy – including physical gold and cash. About the Guest: Bill King, has authored “The King Report” for over 18 years. It is an independent view on global, political, financial, and economic factors that influence world markets. As author of the firm’s daily research, Bill’s candid observations and forecast on the economic, financial, and political forces that are impacting the markets have been extremely accurate.

A Look At This Weeks Show: -Ottoman Empire Redux – Turkey moving toward radical Islam. -Are we at the end of the age of paper assets? -Is history (monetary and natural) a long, gradual, uniform progression or rather a series of unpredictable game changing catastrophes? Or both?

-Sometime in the next 5 years the government will shut down the futures markets. -This current bull market in gold could last another 20 years (according to Bert’s technical analysis.) -The next financial tsunami will be in China.

A Look At This Weeks Show: -The deadliest combination: higher inflation and shrinking growth. -Ouch! California’s state pension plan has to sell a $400 million dollar property for 32.5 million. -European bonds on “perpetual hold”? – Could a default be avoided by disallowing the redemption of bonds?

A Look At This Weeks Show: - Why is gold at new highs in the British Pound and the Euro? - If the dominoes of Greek and Portuguese debt defaults fall, it won’t sink the Euro ship. But if Spain goes next…lookout. - The “Battle of Frankfurt vs. Wall Street”: Who wins, who loses and how is  Goldman Sachs involved?

- Goldman Sachs helped Greece hide it’s dirty laundry in 2001 – now the ECB moves to block disclosure. - Are gold and silver having their last seasonal correction before the rise to new highs?   - Machiavellian Economics – or, how to control a crises by controlling the press.

About this weeks show: -What do  regularly repeating 80-100yr cycles tell us about America’s current situation? -How does each generation (young, middle-aged and senior) respond when a major historic change occurs within the cycle? -Can we be aware and expectant of the next season in the cycle without becoming totally fatalistic? About the guest: Neil Howe, best-selling author and national speaker, is a renowned authority on generations in America. He gives readers and audiences powerful insights into who today’s generation are, what motivates them as consumers and workers, and how they will shape our national future. www.lifecourse.com

A Look At This Weeks Show: -The real reason (not Bin laden) for the fight with the Taliban: The T.A.P.I. Pipeline.  -What’s a quadrillion amongst friends?: The Derivatives Market today.   -Manipulating precious metals by changing the rules of the game in the Futures Markets

-          Will the dollar endure as the worlds singular reserve currency? -          What role might the Euro and Renminbi play in the currency markets? -          What is the countdown to 2013? Barry Eichengreen, chairman of the PIIE Advisory Committee, is the George C. Pardee and Helen N. Pardee Professor of Economics and Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley, research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research, and research fellow at the Center for Economic Policy Research in London.

-U.S. debt gets thumbs down from S&P Rating service. New revelation? -B.R.I.C.S. say goodbye to Dollar transactions amongst themselves. -How British dethroned themselves to the Dollar half a century ago, and how that relates to the Dollar being dethroned by itself today.