QUOTE (MrBenn @ Nov 27 2007, 10:17 PM)

CGNAO,
Thanks for all of your input, it makes for fascinating reading and much food for thought. It's a shame that attempts are made by one or two to derail things.
I can see from your many posts that you seem willling to discuss your ideas in further detail.
Hypothetically, if we are currently entering a global hyperinflationary phase, how quickly and to what magnitude will this affect your average Joe (me, for example)?
How will this hyperinflation manifest itself and what will be the short, medium and long term consequences for the nation as a whole?
MB
edit:typo
Please review the following, substituting
1) euro, dollars, pounds, etc for pesos
2) gold for dollars
3) world for argentina
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CorralitoIn 2001, Argentina was in the midst of a crisis: heavily indebted, with an economy in complete stagnation
....
Many Argentines, but most especially companies, fearing an economic crash and possibly a devaluation, were transforming pesos to dollars and withdrawing them from the banks in large amounts, usually transferring them to foreign accounts (capital flight)
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On 1 December 2001, in order to stop this draining from destroying the banking system, the government froze all bank accounts, initially for 90 days. Only a small amount of cash was allowed for withdrawal on a weekly basis.
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Argentina's situation worsened for several months. The corralito was hardened during the interim rule of President Eduardo Duhalde, and turned into a corralón ("big corral"). The corralón differed from the corralito in that most deposits were exchanged for a series of compulsory bonds denominated in pesos.
....
The corralón differed from the corralito in that most deposits were exchanged for a series of compulsory bonds denominated in pesos. The dollar-denominated accounts were automatically exchanged by pesos at a predetermined rate. The real necessity of such decision was questioned by several observers at the time, and some suggested this move benefited some large companies who were almost broke but whose well-off owners had sent their dollars abroad before the corralito; these owners were thus able to repay their companies' now devalued debts by a fraction of its original value.
...
The peso was first devalued (from 1.0 to 1.4 pesos/dollar) and then floated, thereby quickly depreciating to a maximum rate of nearly 4 pesos per dollar.
....
It is generally agreed that the banks had a share of the blame for the situation that led to the corralito. In mid-2001, it was probably clear to bank owners and high-ranking officials that Argentina's banking system was going to crash, and some in fact may have spurred this outcome by letting their highest deposit holders know this news. These, mostly large companies, quickly moved their deposits abroad. Meanwhile, they continued to recommend their middle-class customers to enter deposits.