Enemy of the State

Haha. In response to the the topic, ironically for HPC it might be the only option on the table if you don't want to lose it all!

Is there a limit? I was unaware if there was, although to be fair the limit would have to be pretty low to affect me!

Inheritance Tax and Avoidance, surely?

Meant to say all armstrong'd out. Is there an edit function here somewhere by the way? I have seen some posts with an 'edited at' postscript, so guess there is? Any ideas on how to access it?

Thanks for the link, think I'm all Armstrong'd just now after wading through, the last one. What I'd really appreciate is a Red Knight, or someone else's view point on my understanding, or more possibly misunderstanding(!), of the first article I commented on.

From the look of the ground floor and basement windows and the mown lawn with a trampoline in the back garden, I would say it is still actually a home, just a half demolished one. One hell of a folly, considering how it used to look mind!

OK, still learning about gold, so came to this thread and decided to undertake the reading of the article posted by bulltraderpt to see what you were discussing. Please excuse my ignorance on the subject, but I think it is quite an interesting one, so keen to learn what I can. As far as I can tell the author is not supportive of the gold standard because it is managed by politicians who are likely to be corrupt and cheat on the standard. Near the end he says that gold will sore as it's a real hedge against the state. I guess he means with regards to the money supply. So I assume he's supportive of gold as some sort of free monetary standard. Are you agreeing with that premise? Or do you hold that the second part of the premise is incorrect? If so, why so? An important highlighted quote seems to be: 'If it is gold that is money it rises with deflation and falls with inflation. When gold is a free market, then it will decline with deflation and rise with inflation'. To me that makes sense. As deflation means prices falling and cash is king, so if gold is money, i.e. there is a gold standard, it gains purchasing power in deflationary times, but in inflationary times when the politicians print money but maintain the same gold/cash peg, if loses value. In the free market scenario, that I think we have now, it seems that it's value would decline if we had actual deflation, as cash would be king, but if the money supply is inflated then the value of gold rises as it will behave like any other good or service with more money chasing it. Does that sound right to you? Forgive me for asking, but I am a bit fed up just listening to the gold bulls, they seem to drown out the gold bears, so I want to hear the other sides of the argument about what the future holds for gold. By the way, I found the article very interesting in relation to the many banking crisis' going back to the early 19th century and the various inflations/deflations that have occurred since then, including the 'longest depression' in the late 19th century. It seems this is all largely ignored now and economic commentators can only see as far back as the Great Depression. I certainly was unfamiliar with most of the information.

That's the nail on the head. Just watched 'Inside Job' last night. It's US-biased, but it is obvious the games of the banker political class (they are good as one and the same now) extend far beyond US shores. They don't care about us. Only for themselves. Any benefit derived for those with big mortgages from low rates is only coincidental, as low rates help keep bankers in bonuses instead of being strung from lamp posts.

Even if they are all sold by the same owner, it doesn't matter. Prices are set at the margin, so if these sell for these prices, and there's no reason why they shouldn't if buyers think them reasonable, then that sets the value for all the other houses of a similar size and standard nearby. With internet tools that put this info in the public domain, can anyone else here the sound of an impending HPC in this part of Norwich?

Sorry, meant to reply yo the OP!

Many thanks for posting, unfortunately the Daily Show doesn't allow youtube clips to be broadcast in the UK, so was disappointed not to be able to view it when I heard about it the other day. This sort of thing shows plain as day US Political/Banking/Military Industrial Complex kleptocracy is as corrupt as anything you'd find in the third world. Just watched 'Inside Job' yesterday too, I recommend everyone watches it.

"Watch out for the aliens!" Superb work. I've seen Krugman's name mentioned quite often in news stories and know he's a Keynesian, but I'm not that familiar with his work. But I caught the interview the other day where he proffered his alien theory. I was beyond belief then. Schiff sorts the guy out good and proper, well worth a listen. I also watched 'Inside Job' last night. Not the 911 one, the banking one. A real eye opener, really well made and shows you just how corrupt Wall Street is and how they have completely captured the US government. Having watched it and listened to his nonsense, it's obvious that Krugman is a shill for them.

Some facts that might be helpful to you: 1. Cash buyers are at the same prevalence as they were in total numbers as in 2007, however they now make up a larger percentage of the market because: 2. Net new mortgage lending had fallen from £116Bn a year in 2007 to £3Bn in 2010, i.e. there has 97.5% fall in mortgage lending, which is why the market has ground to a halt. So, don't be too disconcerted by cash buyers, they are no more of a threat than in the boom times. The lack of mortgage lending means you have the bargaining power. Obviously there is still a massive amount of seller delusion out there to overcome, but providing you have patience you could get yourself a good deal. Personally I'm waiting for the capitulation and fear stage before looking at buying, I've come too far to give up now.

The dollar is the world's reserve currency, and therefore all central banks around the world, to some degree, keep dollar reserves as collateral that effectively backs their own currencies. The collapse in value of collateral held by a central bank, will have repercussions for the value of a nations currency. It's a similar effect to sub-prime mortgages going bad and sinking the private banking system in 2008, had it not been bailed out.

The Swiss Franc (CHF) is seen as the ultimate safe haven currency at the moment. Problem is all that capital inflow into the CHF has caused its value to appreciate fast. This is not good for Swiss exporters and in turn the Swiss economy, as no one will be able to afford to buy Swiss exports. Consequently the Swiss have been actively devaluing their currency recently and as we speak are seriously looking at rigidly tying the value of the Swiss Franc to the Euro to stem capital in flows. Another currency that looks good is the Norwegian Krone, but again Norway is too small an economy to absorb the huge capital inflows from investors exiting currencies like the Euro and Dollar, without destabilising its economy. So, it would no doubt competitively devalue by printing money to offset any appreciation in its currency from future capital inflows, leaving investors not much better off. The currencies of resource-based economies, like Australia and Canada, have also taken a hit recently, as the world looks as if it is on the brink of slipping back into recession. A recession/depression means less demand for products and therefore less demand for resources. Less demand for resources means a weaker economic outlook for those countries that supply resources, which in turn weakens their currencies. Also, all currencies are also backed by the dollar, which is experiencing difficulties. If it were to collapse, as some proffer it might, then the value of many other currencies may very likely collapse too. This is one of the main the reason a 'global economic and financial crisis' is talked about. Couple this with recent declines in stocks and it seems there is little room for manoeuvre, certainly as far as the ordinary person/investor is concerned. Others here might suggest looking at precious metals as a better alternative. I am not as well versed on the subject as I'd like to be and still learning, so I'll leave any advice or opposition on that matter to more experienced posters. It is a loaded subject to say the least, from my observations on here. I apologise if that isn't very helpful. Perhaps others can at least point you in a better direction rather than just give you the bad news, please don't shoot the messenger!