With gold punching the $1,300 mark, thoughts of what a gold mania will be like crossed my mind. If we're right about the future of precious metals, a gold rush of historic proportions lies ahead of us. Have you thought about how a mania might affect you? Not like this, you haven't...
You log on to your brokerage account for the third time that day and see your precious metal portfolio has doubled from last week. Gold and silver stocks have been screaming upward for weeks. Everyone around you is panicking from runaway inflation and desperate to get their hands on any form of gold or silver. It's exhilarating and frightening in the same breath. Welcome to the mania.
Daily gains of 20% in gold and silver producers become common, even expected. Valuations have been thrown out the window - this is no time for models and charts and analysis. It's not greed; it's survival. Get what you can, while you can. Investors clamor to buy any stock with the word "gold" in its title. Fear of being left behind is palpable.
The shares of junior exploration companies have gone ballistic. They double and triple in days, then double and triple again. Many have already risen ten-fold. You have several up 10,000%. No end is in sight. Your portfolio swells bigger every day. Your life is changing right in front of you at warp speed.
Every business program touts the latest hot gold or silver stock. It's all they can talk about. Headlines blare anything about precious metals, no matter how trivial. Weekly news magazines and talk-radio hosts dispense free stock picks. CNBC and Bloomberg battle to be first with the latest news. Each tick in the price of gold and silver flashes on screen, and interruptions offering the latest prediction seem to happen every fifteen minutes. Breathy reporters yell above the noise on the trade floor about insane volume, and computers that can't keep up. Entire programs are devoted to predicting the next winner. You watch to see if some of your stocks are named. You can't help it.
The only thing growing faster than your portfolio is the number of new "gold experts." It's a bull market in bull.
You can feel the crazed mass psychology all around you. Your co-workers know you bought gold some time ago and pepper you with questions seemingly every hour, interrupting your work. They ask if you heard about the latest pick from Fox Business. They want to know where you buy gold, who has the best price, and, by the way, how do I know if my gold is real? They all look at you differently now. Women smile at you in the hallway. You worry someone may follow you home.
Your relatives once teased you but now hound you with questions at family get-togethers - what stocks do you own? What's that gold newsletter telling you? Where can I keep my bullion? You don't want to be the life of the party, but they force it - it's all anyone wants to talk about. Your brother tells you he dumped his broker and is trading full-time. Another relative shoves his account statement in front of you and wants advice. You sense someone will ask for a loan. You don't know what to tell people. The attention is discomforting, and you feel the urge to escape.
At first it was exciting, then breathtaking. Now it's scary. You're drowning in obscene profits but are becoming increasingly anxious about how long it can last. Worry replaces excitement. You don't know if you should sell or hold on. Nobody knows what to do. But the next day, your portfolio screams higher and you feel overwhelmed once again.
You grab the local paper and read the town's bullion shop had a break-in last night. They hired a security company and have posted several guards outside and inside the store. Premiums have skyrocketed, but lines still form every day. The proprietor hands out tickets when locals arrive: your number will be called when it's your turn... the wait will be long... please have your order ready... yesterday we ran out of stock at 11am.
You begin to worry about the security of your own stash of bullion - those clever hiding spots don't feel quite as secure as you first thought they'd be. Is the bank safe deposit box really secure? Shouldn't they hire a security guard? Should I move some of it elsewhere? Is there anywhere truly safe? You find yourself checking gun prices online.
And it's all happening because the dollar is crashing and inflation has scourged every part of life. You curse at those who said this couldn't happen and mock past assurances from government. Cash is a hot potato, and spending it before it loses more purchasing power is a daily priority. Everyone is clamoring to get something that can't lose value, but mostly gold and silver.
Your wife calls and says the $100 you gave her that morning isn't enough to buy groceries for dinner. Prices change often on everything. She urges you to get some bread and milk before the stores raises the price again. You suddenly remember you're low on gas and make plans to leave work early to beat others to the filling station. Restaurants and small businesses post prices on a chalkboard and update them throughout the day. Employers scramble to work out an "inflation adjustment" for salaries.
On your way home, the radio broadcaster reports the government has convened an emergency summit of all heads of state. They're working urgently on the problem, and all other agendas have been tabled. Outside experts have been called in. We're going to solve this rampant flood of inflation for the American people, they say. In your gut you know there's nothing they can do.
You change the channel and hear about the spike in arrests of U.S. citizens at the Canadian border. Scads of people are caught trying to sneak bullion and stock certificates out of the country - from airports to rail stations. Violence at borders has escalated, and stories of bloodshed are getting common. The White House ordered heightened security at all U.S. borders, with the media reporting it can take days to cross. Foreign governments offer meaningless help, others mock U.S. leaders for their shortsightedness. Their countries are suffering, too.
You think about the gains in your portfolio and wince at the taxes you'll pay when you sell. Nothing has been indexed to inflation, so everyone has been pushed into higher tax brackets. Citizens are furious with government. Agencies have been swarmed with bitter taxpayers and revolting benefit recipients. One government office was set on fire. A riot erupted in Washington, D.C. last week and martial law was temporarily declared. It's too dangerous to travel anywhere.
As crazy as things are, it's hard not to smile. You're in the middle of a mania. Your life has changed permanently. You're part of the new rich. You can quit work, live off your investments. Your wife is ecstatic, and you both feel as if it's your second honeymoon. Your kids are amazed and gaze at you with the same awe they did when they were children.
You're thankful you bought gold and silver before the mania, along with precious metal stocks. You daydream of where you might go, what you might buy. New options open up daily. You realize you'll need to meet with your accountant, maybe hire a second one to protect your sudden wealth. You wonder what you'll invest in next. You ponder what charities are worthwhile. Better meet with the attorney to redraft the will.
As night settles and your house quiets, you log on to your brokerage account one last time. Even though you're ready for it, your mouth drops when you see your account balance. It is truly overwhelming. You think of others who own gold and silver stocks and wonder if any have sold yet. Has Doug Casey exited?
You stare at the blinking screen, hand on the mouse, the cursor hovering on the sell button...
We can't promise the gold mania will be exactly like Jeff outlines, but we're convinced one is coming for all things gold and silver. And to be prepared for the coming events, you'd do well to listen to those experts who have predicted the quagmire the financial system now finds itself in long before it happened. An all-star cast including John Hathaway of Tocqueville Gold Fund fame... Eric Sprott, Sprott Asset Management... Richard Russell of the Dow Theory Letters... and many more.
All those experts will gather at Casey's Gold & Resource Summit from Oct. 1 to 3. But even though the summit is sold out, you can still hear every presentation and stock recommendation... on more than 17 hours of audio on CD. If you order now, you'll save $100 off the retail price. Details here.
