Gold and What Moves it.

by Michael Ashton We have one month in the books in 2013 already; my, how time flies when you're having fun! But the fun may not last much longer.

I have spent lots of time, over the last year, answering the question "why hasn't inflation responded to QE?" My response has been that it has: core inflation rose from 0.6% to 2.3% from October 2010 to January 2012, rising for a record-tying fifteen consecutive months - a feat that last happened in 1973-74, as official prices adjusted to catch up for being frozen during wage and price controls. By a bunch of measures, that was an acceleration of core inflation that was unprecedented in modern U.S. economic history. As I wrote at the time (in "Inflation: As 'Contained' As An Arrow From A Bow"), the only reason to defer panic was that Housing inflation was overdue to level out and decelerate. Fortunately, it did.

But, as I've written extensively recently, that blessing has been rescinded and the question of "why hasn't inflation responded to QE" will shortly be moot. In the next couple of months, core inflation will begin to re-accelerate, driven by the pass-through of rising home prices into rents. In our view, the best we can hope for is that core inflation only reaches 2.6% this year. Absent a change from the historical relationship between home prices and rents, some 40% of the core consumption basket is going to be rising at 3.5% or better by late this year.

So, when will markets get a whiff of this?

We are primarily motivated by valuations, and we are patient investors ...

http://usawatchdog.com/guns-protect-honest-people-catherine-austin-fitts/ ;

Catherine Austin Fitts of Solari.com says the real fight over the fiscal cliff is how we are going to pay for the mess. Fitts thinks, "Politicians have already committed to inflation." Fitts predicts, "The chances of another financial collapse are very small because every time we come up to a moment where a financial collapse starts to be a real risk, what happens? We get war." Join Greg Hunter of USAWatchdog.com as he goes One-on-One with financial expert Catherine Austin Fitts.

"I willingly accept Cassandra's fate
To speak the truth, although believed too late."

~ Anne Killigrew

One fine day on the streets of Washington D.C. the ghost of Charles Ponzi struck up a conversation with the ghost of Cassandra. He was a charming devil and assumed she would find him irresistible so he began with "It is ironic, I think, that I am a thief, while you see and speak the truth, but the people believe me and scorn you."

Cassandra was not impressed and replied, "It is true. Most people would prefer a charming falsehood to the severity of truth. Since no one believes me anyway, you might as well tell me what scam you are currently promoting. I am truly interested. Please, do tell."

Never one to miss an opportunity, Senator Ponzi replied, "I am finding great success with central banking, paper money, and ever-increasing debt. Frankly, they are an easy sell, and people come to me begging to be part of the scam. It has been quite profitable so far and looks to be good for a long time." ...