Hard Money Newsletter Review

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Update: 1-20-2010

Mr. Butler was kind enough to clarify his prespective on the difference between Silver and Gold.

Here’s what he had to  say…

Gold had a mini-rally of $5 during yesterday’s trading, but overnight has sold off $9…

I want to make something perfectly clear, that I’ve talked about before regarding Gold… When I talk about Gold, I’m also talking about Silver… I just don’t want to have to type Gold and Silver every time I’m talking about the precious metals… Silver is another store of wealth… In the December Currency Capitalist, I talked about giving the gift of Gold, and teaching whomever you gift it to, the lessons of wealth building… When my older kids were youngsters, I bought them Silver coins, for I could not afford anything else then… Those Silver coins have proved the point of providing a store of wealth, as they have never gone to zero, and have gained in value over the years!

Thanks Chuck!!

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What can I say?

I nearly fell out my seat the morning when I read Chuck Butler’s, “Daily Pfennig” where, in a mere instant, he had served up  – and efficiently denied, my beloved silver its proper place in the limelight…

Nevertheless, bullishness manifests in mysterious ways, and (perhaps) we should be thankful for the fact that silver is overlooked and misunderstood by the likes of many – and especially people who (we think) ought to know better.

That is part of my rationalization for sticking with the Pfennig.

The other part is that I just like Chuck.

And, you probably will too.

So why would a silver coin bug like yours truly be so interested in this quick and daily synopsis of currency news?

Here’s why:

Currency traders are technical, but the world is so big that they can never take their eye off the fundamentals.

No matter what, the fundamentals always catch up with the markets.  And, you don’t get much more fundamental than silver.

In addition, the heavy technical aspect to currency markets lends itself to being a good place for getting some training in the language of the markets. You can then apply the lessons to other markets.

And lastly, currency trading is ultimately about money trading and silver has always been money…

Oh yeah, I almost forgot — Not anymore, according to Mr. Butler.

More on that in a  moment.

First a brief overview about the Daily Pfennig and Chuck Butler:

This is a free and fun 10 minute read without much at all in the way of direct ads –

Mr. Butler is a great writer. Funny, friendly, and easy to follow – yet full of vinegar and controversy.

The Pfennig always starts with a personal note to warm up and ends that way as well.

He probably takes some heat for this, but I’ll bet a few silver coins that this is one of the main reasons for his success and thousands of loyal readers.

Essentially, the Pfennig (a penny for your thoughts) was designed to give folks on the trading desk an early insight and flavor before the markets open.

It ends up being a really good way to get a quick re-cap of the news…with the focus on world currencies or the macro-perspective.

Why does a silver investor need this?

Well, us little guys always need to stay a step ahead.  So few seem to get it that we can never be too sure that when discussing gold — an analyst also means silver. You need to be careful in making this assumption as I believe the real gold analysts understand the distinction between the two precious metals.

Currencies are important for a silver investor because Silver is/was  currency.

And I know that “currency folks” are mainly talking about fiat currencies, but that is actually the point. In fact, most currency analysts put gold in the currency category, albeit with super-natural status.

Mr. Butler recently (and rightly) took up reading the Creature From Jekyll Island (another time I almost fell out of my seat) and has since been referring the Fed as the Cartel. You GATA love that. Another huge reason to follow him, regardless of my silver gripe.

Anyway.

Understanding how currencies are traded, printed, and manipulated provides insight into the daily practices of centralized monetary policy and part of that mission is to bash confidence in real money.

But, understanding the value of international currencies requires a similar analysis to that which you would apply to a company stock or perhaps a commodity — like silver.

But in case you thought I forgot — silver is also money!

Mr. Butler is a big deal in the FOREX world. Formally of Mark Twain Bank, he is now president of EverBank in St. Louis and if I ever hit really big, I’ll probably open up one of their “market safe” CD’s. (That’s not necessarily a plug, by the way).

Mr. Butler is a character. Like an old friend from the neighborhood who may invoke rock-and-roll song lyrics throughout the middle of an important rant or upon delivering these missives, he is very likable and probably would prefer you call him Chuck.

Nevertheless, he disappointed me on silver.

In a recent Pfennig,

“As I said earlier, Gold reached $1,218 yesterday… Kristin mentioned to me that Silver has risen 69% this year, but all everyone ever talks about is Gold, and wanted to know why…

Well… Silver is another excellent choice of a store of wealth… But, it’s just not Gold! There are a number of reasons for this, but the most compelling one is that Gold used to be money, and to many, it is considered to be the only real currency… The practical reason is the fact that if you wanted to carry Gold in your pocket, two coins, worth $2,400 would be just fine… But if you wanted to put $2,400 worth of Silver in your pocket, you would need a lot of people’s pockets to help you carry it!”

At least he said “excellent choice as a store of wealth”.

And no, it’s not gold — it’s more important than gold. Its everywhere and soon silver will be “no where”.

And there is already less silver than gold.  Maybe he can have Kristin do a little project on silver supply.

From the keys under Mr. Butler’s (self-proclaimed) “little fat fingers”, to the refrigerator, washing machine, IPhone, cell phone, silver is in a much of the stuff we use on a daily basis in the industrialized world.

This also includes airplanes, hospitals, medicines, and plastics!

I know you can’t eat it, but there are small amounts of silver in all this stuff that no one thinks about and totally takes for granted – like all the electrical panel switches in your house that magically work every time you flip the switch.

Why do you think central banks got rid of their silver? They sold it to fuel all of these nice industries.

But don’t forget about the strategic uses- the military needs silver badly in everything from batteries to the lubrication on the jet-engine ball-bearings.

It’s always about the ball-bearings.

I’m not so sure that silver has been actually discontinued as “money” – and certainly not because central banks don’t keep it any longer. Are we to assume that because the The Bank Cartel (by Treasury proxy) sold it — that it is no longer money?

It’s funny that all the silver I own was either circulated as money, looks like money, and feels like money. It says in the US Constitution that silver is money. And I can go sell some at the coin shop and get some paper money to buy stuff with…

And finally we come to the practicality of silver versus gold.

I like traveling light as much as anyone, but $2,400 of silver when Mr. Butler dropped this on (me) his readers was about 6 rolls-worth of silver rounds  – or about 10 pounds.

I’m not trying to brag, but on more than a few occasions, I’ve carried this much silver home in the back-pack that I was also carrying my daughter (25 pounds) in — on my way back from the coin shop! And that was for fun.

Maybe I’m not the average reader, but I’ll bet more than a few Pfennig readers could handle 10 pounds of silver in a paper bag to the car.

It’s good exercise besides.

Did I mention that silver is more rare than gold?

Okay, you get the picture. I could go on and on and on.

I’ll send this over to Mr. Butler. Maybe he’ll share this with his readers, creating a new rush for physical silver that finally pushes the already tight physical market over the edge, sending all the shorts running for the hills and we’ll get this adjustment back to fundamentals over with. And then I can put some into one of those currency accounts — maybe have Mr. Butler pick one for me…..

And of course, I’m not mad. I still love Chuck!

Even though this has been  surreal to say the least.

To almost see “my team” in the spotlight.

And that moment, like a slow motion train-wreck, where silver was lifted it up so high for all those many thousands of readers to see, just long enough for it to be “destroyed” as a credible, and for once, untarnished poor-man’s asset.

The horror!

I’ll keep reading Pfennig (and so should you), pretending that when Mr. Butler brings up gold -that he is also talking about silver — sort of — even if he doesn’t know it.

I’m used to it.

It’s the way the world works.

In the meantime, here’s a more formal take (and shameless plug) about the value of silver and gold.

We just finished reviewing Rick Ackerman’s Free Email Newsletter . And we think it’s worth a  sign-up.

Bear in mind that this is written for a range of readers, including swing and day-traders, market-makers, long-term investors, hedge fund managers, “upstairs” traders and floor pros, as well as laymen who simply enjoy the editor’s acerbic humor.

We like it because it is unconventional.

We look at this and apply the same sort of reasoning to why we follow writers like Chuck Butler or Bill Bonner.

You get some entertaining “voice” about the issues that trickle down to hard money.

Most of us don’t have a ton of cash sitting around waiting to be invested in currencies or in day trading. But we can certainly pay attention and learn about the big picture and do what we have to (add a few silver coins to our little stash from time to time).

And by the way, if you want an overview of Rick’s technical approach to trading, check out his video

Some of you will be intrigued by the technical analysis and one more about the approach that Rick uses for trading.

(To be fair, we only got about 10 minutes into and realized that it it was a little bit over our heads).

But the e-mail newsletter is a different story. It won’t take up much space in your inbox.

Most importantly, he’s in our camp. Through his commentary you’ll find that his opinion and perspective on the macro economy and the news that effects or influences markets is on the same page with those of us who see silver as a way to keep a little nest egg incubating.

Here is where I “discovered” him at GATA.

“Bernanke & Friends are probably throwing everything they’ve got at gold right now to suppress its price. And for all we know, Uncle Sam has loaned every ingot (supposedly) in Fort Knox to carry-traders at J.P. Morgan and Goldman Sachs. The ability of these well-connected bullion bankers to borrow more or less unlimited quantities of physical gold is for them even better than a license to print money, since money itself is most surely not what it used to be. The feather merchants have repaid the government’s kindness by sitting on gold futures prices. This price-fixing operation is all the more impressive because its perpetrators have managed so far to peg bullion to $1,000 even though the U.S. dollar has broken some key technical supports in recent days.”

You can practically say the same thing for silver, though we all know silver is a different animal.

You can find out pretty much everything else you need to know about Rick here.

The nice thing about signing up for feeds and newsletters is that you don’t really have to feel that pressure you get when you  discover a great site, rich in content, and the pressing need to digest it all at once.

You can simply sign up and start getting e-mails to get a ticket to justice what it’s all about.

Okay, so for the average silver investor (that’s me), What does Rick have to offer?

Well first of all, we need to understand silver in the context of not only the macro economy, but also the nano economy.

Nano economy?

Yeah, that’s the economy of the regular guy. The typical silver coin investor.

The guy who just wants to take delivery of a few silver coins to protect his nest egg or maybe just be prepared (diversified) in case of a really big crisis. No one wants to think about bartering with silver coins, but whiskey never lasts long in our house, so that won’t be an option.

So, I was pleasantly surprised after reading through a couple of months of Rick’s posts.

And for those who aspire to get the word out, wake somebody up, or just make it in an Internet publishing capacity, we could learn a lot by the way Rick delivers the goods… Short, up front, wise, and funny.

Anyway, lo and behold, here’s what he has to say on his about page:

“Indeed, we are quite possibly entering an economic period unlike any before it – one in which, paradoxically, deflation’s grip on the global economy has intensified even as credit and money growth have soared to unprecedented extremes. We are not in Kansas any more, for sure, and the old investment strategies are becoming increasingly risky as the weeks and months go by. Forget about doubling your money on the next Big Thing. It is time to safeguard the bulk of your nest egg while setting aside a modest portion of it to pursue exceptional gains. This is where Rick’s Pick’s aims to be of greatest value to you: in shaping your trading and investment decisions so that risk and reward are in optimal balance. Discover how you can confidently chart your own path to a financially secure future.”

As far as the trading stuff and stock picks, I look forward the day, (perhaps not far off), of having the ability to make more of these kind of trading and investment decisions.

I think most silver (coin) bugs understand that this day may come soon. Never hurts to be prepared.

Because after silver really takes off, I might have enough money left to play in the world of chart investing, Elliott wave analysis, or technical fund buying, etc. What fun!

Rick would likely point out that one group of readers who subscribe and join his camp include long-term investors.

Well, what better place to be for a silver coin investor?

Check out Rick here.

Ed Steer’s Gold And Silver Daily is a must-read – especially for the new silver coin investor.

http://www.caseyresearch.com/the-casey-difference/our-staff/21/ed-steer/

Ed Steer, correspondent-at-large for Casey Research is a keen observer of the financial scene and a director of the Gold Anti-Trust Action Committee (GATA).

And if that were not enough – he’s a good friend of the esteemed silver guru, Ted Butler.

So yes, The Gold and Silver Daily may be written for the serious (and passionate) silver and gold investor. However, it is a good place to hit the ground running for the relatively new on the silver and gold new scene.

This is an excellent, short and friendly read that can start you off with just about all you need to know for the basics in short term trading.

Now that doesn’t mean than the newly initiated will not to think and do some homework. There is a technical language spoken here.

And you’ll need some knowledge of how options work – especially trading on the short-side.

A few terms you will need to become familiar with include:

• Open interest

• Swaps

• Spreads

• Concentrated Short position

• Bullion banks

• Commercials

And you’ll need to get an overall sense of who these futures traders are. And what is a bullion bank?

Maybe we’ll put together a primer on gold and silver futures trading in the future, but for now, we think that if you’ve made it this far – you can handle jumping right in the what Steer has to offer.

Bookmark the site and from it. Soon your knowledge and passion for this sector will grow.

The Details:

Yes, these daily reports are useful for the more advanced trader, but again, if you are like us, and lets say that from time to time, the opportunity arises where you can add to your investment – this is a place where you can check-in and see about a few ‘extra’ signs that prices are gearing for a dip into negative territory. (Buying a few silver coins on dips).

Also, this the quintessential contrarion or non-mainstream view. In other words, what you need to expose yourself to. The view you GATA have.

The background is this:  Basically there is an ongoing battle to keep gold and silver prices low or in control, stealing money from honest investors in the process.

The gold and silver furtures market (COMEX) basically functions like a mini printing press, papering over physical gold and silver – thereby smothering the value of the physical metal.
t is all to easy to feel helpless and lose hope that there will be a fortunate ending

It is difficult to avoid channeling that helplessness into anger and then walk around with that feeling – which is ultimately unproductive.

Indeed, I cannot count the number of times I’ve begun a civil conversation about the silver markets with the un-initated that didn’t lead to some sort of emotional plea for understanding the outright crime of it all.

Even if you are skeptical that there could exist such a coordinated effort to distort prices, I would highly advise that you educate yourself about this anyway. And the Gold and Silver Daily is as good a (free) place as any.

Go there and live in this for a while and you will come to know the evidence – and probably begin to question a lot of assumptions that society makes about the motives behind those in power.

And of course, you’ll probably want to go out add a few coins to your collection.

Each Gold and Silver Daily contains:

Play by play summary of each trading day’s technicals, including price, open interest, and volume data from the futures market, as well as the mainstream view about the day’s trading.

You also get high-quality, working links to precious metals and financial news from around the world.

You get a concise overview of the latest developments in these markets – with brief comments about those articles.

Plus, from time to time, an update from the trenches of the GATA and Silver (Ted Butler) army.

Here’s an excerpt and a link to give you a flavor:

And lastly is another piece that I highlighted during the transition phase to this new column. It, too, is commentary that is not to be missed. It’s contained in a GATA dispatch with a preamble by GATA’s secretary treasurer, Chris Powell. As I said in my previous comments about this report… it’s certainly above my pay grade in places, but it’s not the parts that I don’t understand that scare me. I urge you to spend some time on this 9-page offering entitled “A Grand Unified Theory of Market Manipulation”… and the link.

There are a few ads, but we didn’t mind. They are easy to scroll through and many of them have Ed’s voice intertwined -so it doesn’t interupt the flow.

In summary:

It’s a good place to go to get a real taste of the nitty-gritty dynamics of the COMEX trade.

There is good flow and easy options to get out and follow a useful link to with the content – if you choose.

This is for more for the serious gold or  silver bug, but I think a good place for the newly initiate who want to make this more than a simple hedge you put away and forget about.

But you’ll need some of that intestinal fortitude as you go deep into the bizarre realm of the short-term, manipulated world, temporarily leaving behind the most important reasons for being here to begin with – the long term factors. I can’t stress this enough.

Those of us with a passion for silver coin investing as not only a way to protect wealth, but also for the opportunity to own something of real (and potentially great) value have a difficult time going down the road of the short-term.

Just as we are reminded of the manipulation and tight control over these (and all) markets.

As we wade into the evidence as commentary at Steer’s Daily, we can add one of the most compelling arguments for holding physical metal.

Bottom line, our world needs more people like Ed and the folks from GATA.

Here’s a list of the posts reviewed for this review. Go ahead a check them out:
What Golden Secret is the Federal Reserve Hiding?
August 22, 2009

The Russians are Coming! The Russians are Coming!
August 21, 2009

“GFMS Cooks the Books to Make Gold Look Bad”
August 20, 2009

European Central Banks Sell No Gold…Again!
August 19, 2009

“Da Boyz” are Back in Town!
August 18, 2009

China Tell Its Citizens: “Buy Silver Now!”
August 15, 2009

ETF’s Backed By Bullion
August 14, 2009

It’s free and you really have nothing to lose in being exposed to this aspect of precious metals world.

The Monex Email Alerts are a great way for the average silver coin investor to keep up with weekly precious metals movements, and get a healthy dose of key quotes from around the PM world.

First a little bit  about Monex.

The Monex companies have been around for a long while and they are indeed, an established leader in America’s gold and precious metals investment space. They’ve done over $25 billion in precious metals transactions and have an excellent reputation for customer service.

For the silver bug who doesn’t mind placing a phone order, they offer government-minted coins, 90% and 40%, and bullion bars.

As far as silver rounds…They don’t go there.

As a small investor who can only really afford 10-20 ounces at a time,  silver rounds are nice way to hold the pure (.999)  metal at a lower premium.

We don’t really care too much about the numismatic value and we like that rounds look enough like coins that they could be traded in a worse-case scenario. If that time comes, I have faith that people will be able to figure out what the weight is worth.

We reviewed 6 weeks of Monex updates and alerts and they’ve grown on us.

Heck, we have even come to depend on them for a nice weekly wrap-up, and the great collection of quotes from some of our favorite market commentators.

For example, here’s one from Richard Russell  that stood out from the August 14, 2009 wrap-up.

QUOTES OF THE WEEK:

“From Richard Russell…What is the US government’s attitude toward allowing its citizens to own gold? . . . I believe the US government WANTS Americans to own gold. Thus, if the purchasing power of the dollar declines, there will be less public outrage if the public is protected by owning gold! How are you going to keep the public quiet if an administration devalues the dollar? Encourage them to own gold, which appears to be the Fed’s and Washington’s policy. Will the US call in gold again as they did in 1934? Forget it! It’s not going to happen.”

You get the picture. And not all of them are this long.

And they also choose from the likes of Ron Paul, Steve Forbes, Warren Buffet, Bill Bonner, and Jim Sinclair.

And, of course, we were more than pleased to see twice-mentioned (in 6 weeks), two quotes by silver guru, David Morgan.

Bravo Monex, for keeping silver on the agenda – as the silver bug can’t get testy about being left out and treated like a second fiddle.

So in each Monex weekly overview you get:

• Price Range For Gold, Silver, Platinum, Palladium

• Support And Resistance price levels

Support and resistance levels are interesting – even though a long-term investor doesn’t have much to gain by beng a ‘chartist’.

• And News Developments + Quotes

We love clear and concise economic overviews as they pertain to precious metals.

And you also get infrequent Monex Alerts from time to time when significant news develops in the markets – such as the recent Monday take-down in gold and silver. Monex is happy to remind us about buying on the dips – as if we needed reminding.

If you’re like me, that kind of reminder just feels like salt in an open wound.

We know that every long-term investor (especially in the PM’s) needs to have some healthy respect for the daily price and yes, the blatant and coordinated take-downs are tough to ignore.

And okay, a price dip for a regular guy without a while lot of cash serves as perhaps the last opportunity to accumulate the metal…but no one is perfect and Monex is, after all,  a business.

But we still highly recommend this FREE MONEX newsletter and appreciate its weekly arrival.

Updated 9-21-09

Before I began investing in silver coins, I made sure that I had a modest handle on the market lingo. And there is a lot of lingo.

Sometimes the best way to approach any new thing is to jump in and take it about as far as you can go.

Some information is friendlier than others when it comes to the ‘lingo’.

When you jump right in, you can find out fast what you don’t know. Then you can study it, live with it a little, and then come back around to it look at from a different (usually larger) perspective.

That’s the beauty of most these free newsletters. Especially when you have to think a little.

Which is part of why I review them for you!

Look, a lot of the people who write about the hard money world live and breath these markets everyday – and they write as a natural extension of their day to day thought process.

If they can also manage to set up a system whereby they deliver this to you efficiently, then everyone benefits. Even the newly initiated.

Jim Sinclair and the JSMineset is a case in point.

Nothing flashy here, he covers gold broadly. This means that you’ll find a lot of technical stuff.

But it is just the right amount of technical to keep the learning curve high.

He’s been around this block and is one of these players who can’t help but produce useful (if more advanced) content and perspective about this sector. So he doesn’t really need a lot of words.

There are other contributors and an archive section that works.

Dan Norcini is one of these contributors. You can also find him over at the Daily Reckoning.

Of course, like us, Mr. Sinclair is a bull. And he while he doesn’t cover Silver quite as directly a silver bug would like – we are appreciative and ever-ready to interpret our world through the plight of the yellow metal.

This is one of those places to jump in and get some perspective. Sign-up for his updates. They are well-worth the follow.

Just remember, if you are like me (and Mr. Sinclair), you realize that is more important to consider physical gold and/or silver free of outside liability before anything else. Buy it. Hold it. And, keep it out of the hands of others.

Maybe it’s no surprise that we like the content from goldsilver.com.

After all, anyone who prominently displays the great Mogambo Guru is a friend of ours – and on video to boot!!

The crew at Gold & Silver, Inc, physically out of Jackson, WY are one of us.

It is a pleasure to see a class act in this space that allows the contrarian viewpoint a place to breath. Especially, for those who, in contrast, were originally indoctrinated by the confusing messages over at Kitco where the main character seems to represent the conspiracy against precious metals.

We really like the logo at goldsilver.com too! And of course, we think it is a hidden reference to the true gold:silver ratio (based on supply) – silver being more scarce, and hence, more valuable than gold.

These guys work on selling physical gold and silver bullion, and if we had an extra $10-20,000 we would be happy to go the website, and order some to test out the process. They seem like  stand-up fellows.

Alas, we silver bugs tend to buy in smaller quantities and while the friendly folks, including Mike Maloney, author of the must-read-for-anyone-reading-this, “Guide To Gold and Silver Investing“, are planning to accommodate smaller orders sometime this year, so far the minimum size is 500 ounces for silver.

Update 8-17-09: Good news. See here, see here. They’ve done it again!

We’re okay with that, because the typical silver coin investor will walk into a local coin shop with a few extra bucks to buy on the dips – which seem to be occurring less and less, and according to a lot of the buzz (Ted Butler),   could be over for a while.

With that last part in mind, I would suggest signing up for the goldsilver newsletter NOW, and then spending another few hours or more going through all the free articles, news, and videos at the website, if you haven’t yet opted for this route – which is really the only way left to truly protect your assets from the ravages of inflation, which the powers that be seem hell-bent on creating, without moving to another planet.

And if you already have your silver (or gold) bullion, we suggest going back to goldsilver.com to review why it is that you are so smart in not only protecting what little you have, but by also positioning yourself for perhaps one of the greatest investment opportunities of a lifetime.

In the words of the Mighty Mogambo, “Whee!! This is investing stuff is easy!!

We reviewed a series of newsletters from HardAssetInvestor.com and found them to be of value for a quick review of the main site postings, but not for much more. This is more for the mainstream investor and not the contrarion or gold and silver bug.

And if you like being subjected to official-looking, though hard-to-follow arguments against there being evidence for gold and silver price manipulation, this is one place.

To be fair, Hard Assets is a business, and there is nothing quite like controversy to build some traffic. And the comments came a plenty following Brad Zigler’s recent post on Gold Manipulation.

In getting back to the purpose of this review, we looked at the emails newsletter. It’s free and regular, linking you to plenty of article titles and brief descriptions of topics about commodity equities, commodity futures, and gold.

Directed toward individual. as well as institutional investors,they cover the commodity arena pretty thoroughly, yet without adding much needed insight to issues as they pertain to physical possession of silver and/or gold.

It is perhaps ironic that gold and silver bugs truly need a broader, macro perspective when ‘playing’ this market. Most likely, your strategy is to buy and hold on tight for the ride and your interest lies in the broad strokes that effect these markets and less for the short-term.

For us, the emails are good enough that we get the gist of the various articles, which are offered as much easier way to keep up with the frequent postings.

We’ll keep looking at them and maybe if you are looking for the language of commodities trading or a diversion into another market, than Hard Asset Investor Emails will be for you.

The email newsletter, Whiskey and Gun Powder, is one you can safely add to your list of news that must be read on a weekly basis – no matter who you are or where you lie in this new social order.
In the hard money world, we have separate, yet related languages for how we discuss gold and silver.

This language gives rise to a spectrum of information ranging from the professional investor to the curious amateur-local-yocal-market-observer. Like us.

Those interested in precious metals for asset protection or as a long-term investment need open discussion of the important issues -from all perspectives.

On one hand, gold (and especially silver) are industrial commodities and with the forces that influence the way they trade.

On the other hand, gold and silver have always been money – at least as far as civilization goes.

Currencies trade on the world platform, influenced (and manipulated) according to how the central banks see fit and much of this is on the grand stage of politics.

You probably know some of the bartenders.

We chose three letters for this review – all from the week of July 7. In the midst of summer doldrums, yet in the calm before a storm that seems even more likely on its way.

‘Whiskey’ is an Agora product. It is one of many, and true to form, you get outstanding content with some (gentle) persuasion to reciprocate.

Our only beef is the overly-strategic ’special reports’, interesting stories in and of themselves, but dropped in on the articles.

These are sometimes sent out as separate email offers all together – which are perhaps a better way to cut to the chase.

The overall content certainly appeals to the broad audience – indeed attracting those who are interested in the energy, agriculture, and commodities sectors.

They cover the macro news and politics. And the big companies, the broader economic sectors, as well as gold and silver.

I suppose there are those who routinely stop at the coin shop in order to pick up a few ounces here and there, when the money is available – who might rationalize that the big picture stuff might be a little disconnected from the main street perspective.

Not us.

Our keen manipulation sensors pick up on the basic messages and see them through to the relationship they have to the word on the street.

The whiskey guys deliver more of the news and views that matter:

For gold, they they make the cross-over from commodities to currency without completetly ignoring the politics. We imply the same for silver and understand that our little market attracts less visitors.
Bottom line:

We recommend that you go sign-up (link: http://whiskeyandgunpowder.com/sign-up-free/

It’s practically a necesity and friendly face in your inbox.

A filter for that serves investor diversity, and remains true for the man on the street who just wants to protect what little he has and read a little news to reinforce the vision.

And who knows, when us little guys make it big, we’ll be sure to play some of the options, click on the offers that make the Agora world go around.

Dailyreckoning.com

The task of sorting through all of today’s economic news can be a daunting one, especially when the news you need falls mainly outside of the mainstream.

However, the challenge, as with most worthy endeavors, can offer up some pretty amazing rewards.

I’ve found a few gems along the way and for general commentary on the current economy, The Daily Reckoning is by far, one of the more brilliant.

You can tread safely here.

Bill Bonner weaves a clever narrative, covering and accounting for curent events, historical fact, society and psychology.

You can’t go wrong here folks. This is consistent and clean writing, worthy of a look and a spot in your Daily Understanding of Hard Money.

Clearly a von Mises disciple, he does manage to simultaneously quench the mainstream desire for the Keynesian fix by reporting macro economic data – including gold prices – however skirting the details of financial market manipulation – which we find crucial for fundamental silver and gold investing…

Bonner is a renaissance man….best-selling author, philanthropist, etc., and on and on. He began the parent organization, Agora, in 1979. The Daily Reckoning is about 10 years running. He is currently an ex-pat in France, but also has a home in Argentina and travels often.

Bonner’s posts (which you may also sign up for by email) happen 3-4 times per week or more. Again, they encompass the overall view (which I share) that we have come to a turning point economically and our day of Reckoning is here. He was on this beat 10 years ago and has not needed to change the tune.

I think you could probably get all you need from the Daily postings for the entire site – without signing up for the automatic emails (more about this in my review of the newsletter).

The way I keep uoo with Bonner is primitive. I copy and paste the article text into a note pad file to remove the formatting. You might lose a chart or two this way, but I like to think of myself as a more of a thinker than a statistician and the charts are too much eye candy. He has been correct in his ‘predictions’, but like any of us, will readily admit to fogginess about the short-term.

Each post us spun with a worthy 1000 words, spattering a few links here and there, covering the news from the contrary perspective, and always throwing in a friendly few personal observations for style.

There used to me more – not all together annoying – interruptions within the text, but these are largely missing of late. Comment are interesting, but the value is in the writing – not many do it better.

He has made it in this space. This is the big-time of economic commentary in our space- so he pretty much write what he wants – which is fun and good.

We believe that in order to appreciate the foundation of money, like most things, you need to see it from the ground level (this is me walking into a coin shop to pick of a few silver coins) while, consistently making the journey back to 50,000 feet to sniff the world view. (This is me reading The Daily Reckoning)

My only quip:

Bonner covers the 50,000 ft view very well, and will take his readers to the gold arena often (Call it 10,000 feet).

He goes to the street, via the macro-economic and personal anecdotes, but not quite to the ‘coin shop realm’.

But I don’t blame him.

In summary, I highly recommend this as a weekly, if not daily digest for any serious precious metal investor or simply, as Bonner states often eludes to himself, a contrarian economist who reports on the current financial reckoning.