Get all cash out of the bank

[CL]

The China comment may be naive, but it could be taken two ways.

1. Of course China is relavant to the current economic problems. The huge growth there in a country with 25% of the worls's population has put so much pressure on the world's resources. The pressure on Oil, Steel, Coal etc - even items such as rubber is incredible and these commodities have seen huge increases in price over the last 3 - 5 years.
Remember $10 a barrel?

2. IT isn't relevant. CHina has gorn as it was the natural factory of the world - if it hadn't have been - somewhere else would have been - such as Africa etc.
In fact China will soon start to lose as it is becoming difficult to source from in som instances.

China has to compete on the market for it's resources(Oil, metals etc) just like all other countries do. The demand will push up prices to a point, but then the demand will decrease. In other words everything has its price.

BUT if governments start printing money out of step with economic growth (production), to pay for things, then the price of goods must rise. Hence the rapid rise in commodities.

There are other political factors as well(wars etc), but the main reason for rapid price rises is government borrowing. That's why our government is to blame.

[noel]

...the main reason for rapid price rises is government borrowing. That's why our government is to blame.

But it's not just governents, it's individuals who borrow money. The credit crunch came on the back of a prolonged period of economic growth fuelled largely by credit. So, in fact we're all to blame (except me, as I don't have a mortgage or a credit card ).

[CL]

"primitive cavemen" Christopher? You're in danger of losing respect. If you start talking like that you'll find yourself surrounded by shouting rednecks slapping you on the back and respectable people won't be fighting through them to get near you.
And by the way, with regard to "primitive", what is gold? Just stuff. Only worth what people agree it's worth. No intrinsic value at all. More like fantasy capital. It can just as easily turn into a floating anchor if people stop believing it's heavy.

All respectable people know that Mugabe and others like him are primitive cavemen.

Guick nothing that exists has intrinsic value including gold. Value is that which one acts to gain/keep. Since people desire(value) gold it therefore has a value to them. That's why when currencies fail gold is king.

[CL]

But it's not just governents, it's individuals who borrow money. The credit crunch came on the back of a prolonged period of economic growth fuelled largely by credit. So, in fact we're all to blame (except me, as I don't have a mortgage or a credit card ).

Yes but it's the low interest rates prompted by huge credit expansion that makes people take on loans. With a gold standard money was tied. In other words you couldn't just print bits of paper(cash) unless your gold reserves had increased.

Bank managers could only loan money to the most productive enterprises. Since they were productive, the high interest payments were paid back rapidly and so the banks could make further loans. If the businesses failed then the banks lost gold and hence their lending capacity.

No one can print gold!

[Guick Dotto]

There are different kinds of value: to a hungry man it's irrelevant whether a bowl of rice is a wooden bowl or a golden bowl in fact the bowl is largely irrelevant altogether as long as he can get the rice to his mouth without spilling any on the ground.
If you mend a broken chair you are adding value to it; if you cover the broken chair in gold leaf you are not.
Maybe I'm talking about a hierarchy of values. A warm overcoat from the charity shop for a quid is at the top and a flimsy feminine haute couture item for £2000 is at the bottom.

[CL]

There are different kinds of value: to a hungry man it's irrelevant whether a bowl of rice is a wooden bowl or a golden bowl in fact the bowl is largely irrelevant altogether as long as he can get the rice to his mouth without spilling any on the ground.
If you mend a broken chair you are adding value to it; if you cover the broken chair in gold leaf you are not.
Maybe I'm talking about a hierarchy of values. A warm overcoat from the charity shop for a quid is at the top and a flimsy feminine haute couture item for £2000 is at the bottom.

You're divorcing value from valuer. A mended chair is not a value to someone bedbound, unless he has visitors. The chair with gold on though may be an added attraction to the room he is in.

A warm overcoat may be a value to someone living in freezing conditions, even if it is a pound, but not to someone living on the equator.

Even with a hierachy of values you have to ask who's hierachy? Importance can only have meaning in an individual sense.

[Guick Dotto]

Actually a broken chair coloured gold would probably win the Turner Prize and be worth a fortune!
But are you saying that we can only create value with our imaginations and that we cannot distinguish rationally between such value and intrinsic worth.

[Doonhamer]

I mentioned on 'The land of giants' thread that the fruit pastilles I buy from Tesco had gone up by about 13%. That was some months ago. Well in the past month they've gone from 45p to 85p in one jump........blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Fruit Pastilles have been a grossly undervalued confectionery for years & are simply reaching their true market value.

[Witton Park]

Fruit Pastilles have been a grossly undervalued confectionery for years & are simply reaching their true market value.

I think they've probably peeked though now.

I'd get out of them if I were you.

Word is that cream soda is cert
http://www.aquarterof.co.uk/cream-so...oda-p-370.html

[CL]

Actually a broken chair coloured gold would probably win the Turner Prize and be worth a fortune!
But are you saying that we can only create value with our imaginations and that we cannot distinguish rationally between such value and intrinsic worth.

There are physical and spiritual values depending on one's standard of value and sometimes these clash. For instance humans require food and water and most of us recognise this. For anorexics though food is the enemy because death is their standard of value. Not a sudden death but a long, painful, drawn out death.

Each of us has physical and spiritual needs and to satisfy those needs we have to discover values. The values you discover depend on what's important to you. If what you seek isn't something that furthers your physical or spiritual life then it can't be a value.