Checking in

Hello friends,
As I mentioned in a previous comment, I'm on a brief sabbatical from STFU. But I see our friend Gary requested a chart a while back, so here are six (no financial repression here!).

First, a big picture view of gold.

Looking at 5 wk exponential moving averages in 5 major currencies, we see (1) the 2013 crash was minor in the big picture, but (2), (as I've been saying since then) that marked the end of the bull market of 2001-2011, and consequently, it would take some time before the next up-leg. Regarding which (and I'm in complete agreement with the most rabid gold bugs here) is on its way. Just not yet.

Incidentally, I have to laugh at the establishment types and apologists who think gold has no tie-in to macroeconomic fundamentals anymore. I.e. the blinkered ones who willfully refuse to see the tie-in between the growing debt (and consequent income inequality) since the 1970s and the jettisoning of what was left of the gold standard.

... e.g. note when the wage curves actually flatten, and where the New York Times puts the vertical demarcation here:

If you integrate under (Productivity - Wage),  you get ($$ stolen by Financial Parasites)

As I predicted it would do when I unveiled this chart many months ago, gold hit the MA-rainbow and has turned, just as it has done in previous corrections. Keep your eye on the horizontal green RSI line above.

Australian Data Retention Proposal = Stalin's Wet Dream [updated]

I barely have time to look up these days but when I do it's normal to discover Australian Politicians finding new ways to waste public money on inefficient and unecessary things. The 'data retention' scheme is one such, with the added of bonus of highlighting what an oppressive communist country we have become. It's back in the news because our government has estimated the cost - they want to spend over AUD$400 Million to systematically retain national communications 'metadata'¹ for a period of two years. Exactly which element about the proposal most offends me is difficult to determine ... possibly that whoever has the motive to circumvent the monitoring will definitely have the means to do so, and that for the most part the ability to track all this stuff is already in place and can be obtained should the target be important enough. The cost is apparently an ongoing one, in terms of sheer economic brilliance it's right up there with Kevin Rudd in 2008 giving out free 'stimulus' money to everyone including backpackers and some on temporary work visas.