Gold Symposium in Sydney Nov. 14-15

The Sydney Gold Symposium is to be held on November 14 and 15 at the Crystal Palace convention center in Luna Park in Sydney, keynote speakers include:

Eric Sprott, CEO of Sprott Asset Management.

Market analyst Louis Boulanger.

Egon von Greyerz of Matterhorn Asset Management in Zurich.

Ian Gordon, publisher of the Longwave Analyst letter.

Ben Davies, CEO of Hinde Capital in London.

Dan Denning of The Daily Reckoning

Alf Field, Voted one of the world's best gold analysts

Richard Karn, Managing Editor, The Emerging Trends Report

For more information about the conference and to register, please visit:

http://symposium.net.au/gold2011/index

Jim Rickards interviewed by James Turk

James G. Rickards ( www.tangentcapital.com ) and James Turk, Director of the GoldMoney Foundation, talk about the European sovereign debt crisis and the European Central Bank buying Italian bonds. They talk about the ECB’s role in the crisis and how it is becoming increasingly politicised, in contrast with its predecessor of sorts – the Bundesbank. They talk about the possible differences between Jean-Claude Trichet and his successor Mario Draghi. James Rickards explains how Europe is developing a common fiscal policy with a common Treasury, in the form of the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF), which will dictate fiscal policy to many member countries – such as Greece – in exchange for rescue funds. Rickards is bullish on the euro, among other reasons because the eurosystem owns 10,000 tonnes of gold.

Rickards and Turk debate whether or not central banks really own the gold they claim to own, and talk about how the current currency war – with countries competing to see who can devalue their currencies the most – is a disastrous zero-sum game. They discuss the problems facing countries whose currencies are appreciating rapidly, such as Brazil and Switzerland, and what these countries might do to curb this appreciation.

Note this interview was recorded on 4 Aug

Peter Schiff on S&P and Gold

Bob Chapman & Alex Jones: The Unloading of the Economy Continues

Gold sets fresh record as global stocks slide

Golden Retrieval: Chavez wants his billion back

From: RussiaToday | Aug 19, 2011

Venezuela's President wants all the country's gold being held in European and American banks returned to Caracas. It would be the largest physical movement of gold in recent history. Hugo Chavez said he's trying to protect his country from the financial woes on both sides of the Atlantic. RT talks to Adrian Salbuchi, who's in Buenos Aires.

Stock sell-off major blow to investor confidence

From: RussiaToday | Aug 20, 2011

World stock markets have plummeted amid signs of a possible U.S. recession and renewed worries over the health of Europe's banks. Investor confidence has been dealt a severe blow and sparked a massive sell-off at the end of the week. As RT's Marina Portnaya explains, global economic fears continue to build.

Doug Casey - 'The Dollar is Going Over The Edge'

From: CaseyResearchFAN | Aug 16, 2011

India Gold Imports May Reach a Record

From Bloomberg:

Gold imports by India, the world’s biggest consumer, may reach a record this year as investors seek a haven against inflation and volatility in stock markets, a traders’ group said.

Imports may be between 950 metric tons and 1,000 tons this year, Prithviraj Kothari, president of the Bombay Bullion Association, told reporters at a gold conference in Kovalam in south India. Consumption in India rose to a record 963.1 tons last year, driving bullion imports to the highest ever at 958 tons, according to the World Gold Council.

Rising Indian imports may help extend a 30 percent rally in gold prices to a record that’s made the precious metal the second-best performer on the Thomson Reuters/Jefferies CRB Index of 19 raw materials this year. Bullion is heading for its 11th annual gain as Europe’s sovereign-debt crisis and concern that the U.S. economy may be slowing spur demand for a haven.

“The equity market is volatile and property prices are too high, driving people toward gold as an investment,” Kothari said. “The rains have been good so far, so we can expect good demand for festival season this year.”

Purchases by India, the world’s biggest user, surged 60 percent to 267 tons in the three months ended June 30, from 167 tons a year earlier, the producer-funded council said on Aug. 18. Investment demand jumped 78 percent to 108.5 tons, the second-highest quarter on record, it said.

“Gold is the currency of the world at the moment, with the world convinced that the monetary and fiscal authorities are likely to do nothing right and everything wrong when it comes to resolving the world’s current fiscal problems,” Dennis Gartman, the economist who correctly forecast 2008’s commodities slump, said in his daily Gartman Letter yesterday......read in full

On The Edge with Michael Hudson