When it comes to open questions and general issues surrounding the gold market, The Thunderroad Report's Paul Mylchreest [6]is among the leading contrarian voices who always injects a dose of reality in an otherwise nebulous topic, and one which has been a great disappointment for central bankers over the past century, because as Chris Martenson explained yesterday [7], "Gold is an objective measure of the degree to which fiat money is being managed well or managed poorly" and never has fiat money been managed as badly as over the past 4 years. In his latest report, Mylchreest focuses on a topic that is near and dear to many precious metal fans: manipulation, and specifically capturing it in practice. In an extended overview of what he dubs various "repeating algorithmic trading programmes" Mylchreest is confident he has enough evidence to demonstrate a recurring pattern of blatant gold manipulation. And he very well may: at the end of the day price merely expresses the relative confidence of buyers versus sellers, still even so we once again go back to the one question we keep on repeating, and one which Martenson also picked up on: if gold is manipulated, so what? Not only so what, but thank you! Because what keeping the price artificially lower does is provides a cheap entry point to pick up physical. As a reminder, those who buy gold, at least so they claim, are not doing it to flip it higher in some fiat equivalent, unless they are merely speculators of course, and instead preparing for the period that follows the collapse of paper money, in which only sound currency, such as gold and silver, will be relevant. In this context, we can only say - bring on the manipulation, in fact send gold to zero if possible please. Frankly neither we, nor anyone else, should be that much concerned with day to day gyration of the value of gold. The long-term trajectory is well-known, however the only question is- does one buy gold to sell it (in dollars, euros, rial, or dong), or to have a true backstop to a failing currency when point T+1 finally comes?
From the report:
This report provides proof of massive manipulation (suppression) of the gold price since the US sovereign credit downgrade on 5 August 2011. There are scores of “smoking guns” in the pages below. Rigging the gold market violates Section 1 of the Sherman Act and Section 9(a) of the Commodity Exchange Act under US law.
It explains in detail and illustrates in chart form exactly HOW the manipulation is taking place. Few portfolio managers or sell-side analysts have “deciphered” the modus operandi of the cartel banks (never mind financial journalists & the public). It’s a fractal-like pattern of interventions within interventions which are driven by repeating algorithmic trading programmes.
In-depth analysis of the gold price since 5 August 2011 shows that these algorithmic trading programmes operate across time zones (often on a 24/7 basis) and are particularly obvious during trading in London and (especially) New York. I’ve highlighted FIVE EXAMPLES of these algorithmic trading programmes which I term:
1. Set Up algorithm
2. Soft Capping algorithm
3. Hard Capping algorithm
4. Death Star algorithm
5. COMEX Covering algorithm
The intra-day and daily operation of these algorithms also fits into a weekly and monthly pattern of interventions, hence their fractal-like nature.
Working in tandem with these algorithms are specifically-timed “hits”. The gold price gets smashed, when it should surge, on key announcements, e.g. new monetary stimulus (rate cuts, LTROs, etc.). This is to prevent a link developing (in the minds of investors) between each new act of monetary desperation with the ultimate condemnation of a rising gold price. SIX EXAMPLES are explained in detail including the already infamous “Leap Day Smash” of 29 February 2012.
The need for such concerted and blatant manipulation of gold, the arch-nemesis of the current over-leveraged world monetary system, suggests that the integrity of the latter is not just fragile, but arguably fraudulent. Understating the situation, it’s high time to be more than a little “concerned”, if you aren’t already.
Much more in the full report: