Rumor has it that some 31 tons of gold were sold

Gold fell some 90 dollars in total, breaking a few one-day records in the process, which the CNBC/ Bloomberg and CNN took pride in reporting. Rumor has it that some 31 tons of gold were sold on the Chicago Mercantile exchange. Shortly thereafter, debates over why gold fell and not stocks or bonds became the topic du jour on most financial talk shows. To that, we would suggest that in the absence of additional money printing AND a rotational benefit from stock/bond markets, a funding deficit was, by default, produced in the metals. That is to say, once again the Bernenk was successful in convincing the markets that the U.S. is recovering nicely without inflation – essentially praising themselves for a job well done. However, taking into account the economic issues at hand, we suspect Bernanke and CNBC will not be bragging for much longer.

We also might add that as Americans continue to find reasons to sell gold, others continue to accumulate it at their expense. ETF holdings (globally) increased by 32 tonnes (or 70.6 million ounces) in February, while on Thursday (following the 90 point drop), India saw physical gold inflows three times the normal average (and the strongest volume since September) – according to UBS sources. That said, a psychological beating has been taken in the metals which can take some time to repair.

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