Fort Knox: Nothing But Moths and Half-Eaten IOUs ?
Posted by freedomforall 1 week, 2 days ago to Economics
Excerpt:
"Years ago, a floor broker with deep ties to major bullion banks made a startling statement: Fort Knox holds "nothing but moths and half-eaten IOUs." We all laughed back then. But as time passed, I realized he was right. Recently, something Egon von Greyerz said brought that old memory rushing back:
"In reality, a central bank only holds an IOU issued by a bullion bank. If the central bank attempts to reclaim its gold, it will never get it back, as the gold has likely been sold to buyers in China or India, who have purchased it outright with no obligation to return it."
Bold claim right? He's not wrong. We'll get to that in a moment."
"Years ago, a floor broker with deep ties to major bullion banks made a startling statement: Fort Knox holds "nothing but moths and half-eaten IOUs." We all laughed back then. But as time passed, I realized he was right. Recently, something Egon von Greyerz said brought that old memory rushing back:
"In reality, a central bank only holds an IOU issued by a bullion bank. If the central bank attempts to reclaim its gold, it will never get it back, as the gold has likely been sold to buyers in China or India, who have purchased it outright with no obligation to return it."
Bold claim right? He's not wrong. We'll get to that in a moment."