Gold Market Reaching The Breaking Point
November 1st, 2009Via: Market Skeptics:
Investors emptying COMEX warehouses
In order to secure gold at the lowest possible price, US investors are turning to the complex, lengthy process of taking delivery of gold futures contracts. By buying gold contracts in deliverable months and wait for them to expire, sophisticated investors are emptying COMEX warehouses. The incredible hassle of trying to pry gold out of Comex warehouses appeals to investors because no other place in the US offers a price equal to the Comex exchange. Nothing even comes close.
Guiding investors through the delivery process are gold and silver brokers like JB Slear who specialize in helping high net worth clients take delivery of gold and silver futures contracts. These advisors are necessary because, as investors are discovering, that there is trouble at Comex warehouses:
1) Delays and complications in the delivery process have become increasingly commonplace. It is taking weeks and possibly even months, and sometimes dozen of inquiries, for investors to get the gold they already own out of the warehouse.
2) More restrictions are being applied to overseas buyers requesting delivery.
3) Some brokerages will not help with the delivery process or refuse to help even after the commissions are paid.
4) The cost in just about everything “Comex” is increasing
5) Investors withdrawing their 100oz. bars from the Comex depositories are being given bars with incorrect serial numbers or weight.
With the difficulties and irregularities in the COMEX delivery process, many, including gold brokers like JB Slear, have doubts as to whether there is gold in inventory to match existing warehouse receipts.
Like others involved in the gold market, Slear believes that there are real shortages of precious metals that have yet to be exposed. But he recognises the futures market as a last resort for people who can’t buy metals at reasonable prices elsewhere: “If a buyer wants to buy a physical product and cannot find it locally, he or she can go to my firm’s web address to transact that business. My business model is a last resort purchase arena for those who need to protect their personal wealth.”
He says there is anecdotal evidence that this activity is widespread enough to be affecting warehouse stocks as high net worth clients remove metal from warehouses.
But, he [JB Slear] says that the activity has yet to show up on Comex warehouse stock data: “I find it interesting that the Comex numbers don’t show any movement at all as far as deliveries are concerned. I have spoken to three of the warehouses and each facility confirms the fact that the metals are being moved out, and in size. One of my clients says that when she went to “will call” her purchase, that the “will call” staging area for deliveries was stacked high and busy. Seems curious that the warehouse numbers reported through Comex, are not showing any reductions. In the Comex defence though, I don’t know how long it takes them to account for the movements. I just keep my head down and focus on the job allotted me. That is to get the gold into my clients’ hands as fast as possible.
Research Credit: pookie
#5
oh shit
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this is the really really really bad news, isn’t it.
ultimately (and hopefully a long ways down the road), if commerce dies entirely, it comes down to who’s got food at all -or clean water.
or gas and ammo?
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a good time to reread Dune, by Frank Herbert…