Essential reading.

Stewart Thomson: "Gold is the main thermometer of the world’s financial health. When the price of gold rises, the gold thermometer is telling you that something is wrong with the financial health of the world."

http://www.321gold.com/editorials/thomson_s/thomson_s_070511.html

"...stock markets dominate sentiment in commodities. The entire risk-on, risk-off dynamic that defines commodities price action these days is the direct result of stock-market action. Rallying stock markets create optimism which drives capital into commodities and buoys their prices. Falling stock markets do the opposite."

Adam Hamilton

A significant portion of the U.S. Treasury debt is represented by short-duration paper, which makes the U.S. far more sensitive to rollover risk, and also makes the value of the debt less sensitive to inflation. See, if you borrow funds for 30 years, you can turn around and create a massive inflation to diminish the real value of that debt. But if you've borrowed funds for a year and then create a massive inflation, you'll find that investors will require a higher interest rate on the debt next year, which prevents the obligation from being diminished over time.

- John P. Hussman, Ph.D.
http://www.hussmanfunds.com/wmc/wmc101220.htm

Gold/Bonds ratio

http://jsmineset.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Gold-Bond-ratio-chart-12-17-2010.pdf

Fiat currency is the crown jewel of socialism.

http://www.321gold.com/editorials/sfs/hubbartt121710.html

"The Icelanders recognized that their right hand—their banking sector—was gangrenous: So they cut it off. A lot of tears, a lot of short term agony—but the rot was cut off.

The Irish? They tried to save their gangrenous hand back in 2008—so then over the next two years, their whole arm has now turned gangrenous."

http://gonzalolira.blogspot.com/2010/12/want-to-ruin-your-own-country-assume.html

http://kingworldnews.com/kingworldnews/KWN_DailyWeb/Entries/2010/12/14_KWN_Source_-_When_That_Happens,_The_Game_is_Over.html

"Perhaps the more ‘notable’ stories of 2011 might just come from sectors such as the two commodities that were in the “dog house” in 2010: natural gas and cocoa. It’s all about upside potential in undervalued niches versus chasing incremental gains (following 20, 30, and/or 50 percent gains already under the belt in certain commodities) at the risk of a trend reversal when least expected (with one possible exception: that to be allowed for certain items that we must all actually consume (or else): food and energy."

Jon Nadler

http://www.kitco.com/ind/nadler/dec162010.html