– Trump’s America waging economic warfare against most of the world and 2 billion people with a combined GDP of more than $15 trillion
– Targeted nations include China, Russia, Iran, Venezuela, Pakistan, Turkey, Cuba, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Myanmar, the Democratic Republic of Congo, North Korea and others…
– “Bull markets eventually come to an end and with a national debt of $21 trillion and growing at a rate of a trillion dollars a year, the awakening could be ruder and sooner than most economists predict”
The United States is currently waging economic warfare against one tenth of the world’s countries with cumulative population of nearly 2 billion people and combined gross domestic product (GDP) of more than $15 trillion.
These include Russia, Iran, Venezuela, Cuba, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Myanmar, the Democratic Republic of Congo, North Korea and others on which Washington has imposed sanctions over the years, but also countries like China, Pakistan and Turkey which are not under full sanctions but rather targets of other punitive economic measures.
In addition, thousands of individuals from scores of countries are included in the Treasury Department’s list of Specially Designated Nationals who are effectively blocked from the U.S.-dominated global financial system. Many of those designated are either part of or closely linked to their countries’ leadership.
From a U.S. perspective, each one of the economic entities is targeted for a good reason be it human rights violations, terrorism, crime, nuclear trade, corruption or in the case of China, unfair trade practices and intellectual property theft.
But in recent months it seems that America’s unwavering commitment to fight all of the world’s scourges has brought all those governments and the wealthy individuals who support them to a critical mass, joining forces to create a parallel financial system which would be out of reach of America’s long arm. Should they succeed, the impact on America’s global posture would be transformational.
America’s global supremacy has been made possible not only thanks to its military power and its alliance system but also due to its control over the plumbing of global finance and particularly the broad acceptance of the dollar as the world’s reserve currency. The unique status of the U.S. currency has anchored the global financial system since World War II.
Any transaction done in U.S. dollars or using a U.S. bank automatically brings the trading parties under American legal jurisdiction. When the U.S. decides to impose unilateral sanctions, as in the case of Iran, it essentially tells the world’s governments, corporations and individuals they must choose between halting business with the sanctioned country or be shut off from the world’s number one economy. This is a powerful stick.
Not many companies or banks can afford to give up on the U.S. market or be denied access to U.S. financial institutions.
Revisionist countries that wish to challenge the U.S.-led system see this as an affront to their economic sovereignty. Which is why both Russia and China have developed their own versions of the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT), the global network that allows cross-border financial transactions among thousands of banks. Both countries are also urging their trading partners to ditch the dollar in their bilateral trade in favor of indigenous currencies.
The remainder of the report on CNBC here
Market Updates and News This Week
Russia Buys 800,000 Ounces Of Gold In July
Bears Pile Into Gold – Exactly The Wrong Time?
Banks Now Long Gold, Short Dollar. What Do They Know?
Chinese, Asian and European ETF Investors Buy Gold As US Sells
Gold Gains on Bargain Hunting; U.S.-China Trade Talks In Focus
It’s Time for Contrarians to Get Bullish on Gold
Charts This Week
Source: Bloomberg
News and Commentary
Gold Bulls Expect ‘Intense Short-Covering Rally’ In “Great Short Squeeze” (Bloomberg.com)
EU Looking to Sidestep U.S. Sanctions With Payments System Plan (Bloomberg.com)
Gold prices steady as dollar sags on U.S-Mexico trade deal (Reuters.com)
Gold Rises on Weaker Dollar, Trade Tensions (Investing.com)
Asian stocks surge ahead as U.S. trade worries ease (MarketWatch.com)
Anti-dollar awakening could be ruder and sooner than most think (CNBC.com)
BIS Warns Of “Perfect Storm” For Global Economy (ZeroHedge.com)
Not Commercially Viable – British Airways, Air France, KLM Axe Flights To Iran (ZeroHedge.com)
Smart Money Ace Up the Sleeve and a Gold Chart Update (CrushTheStreet.com)
Trade-war tracker: Here are the new levies, imposed and threatened (MarketWatch.com)
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24 Aug: USD 1,189.95, GBP 928.76 & EUR 1,029.43 per ounce
23 Aug: USD 1,187.30, GBP 923.24 & EUR 1,027.61 per ounce
22 Aug: USD 1,196.85, GBP 928.25 & EUR 1,032.88 per ounce
21 Aug: USD 1,194.10, GBP 931.28 & EUR 1,036.12 per ounce
20 Aug: USD 1,188.75, GBP 933.29 & EUR 1,042.41 per ounce
17 Aug: USD 1,176.70, GBP 925.59 & EUR 1,032.79 per ounce
Silver Prices (LBMA)
24 Aug: USD 14.62, GBP 11.37 & EUR 12.63 per ounce
23 Aug: USD 14.63, GBP 11.34 & EUR 12.62 per ounce
22 Aug: USD 14.81, GBP 11.49 & EUR 12.77 per ounce
21 Aug: USD 14.78, GBP 11.52 & EUR 12.83 per ounce
20 Aug: USD 14.76, GBP 11.57 & EUR 12.93 per ounce
17 Aug: USD 14.66, GBP 11.54 & EUR 12.87 per ounce
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