President Obama is set to leave a massive near $20 trillion debt crisis for his successor – be that Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump.
The U.S. national debt reached $19.5 trillion last week and has been increasing by roughly $1 trillion a year during his Presidency and during the so called “recovery” as the U.S. government continues to spend money like a drunken sailor.
During Obama’s presidency, the total national debt has risen from $10.6 trillion to nearly $20 trillion – see Debt Clock here. There is also the not insignificant matter of the between $100 trillion and $150 trillion in unfunded liabilities – for medicare, medicaid and social security.
The U.S., like the EU and most western nations, is “kicking the can down the road.” Consequently, a U.S. and global debt crisis looks likely during the term of the next President if not sooner. The Washington Times reported last week:
With federal budget deficits on the rise again, the White House Wednesday officially kicked the problem down the road to the next president.
Asked about Congressional Budget Office projections that the federal deficit will spike 33 percent this year, White House press secretary Josh Earnest cited reasons including an aging population and Republican-sponsored tax cuts.
Then he added, “There’s certainly a lot of money that can be saved, and this will be a challenge that the next president and the next Congress will have to do.”
This and the fact that neither Presidential candidate has articulated concerns about the once again ballooning national debt and is it is not an issue in the campaign is leading to well founded concerns that a new debt crisis is looming right around the corner. From the Buffalo News:
When Clinton or Trump takes the oath of office on Jan. 20, he or she will owe those investors nearly $20 trillion. Right now, the debt amounts to $60,100 for every man, woman and child in the country.
We are supposed to be in an economic recovery. Yet the debt has more than doubled from what President Obama inherited from President George W. Bush, and many times what President Bill Clinton passed on to Bush in 2000.
The debt is not a forgettable thing, such as who won the men’s 1,500-meter race at Rio. It is a monster problem. It’s Jabba the Hutt looking for meat; it’s firewood smoldering in the cellar.
The situation is not sustainable – meaning the worst kind of crisis for everybody is looming around the corner.
Investors will continue to lend to us at low interest rates only as long as they can expect regular repayment.
In personal terms, the debt bill is larger than at any time in our history other than right after World War II.
This continuing surge in the U.S. national debt to the $20 trillion level means that the U.S. is now the largest debtor nation in the world – by a significant margin. Its total debt of over $120 trillion means it is the largest debtor nation the world has ever seen.
This profligacy will be paid back by the people of the U.S., and most likely by people in all indebted western nations, in the form of higher taxes, higher interest rates, inflation, currency wars involving devaluations and almost certainly a currency crisis involving the dollar and other leading fiat currencies.
Owning gold coins and bars in your possession and owning bullion in allocated and most importantly in segregated accounts will continue to protect and grow wealth in the coming years.
Gold and Silver Bullion – News and Commentary
Gold inches down on steady dollar, Fed rate hike remains on cards (CNBC)
Gold in Longest Stretch of Declines Since May as Fed Bets Climb (Bloomberg)
Gold pares gains as Fed stirs doubt over rate hike timing (Reuters)
Gold posts biggest weekly decline since mid-July (MarketWatch)
Weeks of Yellen Buildup and Gold Traders Still Guessing on Rates (Bloomberg)
“I can see gold breaking up to the upside” – Gartman (CNBC)
Welcome To The Third World – Pensions Overwhelm Public Services (Goldseek)
Fed jawboned Friday’s markets into submission (TFMetalsReport)
The euro has destroyed the EU and led directly to Brexit (Telegraph)
Gold Prices (LBMA AM)
29Aug: Bank Holiday in UK
26Aug: USD 1,324.90, GBP 1,002.95 & EUR 1,173.33 per ounce
25Aug: USD 1,324.50, GBP 1,001.06 & EUR 1,172.98 per ounce
24Aug: USD 1,337.30, GBP 1,010.73 & EUR 1,185.38 per ounce
23Aug: USD 1,338.50, GBP 1,015.25 & EUR 1,181.09 per ounce
22Aug: USD 1,334.30, GBP 1,018.20 & EUR 1,181.26 per ounce
19Aug: USD 1,346.85, GBP 1,026.30 & EUR 1,189.67 per ounce
Silver Prices (LBMA)
29Aug: Bank Holiday in UK
26Aug: USD 18.67, GBP 14.15 & EUR 16.54 per ounce
25Aug: USD 18.50, GBP 14.02 & EUR 16.39 per ounce
24Aug: USD 18.84, GBP 14.23 & EUR 16.70 per ounce
23Aug: USD 18.98, GBP 14.40 & EUR 16.75 per ounce
22Aug: USD 18.91, GBP 14.45 & EUR 16.74 per ounce
19Aug: USD 19.42, GBP 14.80 & EUR 17.14 per ounce
Recent Market Updates
– Gold Bullion Averages Biggest Seasonal Gains in September Over Past 20 Years
– Gold Futures See Massive $1.5 Billion “Non Profit” Liquidation In “One Minute”
– Jim Grant Is “Very Bullish On Gold”
– Germans Warned To ‘Stockpile’ Cash In Case Of ‘War’
– Ireland’s Biggest Bank Charging Depositors – Negative Interest Rate Madness
– Rothchilds Buying Gold On “Greatest Experiment” With Money In “History of the World”
– Gold – “Mother of All Bull Markets Has Only Just Begun” – Grandich
– 45th Anniversary Of Nixon Ending The Gold Standard
– Gold In UK Pounds Collapses 38% Versus Gold and 56% Versus Silver Year To Date
– Will Ireland Be First Country In World To See Bail-in Regime?
– Money “Madness” Negative Interest Rates Sees Gold Buying Surge
– Gold Investment Demand Reaches Record In First Half 2016 On “Perfect Storm”
– Peak Gold – Did Gold Production Peak in 2015?
