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Gold Market Just
Beginning
Research for Online Investors
by Sascha
Opel
former chief
editor of the first newsletter about the German "Neuer Markt"
(New Market) gives us his current thoughts on the precious
metals market. Interview with The Gold
Report.
Saturday,
February 28, 2009
VANCOUVER, BC, CANADA
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The Gold Report: Sascha,
we last interviewed you in May 2008. At that time you felt
that we were beginning a period of re-establishing gold as
currency. Would you review your thinking on this viewpoint
for our readers?
Sascha Opel: In our
last interview, I said, "Long-lasting gold bull markets
take place when gold's role as money is being
re-established. In my opinion, we are just beginning this
period of re-establishment. Those calling for the end of
the precious metals bull market any time soon are sadly
mistaken." Today, although
nine months have passed, we are still in the beginning of
that period. Look at the gold price in all currencies
around the world - not only in U.S. dollars. Look at the
price in Euro, Canadian dollars, South African rand,
Australian dollars, British pound, Norwegian krone, Russian
rubles, Swiss francs etc. Gold is now starting to establish
new all-time highs in all those currencies. The masses will
slowly realize that no paper currency is safe in the near
future.
TGR: The world has gone
thru a major deleveraging and financial turmoil since our
last conversation. How have recent developments changed
your view on gold as a currency or as an
investment?
SO: I have not
changed my view. It is still the place to be as an
investor.
TGR: Do investors view
gold differently in Europe than North
America?
SO: I can only speak
for retail investors in the German-speaking countries like
Austria, Germany or Switzerland, where we have most of our
clients. It was a year or 18 months ago when the first few
people from the Street started talking about gold. The last
precious metal show for private investors in November in
Munich was very interesting: At the booth for Germany's
biggest gold- and silver-coin dealer, there were five lines
of people buying physical gold. I saw thousands of Euros
being "changed" into real money-gold and
silver.
TGR: If you see gold as
a currency, what advantage has gold versus other
currencies?
SO: For me, what's
most important is that gold has no risk of failure, like
corporate- or government loans/bonds. These have to pay
interest; someone takes the risk to lend them the money. If
you own gold you are completely independent from any
government or any other institution in the world. You don't
owe anyone anything. Because of this advantage you get no
interest. But the aim of the international banking cartel
and politics in general is to make you dependent. That is
probably the main reason why the establishment fights
against gold. In their opinion, everybody should put his
money into corporate- or government bonds. Otherwise they
denigrate you as "anti-American" or
"anti-European."
TGR: You believed gold
would remain around $800 for the short term. Some
newsletter writers are calling for gold to rise above
$1,500 by year-end. What is your view on the price of gold
for 2009, both short term (the next quarter) and long term
(through the end of the year)?
SO: In May 2008,
when gold was around US$900, I thought it would go down to
US$800 for several reasons I mentioned at that time. We
went down to US$720 until autumn 2008. Now we are back at
US$900 and will perhaps go up to US$1,000 or US$1,050 at
the end of March. So I was very lucky with my prediction.
But - as I told you in the answer to your first question -
it is very important that gold started to climb in nearly
all currencies around the world. In U.S. dollars we will
make new highs this year, perhaps by the end of
2009.
TGR: What factors should
investors look for as a signal for gold to "take off?" What
factors should investors be looking for that gold has
peaked? Should we expect gold to peak in
2009?
SO: I am absolutely
convinced that we will not peak in 2009! I believe that the
price of gold is manipulated. I believe that we will go
over US$1,200 by the end of 2009, but I am not sure if we
can defend that level. The establishment surely will do
something so that the price will not go too high in too
short a time. In looking back at the rise of gold from $35
to $850 during the ‘70s, the former Fed Chairman Paul
Volcker said, "It was probably a mistake to allow gold to
rise so high." And Volcker now is on the Obama-Team! We
will not have a peak like 1980, but gold will rise
constantly. Buying on dips like in autumn 2008 is the best
strategy, in my opinion. Perhaps sometime later (in a few
years, but not ‘09) gold will start to move US$50 or US$100
for some days in a row to US$2,500 or more. Then I would
sell or hedge some "virtual" gold over the markets
(futures, ETFs, short-certificates etc.), but I would not
sell the physical stuff!
TGR: In our last
discussion, you suggested investors own physical gold,
making it at least 5% of their portfolio. Do you still feel
it is important to own physical gold given the premiums
required to acquire it at this time? Wouldn't owning a gold
EFT do the same thing?
SO: I do not trust
all these ETFs and other constructions - even if they tell
the investors that the gold is held in this or that, or
saved in a bank. If you want to speculate for a few months,
then ETFs are fine, but not for me. I own gold for other
reasons than speculation.
Sascha
Opel, former chief editor of the first newsletter about the
German "Neuer Markt" (New Market), Sascha Opel brings a
distinctive outlook to the precious metals market. He was
also the co-chief editor of "Der Aktionaer" (The
Shareholder), one of the biggest German Stockmarket
Magazines and advisor to an investment fund that achieved
an outstanding return of 700% in three years. Today his
company, Orsus Consult GmbH, publishes one of the most
popular German newsletters on commodities and junior mining
and exploration.
--
George Kengott
First National
Bullion
5125 Convoy St Ste
211
San Diego, Ca
92111
800-866-0879 x 306
858-505-9807
fax www.firstnationalbullion.com
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