Q. Why would gold and silver and commodities keep falling in value if the government keeps printing money – which should cause inflation? Why is the dollar increasing in value instead of losing its value? Where should we put our money? What is safe anymore? It’s really confusing.
Answer:
Money Disappearing
My understanding is that there are two primary reasons commodities are deflating at certain times instead of shooting way up. One is that even though the government is increasing the money supply, (printing money), deflation is occurring because people are defaulting on loans.
In other words, money is “disappearing” almost as fast as the government is printing it. Both lenders and borrowers are defaulting on loans. This is what happened during the Great Depression.
Selling Commodities
The second reason has to do with the incredible selling of all assets in failing hedge funds. Investors are panicking and demanding money back from their investments. As a result hedge funds are forced to raise cash to pay back investors.
Understand that there are trillions of dollars in these hedge and commodity funds. So the redemption amounts are huge. Hedge fund managers must sell stocks, bonds, foreign currencies, gold, silver, oil and everything else of value in order to pay back their investors. This causes hard assets to fall in value as they are sold into the markets.
Dollar still Desirable
The reason the dollar is rising in value is because people are raising cash and dumping investments worldwide. The dollar is still considered a store of value – although the yen currency is temporarily stronger than the dollar. That may change.
Also, treasury bill money-market funds seem to be the primary place people wish to store their funds in this wild environment. It is this demand for treasury bills that is causing the dollar to rise.
Again, all of these conditions are temporary.
Everything Belongs to God
We recommend that Christians remember the following verse:
The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the LORD of hosts (Haggai 2:8, ESV).
Whatever we have comes from the Lord. He can take it away because it belongs to Him first. If all the selling disappears and gold and silver gain in value again, just remember that it all belongs to Him first.
Be Strongly Diversified
The best advice we can give is to follow King Solomon’s advice:
Give a portion to seven, or even to eight, for you know not what disaster may happen on earth (Ecclesiastes 11:2).
Whatever you do be diversified. Own a little gold and silver, foodstuffs and supplies, real estate, Treasury bill funds, currency funds, bank certificates of deposit and so forth. Don’t put too much in any one asset class. That is what the wisest man who ever lived suggests. It still holds true today, doesn’t it?
But, then don’t forget that the wisest man on the earth also said:
…Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty. God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad (Eccles. 12:13-14, NLT).
That is all that matters in the end.