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Pastimes : Clown-Free Zone... sorry, no clowns allowed

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To: Shack who wrote (71800)2/26/2001 1:09:25 PM
From: russwinter  Read Replies (1) of 436258
 
Musical chairs

Rest assured that the Cabel is searching the globe for physical gold
to stem the bleeding. I think we can also assume that some bozo will
lease or sell them some. How much is the question. If we see lease
rates drop here, then we will know the answer. But, so far it looks
like they are out of luck. It is critical that they get lease rates
back down and soon. That means they have to con someone out of real
gold not just create more paper. So the question is: are some CB's
reassessing the credit risk of these gold loans?

kitco.com

Another key right now are the producer hedgers/cappers. They have an
incredible opportunity to buy back ounces in a race to the finish
line. I have to believe there is some drama going on with hedge
managers at these companies. Should significant hedger closeouts hit
the market that has the effect of withdrawing even more scarce
physical gold. The incentive for doing so is considerable as the
contango on forward futures is now approaching 3%. The means that
gold for two years out now trades at about $278 ($262 spot X 106%).
Since many hedgers have prices set above $300 they have a chance to
book a profit on their hedge books, and show how slick they are as
managers. The COO's also have to be wondering about the merits of
loaning gold at 3%. Perhaps at those cheap rates they should be
buyers instead?

The other key to this game of musical chairs are the carry trades.
The spread between six month treasuries and six month lease rates are
now approaching 200 basis points. If the Wizard of Oz lowers rates this
week, then that will drop even more. Is that enough to keep the trade
intact? I don't think so. The carry trade crowd has to be worried, as
this is a moment of truth.

And finally there are the massive speculative shorts. Are they
feeling a little nervous? Could they panic at this rather critical
moment?

So despite the quiet appearance of the gold market today, there is
plenty going on behind the scene. It's like a game of musical chairs.
Who will be able to make it the last chair? Once we break out all
kinds of crap will hit the fan. I don't claim to know the outcome, but
somehow I'm feeling lucky.
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