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To: Giordano Bruno who wrote (352985)	1/10/2008 8:42:39 AM
From: NucTrader	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 436258

On Fast Money last PM, they quoted Gartmann, who's their gold guru, as saying he sold 1/2 his position yesterday. The day before they'd interviewed him, and he said he'd been getting zillions of calls from friends, relatives, casual acquaintenances, etc. with questions about whether gold was a good investment. Went on to say in his book that meant the top was at hand if not end. Of course, there will be those who disagree, -g-

To: Giordano Bruno who wrote (352985)	1/10/2008 9:11:41 AM
From: Horgad	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 436258

I don't know, but if enough Chinese are serious about "over paying" for gold, the rest of the world will be forced to follow. Or it could just be a meaningless short term market blip...

To: Giordano Bruno who wrote (352985)	1/10/2008 10:18:21 AM
From: Box-By-The-Riviera™	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 436258

anyone wanna esplain dis to me? 10:13 AM ET 1/10/08 \| Marketwatch WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Higher oil prices sent sales of U.S. wholesalers up 2.2% in November, the biggest gain in more than two years, the Commerce Department reported Thursday. Inventories at wholesalers grew 0.6% in the month. With nominal sales rising much faster than inventories, the inventory-to-sales ratio fell to a record low 1.07 in November from 1.08 in October. The inventory-to-sales ratio was 1.17 a year ago. Read the full report. The gain in wholesale sales was, in part, an illusion of inflation. Petroleum sales jumped 8.9% in the month, the biggest rise in two years. The figures are not adjusted for inflation. The typical wholesaler has about 32.5 days' worth of sales on hand. With inventories tight, wholesalers would be well positioned if final demand from consumers falters. But if demand unexpectedly picks up, they could be caught short unless U.S. producers and foreign importers can step up production quickly. U.S. businesses generally have very low inventories, one reason why many economists say a recession remains unlikely, despite mounting troubles in the financial and real estate sectors. In the past, poor supply management has led to large overstocks just as demand falters, requiring heavy cutbacks in production and massive layoffs. It was that secondary impact of production cutbacks and layoffs that made recessions in the 1950s through 1980s so deep. In recent years, however, companies have gotten much better at managing their supply chain, keeping just enough goods on hand to satisfy demand. Swings in demand don't have the same impact on production or employment as in the past because imbalances don't develop. The wholesale inventory report rarely affects financial markets. It is of interest primarily to economists tweaking their estimates for gross domestic product. The Commerce Department will finalize its estimates for business sales and inventories for October with the release of the retail inventory data on Thursday. Wholesalers are middlemen between retailers and producers. They serve as absorbers for supply and demand shocks. Trends in wholesale trade are not considered leading indicators. Details Wholesale sales are up 14% compared with November 2006. Inventories are up 4.3%. The figures are not adjusted for price changes. Sales of durable goods increased 0.9% in November. Computer and electrical-equipment sales each rose more than 3%. Auto sales fell 0.7%. Furniture, lumber and hardware sales fell. Sales of nondurable goods rose 3.3%, boosted by higher prices for petroleum and a 9.7% increase in farm products, also driven by higher prices for commodities. Inventories of durable goods rose 0.5%, including a 2.3% rise in auto inventories. Inventories of nondurable goods rose 0.8%, boosted by higher prices for petroleum and other commodities. The inventory-to-sales ratio for nondurable goods fell to a record low 0.76. Sales in October were revised higher to 1.4% gain from 0.7%.