The Dollar, Gold & Middle East Oil
- The forecasts of the World Gold Council's report from OMFIF come onto center stage;
- The actions of the Iraqi government in buying 90 tonnes of gold can now be seen in context as its currency begins to lose all credibility, as ISIS robs the banks it invades taking the management of that currency to untenable levels;
- With the Middle East responsible for 20% of the world's physical gold demand last year, we expect their demand to jump not simply at retail levels but at central bank levels. Whenever war comes into the picture, one of the first casualties is the local currency. The Ukraine is a recent example of this. Even though the country is not at full scale war levels, their currency has fallen 45% this year already.