The SDR is an international reserve asset created by the International Monetary Fund in 1969 that has the potential to act as a super-sovereign reserve currency, said Zhou Xiaochuan, governor of the People’s Bank of China.

“The role of the SDR has not been put into full play, due to limitations on its allocation and the scope of its uses. However, it serves as the light in the tunnel for the reform of the international monetary system,” he said.

Mr. Zhou diplomatically did not refer explicitly to the U. S. dollar. But his speech spells out Beijing’s dissatisfaction with the primacy of the U. S. currency, which Mr. Zhou says has led to increasingly frequent global financial crises since the collapse in 1971 of the Bretton Woods system of fixed but adjustable exchange rates.

“The price is becoming increasingly high, not only for the users, but also for the issuers of the reserve currencies. Although crisis may not necessarily be an intended result of the issuing authorities, it is an inevitable outcome of the institutional flaws,” Mr. Zhou said.

Jim O’Neill, chief economist at Goldman Sachs in London, said “over time, as the world is taken off the steroids of the over-leveraged U. S. consumer, you can’t have the same dollar dependence as we have had. But who can provide it? And the answer is, if it functioned properly, maybe the SDR could have a much bigger role,” he said.

A super-sovereign reserve currency would not only eliminate the risks inherent in fiat currencies such as the dollar — which are backed only by the credit of the issuing country, not by gold or silver — but would also make it possible to manage global liquidity, Mr. Zhou argued.

“When a country’s currency is no longer used as the yardstick for global trade and as the benchmark for other currencies, the exchange-rate policy of the country would be far more effective in adjusting economic imbalances. This will significantly reduce the risks of a future crisis.”

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My Note: If you read between the lines, this does not bode well for the Treasury and Fed Debt offerings which will have to be issued to pay for all of the bailout, Tarp, and economic stimulus packages. This also doesn’t bode well for the U.S. Dollar in particular, but the other currencies also. As the largest holder of our debt, China is not happy about their investments losing value as the dollar depreciates. Next, China along with Russia are both buying and adding to their respective gold reserves! They are expecting massive inflation, why are we not hearing any talk about that in the nightly news?-jschulmansr

Gold (GLD)/Gold Stocks (GDX) Ratio

Both bullion and mining shares are higher for the year – GLD’s up 8.2% and GDX has risen 10.8% – but the momentum, for now at least, is with equities. Buoyancy in the broader equity market is providing lift for the miners, but it’s good to keep in mind that there’s a 75% correlation between GDX and GLD. Gold is, for the most part, gold.

Gold’s rising price has a leveraged effect on the stocks, as every dollar above a miner’s production cost flows to its bottom line.

Back in February, we highlighted one GDX component with very low production costs (“A Particularly Healthy Gold Stock“).

Is this the time to buy miners? Well, if you believe there’s more upside in gold (keep that correlation in mind) and want to ride the draft of the current equity market rally, perhaps. Taking a whack at GDX removes some of the stock-picking risk.

Reflation Update: The Real-time Inflation Indicator spiked 1.3% higher last week, reaching a level not seen since January.

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Gold Holders – Be Patient – Seeking Alpha

By: Jordan Roy-Byrne of Trendsman Research

In conclusion, be aware that the current rebound in stocks and commodities, though large, is just a temporary recovery. A single news event won’t change that nor alleviate the current deflationary pressures on the economy. Finally, holders of gold and gold shares should be patient. The major breakout will occur this year, though not within the time expectations of the gold bugs.