http://www.nacubo.org/Documents/research/2010NCSE_Public_Tables_Endowment_Market_Values_Final.pdf

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1621872&forum_id=2#17793297)

http://calcuttatube.com/brics-credit-local-currencies-to-replace-dollar/147727/

"BRICS credit: Local currencies to replace dollar"

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1621872&forum_id=2#17793378)

the scam will continue for much longer than that, though i do agree that this so-called "recovery" is pure flame.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1621872&forum_id=2#17793419)

i'm far more knowledgeable about this stuff than the average american, but that doesn't say very much of course. you have any good books i could read about what exactly is happening in the markets? i'm starting to read more about the fed's open market operations and SOMA and the fed buying puts on long-term treasuries to keep yields artificially low blah blah blah, but i need i guess a synthesis of all the information, because much of my knowledge about all this shit is very disconnected

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1621872&forum_id=2#17793465)

What specifically are you looking for? There are a lot of books on what caused the 2008 crash. There's info speculating on where we're heading, history of money, etc.

For a big picture view, these two sources are very basic but really good and comprehensive (and they avoid getting too "out-there").

1. http://www.chrismartenson.com/page/crash-course-one-year-anniversary (I watched the full version so I can't entirely vouch for the 45-minute short). He talks about exponential functions at the beginning and then runs w/ them.

From the dude:

"My goal is to shed light on the limits of our present economic model of infinite growth as we increasingly face the realities of a planet with finite resources. I seek to lay out possible paths for our future and to provide people with tools and information so that they will be better able to make informed choices."

2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVkFb26u9g8

Money As Debt. Also 45 minutes long. Watching it is kind of like taking the Red Pill.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1621872&forum_id=2#17793514)

yeah i just finished "the big short" which was just amazing

am going to start reading "the greatest trade ever" along with a book about how AIG financial products division crashed

i'll check those 2 links out later, thanks

any other rec's for how this crisis happened? thanks

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1621872&forum_id=2#17793532)

It might be good to get a more long term, historical perspective. The first few chapters of "Guide to Investing in Gold and Silver" by Mike Maloney is pretty good for this. The second half is more focused on the practical application of such knowledge.

Edit: Btw, I just looked up the review on Amazon for this book. The most helpful critical view has a point but I don't think it takes away from the author's argument. There are all sorts of factors that go into explaining gold's historical price action being detached from CPI. Bonds yielding 10%+ were the draw in the 80s, and equities during the 90s dotcom boom, and real estate in the 2000s. Commodities and gold were pretty strong the past decade though also.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1621872&forum_id=2#17793559)

*facepalm*

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1621872&forum_id=2#17794157)

In 2 or 3 years we'll all be huddled around an old trashcan burning dem big faced hunnets to stay warm...

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1621872&forum_id=2#17793390)

so much of what is happening is being put on obama's shoulders, when really he is just a puppet

bernanke is really the person running this show

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1621872&forum_id=2#17793422)

What the hell are you going to do with all your gold if that happens? If currency becomes worthless, people aren't going to give a shit about your gold, unless they really do have a luxury use for it. If I'm, say, a doctor, and you come to me with 1-oz gold pieces to pay for medical care after society collapses (because that's what would happen if the dollar becomes worthless, not just a depression), I'm not going to treat you. I'd rather have guns and ammo, or chickens, or something.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1621872&forum_id=2#17793427)

Ask yourself why central banks still hold gold reserves. It's b/c that's the best store of value humans have been able to come up w/ up to this point. I linked the article before and I'll link it again for all those who think goldbugs are retarded. Here's Alan Greenspan's 1966 essay entitled "Gold and Economic Freedom":

http://www.constitution.org/mon/greenspan_gold.htm

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1621872&forum_id=2#17793470)

Gold only makes sense as an end of the world hedge if you are so wealthy you've already build multiple compounds fully stocked with a lifetime supply of food, medicine and weaponry.

With that said, I hold gold and I've made a lot of money on it. But I'm not dumb enough to think it's going to be my ticket to post-societal collapse riches. If I were worried about that, I would trade in all my gold for useful stuff.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1621872&forum_id=2#17793708)

http://www.goldprice.org/spot-gold.html

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1621872&forum_id=2#17793945)

why would we default to an arbitrary value for gold? its much less shiny and fascinating to modern humans than it was to the societies that began using it as a currency. modern humans would probably just barter, gold might have some value but it would be highly variable per person

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1621872&forum_id=2#17794368)

Edit: Link --> http://www.caseyresearch.com/articles/silver-getting-too-popular-right

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1621872&forum_id=2#17794415)

LOL. they better pray theres no gold crash.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1621872&forum_id=2#17935966)

http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/money/2011/05/05/bank-mexico-buys-100-tons-gold/

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1621872&forum_id=2#17940965)

Inflation is currently at essentially 0% right now. The cost of housing (the single biggest expense for most people in this country) continues to drop like a stone. On top of that, China is buying all the dollars that it can in order to devalue their own currency, and the dollar is the standard reserve currency throughout the world. Both of these facts artificially inflate the value of the dollar. And you fuckers act like the dollar is about to become worthless? Holy fucking shit is all I can say. Try not to electrocute yourselves when you drool on the keyboard.

Sure, there is a danger of inflation once unemployment starts to go down. The Fed will have to shut off the spigot soon enough to prevent inflation but not so soon as to kill the recovery. It's going to be tricky, and they might fuck it up. But the worst-case scenario is that we either get a second recession or high inflation rates (with high interest rates to try to cool things down). Neither scenario is great, but the dollar is not going to become worthless. Anyone with the IQ of an ape should be able to see that.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1621872&forum_id=2#17943558)

ABC gave an account of a customer pressured into buying $5,000.00 of such coins which a dealer later told him were worth only $2,900.00.[21][47] Another purchased $13,000.00 of "overpriced Swiss gold coins" in 2007 — while the price of gold doubled, the coins were only worth $10,764 in 2010, leaving her feeling "suckered".[21][48][49] Consumer Reports noted that Goldline was selling a Gold Eagle set for $5,924.63 while a competitor had them for $3,295.00

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1621872&forum_id=2#17944377)