Federal Reserve comments, dollar drops, and gold rises, yet …

James Bullard

The financial markets have some concerns about the USA dollar and certain commodities:

March 23, 2015

(Reuters) – The dollar resumed its fall on Monday after its steepest weekly drop in 3-1/2 years, as comments by a top Federal Reserve official added to last week’s dovish policy message.

The dollar’s fall helped copper and gold prices to firm while European shares dipped, giving back some of last week’s strong gains, and U.S. futures pointed to a flat start on Wall Street.

St Louis Fed President James Bullard told CNBC that the dollar index, which measures the greenback against a basket of major currencies, was not far from fair value and it was unclear how much more it would strengthen against the euro.

The dollar, which hit a 12-year high this month, was down 0.5 percent at 1227 GMT, having dropped 2.6 percent last week after the Fed eased fears of an aggressive rise in its interest rates. http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/23/us-markets-global-idUSKBN0MJ00N20150323

March 23, 2015

(Bloomberg) — Oil erased loses as a weaker dollar made commodities priced in the U.S. currency more attractive to investors.

The dollar dropped against all but two of its 16 major counterparts, extending last week’s decline, which was the biggest in three years, as the Federal Reserve damped the outlook for higher rates. Crude fell as much as 2.7 percent in New York earlier as Saudi Arabia’s comments that it’s pumping crude near a record pace signaled that the global supply glut will persist. …

“Prices are up from the lows because of the weakening dollar,” Bob Yawger, director of the futures division at Mizuho Securities USA Inc. in New York, said by phone. “There’s a strong reverse correlation between oil and the dollar, and we’re seeing it at work today.” http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-03-22/oil-pares-last-week-s-advance-as-saudi-arabia-pumps-near-record

The dollar will have ups and downs. Gold will have ups and downs. Oil will have ups and downs.

The trend?

Ultimately the US dollar will be worth no more than the scrap value of the cotton-paper much of it is printed with.

Why?

Sin (Deuteronomy 28:15, 43-45) and debt (Habakkuk 2:6-8).

While he does not go directly there, CBS reported today that a Harvard political scientist has concerns about the future of the USA economy and mentions some sin-related causes:

America’s next economic crisis is already here

March 23, 2015

For Harvard political scientist Robert Putnam, growing up in the 1950s in Port Clinton, Ohio, was a time of opportunity, allowing classmates of all backgrounds to achieve the American dream. That’s far from the reality today.

The ability to climb the socioeconomic ladder — a hallmark of that dream — has become much harder in recent decades, a pall of downward mobility Putnam notes is visible across his hometown when he returns to visit today. …

Port Clinton isn’t an anomaly, Putnam added. His group’s research into towns ranging from Austin, Texas, to Bend, Oregon, found the same trend: Impoverished children are increasingly separated from middle-class and upper-income students and given fewer opportunities for programs that enhance their education and enrich their lives, such as after-school activities and advanced placement classes. Family structures have also crumbled for many poor families, creating unstable social networks that leave impoverished children without guidance and role models.

“What we discovered is that Port Clinton’s history over the last 50 years reflects in microcosm, like a little drop of water reflecting the world, the rest of America: the collapse of community, the growing isolation of poor kids and the growing income gap,” said Putnam, who is also the author of the 2000 book “Bowling Alone,” which examined the breakdown of American social organizations. “We saw this wasn’t some peculiar Rust Belt story. It was a nationwide story.”

While the problem has been exacerbated by long-term social trends, such as drug usage and single parenting…

“The fact of the matter is that America’s gross national product is about 4 percent lower than if we solved these problems,” he said. “Poor kids are costly” because of lower productivity and higher criminal costs.

Robert Putnam goes into at least three sin-related causes:

Drug usage. The Bible teaches against drunkenness and that would include drugs (see also Marijuana: Should a Christian Get High? ).
Increases of single parents. The Bible says it is not good for a man to be alone (Genesis 2:18), and that is part of why God created marriage (see also God Created Marriage). While spouses sometimes die, sin is a major factor in single parenting either through fornication (see also Love, Marriage, and Sex) or divorce (see also Making Your Marriage Work).
Most crimes are sin. Crime is not stopped because wealthier people can live in areas with less of it (see also Crime can be stopped…here’s how!).

There are other sins that affect the USA economy as well (abortion seems to be a factor in the change of the USA moving from being a creditor to debtor nation, watch Abortion, the Bible, and US Debt.; greed is a factor that seems to be setting grain production up for a fall, e.g. see GMOs and Bible Prophecy).

Related to the USA and its Anglo-Saxon allies of the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, we have seen an acceptance of immorality. Romans 1:18-32 states that not only those ” those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them” (Romans 1:32).

As far as the US dollar goes, despite some occasional gains in strength, notice the following:

March 9, 2015

Dollar has declined as reserve currency over past decade from 70% of global reserves to 61%
http://www.marketoracle.co.uk/Article49756.html

The time will come when the US dollar is totally worthless and will stop being a world reserve currency. That being said, the dollar has time before it will collapse so we will see both ups and downs–though Bible prophecy supports the idea that it will become essentially worthless in the not to distant future.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2015, 2016, or 2017? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before the Great Tribulation in the “beginning of sorrows”? What happens in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? Is this the time of the Gentiles? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord? Who are the 144,000? Here is a version of the article in the Spanish language: ¿Puede comenzar la Gran Tribulación en 2014 o 2015? ¿Es el Tiempo de los Gentiles? You can also see the English language sermon video: The Great Tribulation from the Mount of Olives.
Does God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End? Was a 6000 year time allowed for humans to rule followed by a literal thousand year reign of Christ on Earth taught by the early Christians? Does God have 7,000 year plan? What year may the six thousand years of human rule end? When will Jesus return? 2021 or 20xx? There is also a video titled The 6000 Year Plan: Is the end of humanity’s reign almost up?
Project Prophecy: Economic Collapse Starting in 2015? Jim Rickards once worked for the CIA and also was once part of a a USA government program called called ‘Project Prophecy.’ He has a video were he claims that starting in 2015, the USA may have economic collapse resulting in a 25-Year Great Depression. He mainly cites debt figures and claims advises alternatives to the USA dollar which he says will collapse? What did Rand Paul state? Can the USA dollar collapse?
Market Collapse then New World Order in 2015? A long-time financial adviser named Harvey Organ claims that claims that because of insufficient gold in the central banks of USA and UK, that Shanghai would bring about exposing this and that this would lead to a massive, overnight, rise in the price of gold and silver, diminished value of their currencies. He states a market collapse will occur before the end of 2014, that the petroyuan will replace the petrodollar, and that a Chinese led New World Order will be in place for 2015. Is this possible? Where does the leader of the ‘New World Order’ come from? What does the Bible teach?
The Plain Truth About Gold in Prophecy. How Should a Christian View Gold? What do economists and the Bible teach about gold? Gold and silver may drop in value. Inflation/deflation? What do Christians need to know about gold?
Should Christians Smoke Tobacco or Marijuana? Is smoking a sin? What does the Bible teach? What have COG leaders written? Can smokers change? What about marijuana?
Marijuana: Should a Christian Get High? There is increasing acceptance of the use of marijuana. How should Christians view this? Here is a related video titled How Should a Christian View Marijuana?
Alcohol: Blessing or Curse? This is an article from the old Good News magazine that attempts to answer this question.
God Created Marriage Some falsely claim that God did not create marriage and that fornication is fine. What does the Bible really teach? Here is a version in Mandarin Chinese 神创造婚姻.
Love, Marriage, and Sex It is important to get them in the right order.
Making Your Marriage Work Marriage is not also easy, but it pictures a divine relationship. How can you make your marriage work? Here is a link to the video sermon: You Can Make YOUR Marriage Work.
Abortion, the Bible, and a Woman’s Right to Choose Do you know what the Bible teaches on this? Has the Roman Catholic Church allowed abortions? What about the real Church of God? Some may also, or instead, wish to view the YouTube video Abortion, the Bible, and US Debt.
Crime can be stopped…here’s how! This was a booklet that was edited with some updates by Dr. Thiel. Here is a link to a related sermon: Crime and How it Will be Stopped!
GMOs and Bible Prophecy What are GMOs? Since they were not in the food supply until 1994, how could they possibly relate to Bible prophecy? Do GMOs put the USA and others at risk? Here is a related YouTube video GMO Risks and the Bible.
Can those in the USA/UK see the Handwriting on the Wall? Is everything fine in the USA/UK or is it like the days of Noah? Can we learn from the handwriting that appeared on a wall thousands of years ago? Here is a link to a related YouTube video Can you see the ‘Handwriting on the Wall’?
World War III: Steps in Progress Are there surprising actions going on now that are leading to WWIII? Might a nuclear attack be expected? What about WWIV? Does the Bible promise protection to all or only some Christians? How can you be part of those that will be protected? A related video would be Is World War III About to Begin? Can You Escape?
Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, English, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo-Saxon (non-Dutch) Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? What will happen to Jerusalem and the Jews in Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo-Saxon nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first? Here is a link to the Spanish version of this article: Anglo-América & las Tribus Perdidas de Israel. Information is also in the YouTube sermons titled Where are the Ten Lost Tribes? Why does it matter? and British are the Covenant People. A short YouTube of prophetic interest may be Barack Obama and the State of the Apocalypse.
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God was the Emphasis of Jesus and the Early Church Did you know that? Do you even know what the gospel of the kingdom is all about? True religion should be based upon the true gospel.
Did The Early Church Teach Millenarianism? Was the millennium (sometimes called chiliasm) taught by early Christians? Who condemned it? Will Jesus literally reign for 1000 years on the earth? Is this time near? A related sermon is titled The Millennium.
Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States-Second Edition for Second Obama Term This is a 160 page book for people truly interested in prophecies related to Barack Obama and the United States, including learning about many that have already been fulfilled (which the book documents in detail) and those that will be fulfilled in the future. It also has a chapter about a Republican choice. This book is available to order at www.barackobamaprophecy.com. The physical book can also be purchased at Amazon from the following link: Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States: Is Barack Obama Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic Catholic, Kenyan, and other America-Related Prophecies? What About Republican Leaders? Second Edition for Second Obama Term.
Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States-Second Term-Amazon Kindle edition. This electronic version is available for only US$2.99. And you do not need an actual Kindle device to read it. Why? Amazon will allow you to download it to almost any device: Please click HERE to download one of Amazon s Free Reader Apps. After you go to for your free Kindle reader and then go to Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States-Second Term-Amazon Kindle edition.