In a break from recent market patterns, euro weakness coincided with gains in US equities. The latter moved higher on news that America added 325,000 private sector jobs in December – considerably more than the 125,000-230,000 analysts had been expecting. One should be wary of such numbers, however, as they tell us nothing about the quality of the jobs gained on net.

13.30GMT sees the release of US nonfarm payroll and unemployment figures for December. Consensus estimates for payrolls are for 150,000 gains, with the consensus for unemployment at 8.7%. If the trend for above average gains in American economic statistics continues, however, we are likely to see the numbers come in better than expected. This column’s prediction? Job gains north of 175,000 and an unemployment rate of below 8.7%.

But while these stats my be getting better, the US Treasury’s balance sheet gets ever-redder: as ZeroHedge reports, Uncle Sam is now just $25 million away from hitting his debt ceiling. Yet another reminder – as if it were needed – of one of the major problems affecting the US economy.

James Turk has also done a new interview with King World News, that talks about “silver as the next Apple” – Apple, as in the computer company Apple, whose stock has increased 70-fold over the last decade. Check out this article to see James’s argument in full, as well as his long-term price target for silver.

Source: http://www.goldmoney.com/gold-research/newsdesk/silver-the-next-apple.html

Download the PDF

GM = No more money transmission, just metal sales.

Dear Customer,

We are writing to advise you of a change of services we currently offer to our customers with a Full Holding. Since the launch of GoldMoney in 2001, we have continued to change and adapt to the global increase of compliance requirements for payment service providers. Due to this growing trend of regulation we have decided to suspend the following services until further notice with an effective date of the 21st January 2012:

* The facility to make and receive payments in precious metals to or from other GoldMoney Full Holding customers.

* The facility to convert directly between the various currencies.

Basic Holding owners do not have access to these features and are therefore not affected by this change.

Our research has proven that our customers’ use of the metal payments and currency exchange services is not significant and we trust that the suspension of these services will not be inconvenient for the majority of our customers.

In accordance with our Customer Agreement, we are providing advance notice of this change to our services that will take effect on the 21st January 2012 at 12am local London time (GMT). You will be able to make metal payments and currency exchanges up to this date.

We continue to provide a secure and reliable platform for the purchase, sale and storage of your precious metals. This includes enhancing our systems, introducing and adjusting our products and services, and making our website the most effective tool for managing your precious metals portfolio.

With this in mind, we have prepared a brief survey to gauge your interest in current products and also possible future products we may introduce, depending on the feedback we receive from you. The survey can be completed at the link below. All feedback received is anonymous unless you choose to provide us with your contact details.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/goldmoney

We thank you for your continued business, and we will sincerely appreciate any feedback to help us determine the products and services that are of most interest to you.

Kind regards
Your Relationship Management Team

Acts of treason are being committed against the American people as you read this.

Today, the National Defense Authorization Act is in the House where they will be debating the intricacies of whether or not Americans can be detained in our own country if they are classified as a “threat”.

What this means is – if you tweet, or Facebook, or speak out controversially (much like this post that I am writing), then you could be seized, taken away without warrant and without Miranda rights, and be dumped somewhere for the rest of your life. Do you not like the TSA and do you say something about it? Do you think that Congress is doing a bad job? Do you think the President is doing a bad job? Are you part of the Tea Party? Are you part of the Occupy Wall Street movement? Do you keep a storage of food at your house? Do you carry a constitution and have a gun? YOU are a threat – and with this new provision, you could be taken away at any time without due-process. THIS IS IT.

What if someone doesn’t like you and tells government officials that you are a threat and/or a terrorist? What if YOU get picked up and detained with no trial?

This bill and its provisions actually passed in the Senate last week with a vote of 97 to 3 – this is real and is happening. Only three people in the Senate should be re-elected in my view. This is a complete affront to the American people – only three Senators had the tenacity and courage to stand up for what is right. Do you see how choosing a lesser of two evils for so long has brought us to this? This is evil.

Do you know that right now, vehicles – commercially marked and otherwise – are actually collecting information and used to spy on whoever they want? The scary thing is that this has been happening and is becoming more prevalent as we speak. I drive up and down I-25 and have seen the trucks and the cameras – have you looked around you lately?

I cried when the TSA agent touched me because I refuse to be scanned like a piece of meat at the airport, and today I sit waiting to see if there are any representatives left with the gumption, integrity, and foresight to protect the American people from this horrid piece of legislation that endangers us more than any terrorist threat could. It makes us slaves and dis-empowers us. It uses fear as a force. This is what tyranny looks like, and it is sneaking up on the American people. Where is the media – the fourth check on government? SHAME ON YOU. Shame on you for being a part of this evil capitulation into slavery.

My country, please, do not act in fear. Do not stand for this behavior. We are good and strong people and do not need these types of provisions and enforcements to protect us. We need love and peace and GOD – no government can protect us and scare us into this type of insanity. I am telling you, and telling the representatives of our country to stand up for us and do the right thing today and from here forward. We will not stand for this. As my hero Patrick Henry said, “Give me liberty, or give me death.”

S. 1867: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012
http://www.govtrack.us/co…

CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVES~
https://writerep.house.go…
Download the Bill Here:
National Defense Authorization Act_HR 1540

Support by Donating to Casida for Congress-
http://www.casida2012.com…