By now you’ve probably heard the news out of Japan that was announced this past Friday. Rather than go into the specifics, we’ll simply acknowledge the fact that central bank printing continues, with Japan now taking the lead in the laboratory of monetary madness.
The Bank of Japan, at the behest of Haruhiko Kuroda, has declared war on savers. They have declared war on the Middle Class and the aging group of the geriatric generation. Those who patriotically saved in their domestic currency, the yen, lost nearly 3% of their purchasing power when Kuroda swung the levers of monetary policy into overdrive. That McDonalds Big Mac doesn’t cost what it used to anymore.
If you’re in Japan or have significant savings in yen, it’s time to get out. If you had trust in your government it should be gone by now. Unless you sit atop the economic totem pole, your purchasing power is consistently being destroyed and you need to look towards alternative vehicles for your money or even consider leaving the country altogether.
Where Do You Go?
The easy answer is into dollars, gold, & silver. While I’m not bullish on the dollar over the long term, its certainly better than the yen and can buy you some time in these extraordinary circumstances.
Gold and silver are self explanatory. Stores of value for the span of human history, your purchasing power will safe when it’s held in the money of kings & gentlemen. Buy physical, store it safely, and your hard earned wealth will make it to the other side when this all blows up.
However, there is another alternative to yen denominated assets that is consistently growing in the contrarian community. This alternative is called bitcoin, and this decentralized & digital currency is out of the reach of oppressive governments and central banks across the globe. And with the supply of bitcoins capped at 21 million, inflation won’t be a problem. Kuroda, Draghi, & Yellen can’t print away the purchasing of something they don’t control.
Check out our previous articles about digital currencies and do your research. While Japan may turn out to be the example of “what not to do”, that doesn’t mean the central banks of the United States and Europe will learn from these events. While you’ll always need some fiat lying around for emergencies & opportunities, now is the time to start converting your core positions to tangible assets and investment alternatives that are based on mathematics, not the whims of central bankers.