04/27/2020 - Dr. Albert Friedberg – “We have entered the third phase of the life of fiat money”
“We have now entered the third phase of the life of fiat money. There are now no restraints on its creation because it is widely believed that there is no link between money growth and inflation. Therefore, the Fed will create as much money as is needed to lift the economy from temporary deflation and depression. The money explosion under way will have an impact on consumer prices as soon as the economy begins to stabilize. My guess is that by the end of this year inflation will run at well over 3% per annum and at 3% to 6% per annum sometime in 2021. These are, of course, guesses as we are unable to know (a) how fast money will run by then, (b) what the precise relationship between money and prices is, other than it is positive, and (c) the role of expectations. If the latter turns into an inflation psychosis, inflation may run much higher than estimated. Such a scenario favours hard assets over investment/income-producing assets and, in turn, gold over most other hard assets. By tradition, gold is viewed, at least partly, as money because it possesses certain notable attributes. Unlike fiat money, it does not represent the liability of an issuer nor can it be created without cost by an issuer; for the past few thousand years, its supply has grown at no more than about 2% to 2.5% per year. It is extraordinarily liquid, portable, and marketable. Gold is quoted at the same price in every country of the world. These attributes qualify gold to retake an important role in monetary affairs.”
