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Posted: 04 Jul 2016 Michael Snyder THE ECONOMIC COLLAPSE BLOG
Have you seen what the price of silver has been doing? On Monday, it exploded past 20 dollars an ounce, and as I write this article it is sitting at $20.48. Earlier today it actually surged above 21 dollars an ounce for a short time before moving back just a bit. In late March, I told my readers that silver was “ridiculously undervalued” when it was sitting at $15.81 an ounce, and that call has turned out to be quite prescient. The Friday before last, silver started the day at $17.25 an ounce, and it is up more than 18 percent since that time. Overall, silver is up more than 30 percent for the year, and that makes it one of the best performing investments of 2016.
So what is causing this sudden surge in the price of silver? This is something that we will discuss below… This sudden spike in the price of silver has definitely caught a lot of analysts off guard. Some are suggesting that the fact that the Fed is now less likely to raise rates after the Brexit and the fact that the dollar has been slipping a bit lately are the primary reasons for silver’s rise… This isn’t a gradual increase either. It’s an explosive growth spurt. Just three months ago silver had reached an 11 month high. Now silver prices have reached a 23 month high. Several factors appear to be influencing these gains, including a weakening dollar, and the fact that the Fed may cut interest ratesin light of the Brexit vote.Personally, I don’t buy those explanations. To me, the continuing implosion of major banks over in Europe is the main factor that is driving investors to safe haven assets such as silver. Rumors continue to spread that Deutsche Bank is essentially insolvent at this point, and many are watching for the imminent collapse of the largest and most important bank in Germany. When this happens, it will be a much, much more cataclysmic event for the global financial system than the collapse of Lehman Brothers was back in 2008. But today I want to focus on the ongoing implosion of the major banks in Italy. Italy has the 8th largest economy on the entire planet, and their banks are drowning in approximately 400 billion dollars worth of non-performing debt. The Italian government would like to bail these banks out, but the rest of the EU appears ready to block that effort because it would violate EU rules. As a result, the big Italian banks experienced a bloodbath on Monday… Italy’s Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena SpA BMPS, -13.99% closed down 14%. The move came after a report that the European Central Bank is pushing the lender to draft a new plan aimed at reducing non-performing loans.And these stunning declines come on the heels of last week’s nightmare… As a reminder, the Euro Stoxx Banks index was down -0.88% last week and is nearly 19% down from its pre-referendum levels. Italian Banks are at the heart of that weakness with the likes of Unicredit, Intesa, Banco Monte dei Paschi and UBI down -9.78%, -3.44%, -15.79% and -6.11% respectively last week, in the process sending Italian stocks to levels not seen since Draghi’s famous “whatever it takes” speech.So what happens when all of the major banks of a country collapse at the exact same time? Basically, Italy is facing “financial Armageddon” if nothing is done, and so some Italian politicians are desperate to step in and do something about this crisis even if it means defying the EU… The Financial Times reported Sunday that Italy was prepared “to defy the EU and unilaterally pump billions of euros into its troubled banking system if it comes under severe systemic distress … despite warnings from Brussels and Berlin over the need to respect rules that make creditors rather than taxpayers fund bank rescues.”But of course the rest of the EU is not about to let this happen because it would be a gross violation of European Union rules… Michael Hewson, chief market analyst at CMC Markets UK, said: “Under current EU state aid rules any attempts to help banks must involve a bail-in process that doesn’t involve using taxpayer’s money.So what is going to happen? Could Italy be forced to leave the EU? Will the rest of the European Union eventually cave in and save Italy? We all remember how difficult it was for the EU to save Greece, and they are just the 44th largest economy on the planet. So where in the world are they going to come up with the resources to rescue the 8th largest economy on the planet? Immediately following the Brexit vote on the Friday before last, we witnessed the biggest one day global stock market loss in world history. But since that time many global markets have bounced back, and a lot of people seem convinced that the crisis has passed. Unfortunately, the truth is that the crisis is just getting started. As I warned before the Brexit vote, European banks were going to continue to implode no matter what the result was, and that is definitely what we are seeing come to pass right now. Without bailouts, virtually all of the major banks in Italy are going to fail. It is just a matter of time. And each of those failures would send financial shockwaves all over the planet. Personally, I am convinced that the second half of 2016 is going to be even more eventful that the first half of 2016, and this new global economic crisis is going to continue to accelerate. Unfortunately, most Americans are preoccupied reading about Taylor Swift’s new boyfriend and things of that nature, and so they are totally oblivious to the global events that are about to turn their lives totally upside down. |
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Do you know that the enemy believes in your greatness more than you do? Why do you think you are battling fear, discouragement, frustration and brokenness? The enemy would not mess with you if you were no threat to him, if you were not about to step into your destiny.
Stirring
He knows beyond a shadow of a doubt God is preparing you for greater things, greater vision, greater impact on the world. He knows it because he feels the movement in your spirit, the turning of your heart towards God. Until he sees that, he knows he doesn't have to work hard to keep you ineffective. When God begins stirring your spirit, the evil one wakes up and starts to work.
He puts together an action plan designed specifically to thwart your forward advance. He knows he can't stop God, but he also knows he's stopped you before and he'll try again. Why? Because his main mission is to "steal, kill and destroy"1 your destiny.
Most of the time, he doesn't have to work hard. It doesn't take much to throw you off course. All he has to do is throw together a few things that he knows will cause fear to rise up in you, and then he's got you.
Fear
Fear is one of his biggest weapons because it's just False Evidence Appearing Real. In other words, he does what he does best. He lies to you. He loves to do that. He's a master at it. "When he lies, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies."2
He whispers half-truths and lies and builds them in your mind until you are so afraid you cannot move. Paralyzed with fear, you cower and hide. "It would be better for me to go back to the way I was," you tell yourself. "At least then I didn't have all these things coming against me."
It's exactly what the children of Israel said in the wilderness. They wanted to go back because they were afraid they would die. Even the being in bondage in Egypt looked better than going through what they had to go through to get to the Promised Land.3
Destiny Sign
Don't worry, though, you can immediately recognize what he is doing. It's like he's flashing a neon arrow right at the very thing that will move you to your next step into your destiny.
Just look at what you afraid of. He's going to throw a roadblock of fear so you won't go forward. So stop and think through this. What is the biggest thing you are afraid of? Where is your greatest area of resistance? What causes you to say, "That's impossible? I could never do that."
Just remember what Joseph said to his brothers: "you intended to harm me, but God intended it for good."4
Many things look impossible, but when you surrender and allow God to take over, all things are possible.5
Possibilitarian
God makes you a possibilitarian when you finally get a vision for what He is doing in you and on the earth. Of course things are impossible in your own strength.
When you surrender your weaknesses6 at His feet, God says, "Good, now you're ready to take this on, because you can't, but I can through you. When you are weak, then I am strong."7
Courage
What if when fear starts rising up in you, instead of running the other way, you run towards it. You take God at His Word and do what He says. "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."8
In the strength and power of God, you walk towards the fear and right through it because on the other side of that fear is your breakthrough, your greater, your appointment with destiny.
Promised Land
Kris Vallotton of Bethel Church says it this way, "On the other side of fear is your Promised Land." Vallotton goes on to say that of the 10 who went to spy out the Promised Land, eight came back afraid of giants in the land. Look back at the scriptures. They never encountered a giant in the Promised Land until Goliath during David's time. "They were afraid of an illusion. They saw what they feared," he said.
What are you afraid of? God is not worried about it. He sees you as a mighty person of valor, just like he did Gideon hiding out in the winepress.8 God sees beyond your circumstances to your destiny.
He's already got it prepared for you. Now, hand your fear to Him and just walk into your greater.
1 John 10:10 (MEV)
2 John 8:44 (MEV)
3 Numbers 14:1-3 (MEV)
4 Genesis 50:20 (MEV)
5 Matthew 19:26 (MEV)
6 2 Cor. 12:9 (MEV)
7 2 Cor. 12:10 (MEV)
8 Judges 6:11-12 (MEV)
2 John 8:44 (MEV)
3 Numbers 14:1-3 (MEV)
4 Genesis 50:20 (MEV)
5 Matthew 19:26 (MEV)
6 2 Cor. 12:9 (MEV)
7 2 Cor. 12:10 (MEV)
8 Judges 6:11-12 (MEV)
Teresa Shields Parker is a wife, mother, business owner, life group leader, speaker and author of Sweet Grace: How I Lost 250 Pounds and Stopped Trying to Earn God's Favor and Sweet Grace Study Guide: Practical Steps to Lose Weight and Overcome Sugar Addiction and Sweet Freedom. Get a free chapter of her memoir on her blog at Teresa Shields Parker.com. Connect with her there or on her Facebook page orTwitter. 
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