by argentus maximus, TF Metals Report:

I listened to Craig in his pretty unique podcast of this Independence Day weekend, ( TFMR Podcast – Friday, June 30 ) and I totally appreciate his honesty and candour, and value that. Not many business owners have the chutzpah to openly discuss their difficulties with clients. It indicates humanity, honesty, ability to talk about difficulties and what is being done about them, during the process. And trust in their clients, which can only be built up incrementally over time. Weaker individuals wait until afterwards before saying anything that might show less than an invincible public image, if they ever dare say it.

I think that Turd isn’t doing anything “wrong” when a decline of subscribers becomes visible, though I am sure a lot of soul searching goes into it, because business is important.Seafarers have to sail through storms to get to the other side, that’s all. Unfortunately this is simply the bear grinding out the bullish element to incentivise the move of assets away from weaker individuals and over into the “right hands”. After the property is owned by “the right pockets” it will rise in price. It has always been so since capital could be used in a weaponized way, which was of course the end of capitalism there and then … a longer time ago, I believe, than many people think.

And when Turd requests that conversation about crypto currencies be kept to certain places (on this site) instead of all over the site he strives against the proponents of a competing asset to precious metals, and precious metals interested groups. Think about all this in terms of the effect that defeatist talk during an ongoing war time situation has upon morale, and how that morale has it’s own effect upon the outcome of the war itself for those who were making the defeatist conversations.

So why that interest in digi-FX? Well for one it’s a technological new thing with all the mysterious possibilities that new products seem to offer. And for another thing it appears to be a way out of precious metals for those who can’t take the heat for the duration required, and who want an alternative asset which appears to be a hard asset. Saving face while walking out the door in other words. For some, not all of course. Everybody’s different, but groups do form from individuals, right?

Another use of my “this is a financial war ” metaphor: there are many kinds of wars. For instance there might be a pitched battle, or, a running battle with skirmishes along the trail, or, there might be a guerrilla war with skirmishes at unpredictable locations. But whichever type it is, all occurs in a complex timed sequence where timing reflects dynamics of preparation and transport to the location of the following skirmish. Like acted out civilian attacks require preparation, as do real ones. We understand the need of hidden parties to prepare and gather resources, no matter which side they are on.

Well, in financial markets, there is no requirement on us to fight a pitched battle and lose to a bigger opponent. We can always get stopped out of a loss making trade, and then stand aside until it all pauses again. We have no mission, in a trade, other than to benefit from it. This can be compared to Turd’s relationship with the part of his TFMR member investors who have not yet learned this, and who become emotionally despondent when the price goes down. They look to him for guidance, motivation, and by implication, resilience.

But when you begin to look at it this way, you realize that the market is a funny mix of war styles. If I stop myself out of a purchase, and stop being long because it’s going down at that moment, I can go short, switching sides, or I can stand aside and wait for a better opportunity to go long, short, or stand aside again.

Here’s the big difference: While I stand aside, other people go in and duke it out with big brother. So the big pitched battle still goes on. It still happens, even though I choose to be a guerrilla and come back later when the odds favour me more than right here right now. And in the meantime I get to listen to the pain and screams of those out there in that big pitched battle. That affects me because I was out there, and I will go out there again, and I have to not let that change me. Their pain must not alter what I do. If the survivors of the pitched battle come away bloody and hurting and decide to go fight a different foe next time, I must not follow them as they journey towards what may become their next big mistake. I don’t want their recent track record to become mine.

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