Reference the "Andyworld" and "Andynomics" threads. It doesn's take Alan Greenspan to figure this out. Either:

A. They are ignorant of the "Buy Low Sell High rule" and think "something is different" this time.

B. They are shills for Wall Street.

C. They are ignorant shills.

Which is it?

-- Help me out here (@ .), March 20, 2000

Answers

Do you know how many Tinfoil stooges that have called me a "shill" over the last year and a half? First I was a Clinton shill, then an FAA shill, big bid'ness shill, guvmint shill, TPTB shill, NWO shill and now I am a Wall Street shill!

Given all of this "shilling" that I was suppose to have done, you'd think I'd be a richer man than I am...

p.s. - gold may very well be priced well at this time - and then again it may not. How many times have we heard on these forums that gold was supposed to be at $5K an ounce by now? Now who's shilling...

-- Y2K Pro (y2kpro1@hotmail.com), March 20, 2000.

I think the best answer is:

D. Decker has pointed out the actual performance of stocks, bearx, and gold, between the time Andy made his recommendations and the present. Bottom line: If you'd followed Andy's advice, you'd have lost your shirt.

So far, I haven't seen ANY recommendations made by Decker as to where you should put your own money, and quite a few times when Decker has pointed out that he's made none.

If you think it's wise today to sell stocks to buy gold, by all means help yourself. Nobody will call you a shill if you're right, but someone just *might* track your performance, for the record.

-- Flint (flintc@mindspring.com), March 20, 2000.

Ignorant shills? The only shills I've seen on financial threads here are GOLD shills, always trying to hype any event that might make gold rise so they can unload their unwise purchases. Given the price of gold over the past twenty years, ignorant apparently applies also.

It always hurts when you've made the wrong investment decision. Like it or not, bubble.com or not, the stock market has been a good investment over the past twenty years and gold hasn't.

-- Jim Cooke (JJCooke@yahoo.com), March 20, 2000.

"a," (or clone)

I've heard the claptrap about gold buying "opportunities" since the bubble popped back in the early 80s. Oh, and I shouldn't forget the rubbish about the secret international cabal intentionally depressing gold prices. (laughter)

I am simply reporting the results of Andy's silly investment advice. If anyone actually took his guidance, they lost money on Prudent Bear shares (on margin) while accumulating consumer debt. If they bought gold, they have yet to earn enough to cover the transaction costs.

Let me explain why I have little interest in gold. It is an unproductive asset. When I buy stock, I purchase a share of a profit making venture. When I buy land, I have a place to live and to use for a wide range of activities. When I buy bonds, I earn interest.

Gold just sits there... a lump of yellow metal.

Will buyers in the future pay wild premiums for this yellow metal? I don't know. What I do know is that gold will sit there doing absolutely nothing. If you want to bet on a supply contraction or demand explosion... feel free. Just remember, the only way anyone has made money on gold during the last 20 years is to collect the steep transaction fees. If you want to talk about shills, how about those folks who helped fan the FUD fires pre-rollover... and took the commissions on the sales of gold?

By the way, your comment about stock brokers makes no sense. Brokers have nothing to do with stock prices... they are simply agents in the transaction of equities. And most of the civilized world has moved to discount brokers and/or e-trading.

-- Ken Decker (kcdecker@worldnet.att.net), March 20, 2000.

So far, I haven't seen ANY recommendations made by Decker as to where you should put your own money, and quite a few times when Decker has pointed out that he's made none.

I suppose you've forgotton, Flint, that Decker seriously reduced his stock portfolio by April of 1999, and that Decker likes T-bills.

-- I remember (these@discussions.well), March 21, 2000.

I'll help you out there friend. It's because Y2KPro is just an asshole, plain and simple. That's all he/she/it knows how to do, and has never once said a kind word to anyone on the internet, or probably anyone in it's life. Decker is an arrogant snob, a mr. know-it-all, who is so full of himself that he doesn't even hear what other people say. Just keep that in mind, and you'll understand why they say the things they do.

-- Hawk (flyin@high.again), March 21, 2000.

Hey Hawk!

Nice to hear from you again. I take it you're angry that you were one of the rubes that bought gold on Andy's advice? I also assume you're now having trouble making your monthly trailer payments?

If your short of cash, maybe you should consider selling one of your aircraft "investigation" stories to the National Enquirer or the Globe - they're always looking for the fresh crackpot angle. You could also tell them that Y2K is still a big problem only it's being covered up by TPTB - or was it the Bildebergers - I can never get it straight.

Anyway, I'm sure one of your many "theories" about the world would make attractive and lucrative fodder. So don't despair, I'm sure all that gold you purchased will appreciate in value - one day...

-- Y2K Pro (y2kpro1@hotmail.com), March 21, 2000.

Oh, and I supposed if I jumped off a cliff... (laughter).

Writing about my personal investment decisions is far different than handing out investment advice like young Andy. And yes, last spring I had made enough money on a few speculative investments to relax the rest of the year in T Bills. Just after the uneventful rollover, I purchased a nice block of a badly abused blue chip. It's up about 40% as we speak. Of course, it's just "fiat money..." (laughter)

As for you, "Hawk," I have no problem hearing what other people say. I just generally don't respond to the particularly foolish... which is why we don't talk more often.

-- Ken Decker (kcdecker@worldnet.att.net), March 21, 2000.