Dec. 30, 2016Featured GuestsDr. Chris Martenson & Bob Hoye   Show HighlightsGoldseek.com begins the 12th consecutive year on the digital airwaves with Bob Hoye, of Institutional Advisors. US equities have reached frothy levels during the end-of-year rally making a correction likely in the New Year. Our guest suggests that a Long-Credit Contraction is inevitable amid a post-bubble period where the senior currency, i.e., US Dollar should remain strong. The gold / dollar ratio suggests that the bull market is merely dormant and will likely resume the uptrend in 2017. Bob Hoye's technical indicators are setting up for a buying opportunity in the PMs mining sector. The President-elect chose a gold aficionado, Congressman Mick Mulvaney from S.C. as the new Budget Director. Dr. Martenson from PeakProsperity.com outlines the factors sending the crude oil market skyward.Reports indicate that OPEC members agreed with non-OPEC nations to curtail output. The guest / host concur that $55 crude oil is a bargain - a more responsible valuation remains $70 per barrel. Demand continues to soar in the US / China, for instance the US consumers 18 million barrels per day. In Venezuela, inflation is approaching 500% as the 100 Bolivar note drops to two US cents - officials removed the currency denomination from circulation.The new 20,000 Bolivar note is worth only $4. The border with Columbia was closed to stem the flow of money out of the nation. The official cover story involves thwarting counterfeiting and smuggling - in reality, runaway inflation has relegated the denominations to near worthless. Gold demand from the two largest national consumers ground to a virtual halt at precisely the peak festival seasons, in both India as well as China. The US Fed's balance sheet remains static at $4.5 trillion - it appears to be a holding pattern ahead of imminent QE to maintain the ailing domestic edifice. Our guest suggests that an economic collapse is likely, beginning first with deflation that results in waves of new QE, culminating in runaway prices. Another challenge facing domestic workers involves the rapid evolution of automated robotics / A.I. that is displacing workers at a rapid clip. New estimates indicate that millions of delivery / transportation jobs could evaporate as robot transportation becomes widely accepted within 5-7 years.The process is inevitable due to the exponential improvement productivity stemming from automated workers. Automation comes with a hefty price tag of reduced incomes and lower consumer confidence levels. An unspoken policy of financial repression worldwide appears to be gaining momentum - the PMs remain the de facto means to escape the trap. Show HostChris Waltzek Ph.D.