Visualisation of all the World’s Money

Seeing is believing, in some cases. When the scale of certain matters is so extraordinary it helps to visualise its relative proportionality.

This is the purpose of the following site, please view this page showing what makes up the entire global Money supply and where it is invested….

The following points strike me about these fascinating illustrations;

• As far as verifiable facts and accepted knowledge are concerned, some of the points given are true. Yet, these two ‘facts’ which I am aware of seem to suggest that not everything is shown on this site subject to the information not being in the public domain.

Consider the largest companies, all US giants, which are all listed/publicly traded  and therefore the value can be determined via reference to an active market. Yet currently global investors are anticipating the listing of the Arab state-owned oil behemoth of Saudi Aramco, which is expected to eclipse all other company valuations, being estimated as a $2 Trillion company, such a corporation is not featured because it is not publically traded – are there other non public entities that are similar, not mentioned, giving a distorted, inaccurate picture of reality? This fact can only be true when looking at public domain based knowledge.

• On a similar note, the wealth given of the richest individuals does not mention the extraordinary level of wealth known to be in the hands of certain family members of the Rothschild’s, for example. Some have reckoned this to be in the region of trillions of dollars…but again, this is not publicly known information
• Physical notes and coins are estimated to be 8% of total money stock….slightly higher than other estimates I have read which are closer to 3%
• The global Gold supply is estimated at approximately over $7 trillion, which compares favourably with the estimated value of global currency held in notes and coins…therefore physical money can almost entirely be backed by Gold, however the issue is more to do with a broader definition is money which is shown later in the graphic as approximately $90 trillion, yet this is dwarfed by the amount of global debt in the world – over $200 trillion
• Almost 50% of residential asset values are associated with only 16% of the global population, all in Europe and USA.
• “No one really knows the exact size of the market” in reference to the size of the derivative markets.
• The quote by Warren Buffet is remarkably telling…someone known to invest in a very traditional way – get to know the company and buy equity in it – pretty much stays away from large investments in derivatives, although as a hedging mechanism, he may well use them perhaps?
• Finally, it is an interesting link which is referenced by Jeff Greene, that derivatives are in existence due to debt, and presumably the hedging thereof, although this hasn’t stopped them from being highly traded for speculation and profit methinks…something to explore further

Derivatives: Colonising the Future

Consider this post in reference to the concept of derivatives.

I feel that if anyone wants to attempt any critique of the derivatives market in its entirety, one has to move past any continued emphasis on ‘casino capitalism’, as this is an oft repeated line which, whatever its merits or otherwise, has become an easy reply for those who favour such practices.

I believe one needs to concentrate on debunking the notion of risk management in order to effectively retort.

Many supporters of derivatives would rightly point to their use is not just to speculate with (as in Investment Banking), but as a valid means to manage risk, especially in Insurance, and it is this aspect which deserves further attention in my humble opinion

The above linked post brilliantly draws together the notion of colonising time as an integral commodity, matching any such physical asset, thereby shinning a much needed light on the important and neglected aspects of this discourse of, post colonialism and global racial financialisation.