What Goes Around, Comes Around: Unfolding At Record Speed

In a recent article, I discussed the continuing deterioration of politics around the world, most notably within the United States and how new, greasy tactics of deceit and foul play have been adopted, changing the rules of the game forever.

This is truly saying a lot, considering the fact that for decades, the general public has been well aware of just how corrupt and dirty politics has become. 

But today's new normality makes the old way of doing business look like an opening act.

Just a few shorts weeks ago I pointed out how elements of the far left are pushing the Democratic party further and further towards a point of no return. They are forcing the party as a whole to adopt strategies that are utterly and completely changing the rules of the game.

This as I stated, is going to come at drastic cost to Western societies as a whole, as the civilities of old continue to be disintegrated.

Already, Republicans are beginning to fight back and use their own forms of "dirty" tactics. Proving my predication faster than even I would of estimated, increasing the risk of instability significantly.

On December 10th, we saw congress grill Google's CEO, Sundar Pichai, who has not been shy in the fact that Google, by and large has a predominately leftist leaning. 

A truly scary thought given the fact that they are considered the "custodians of truth" in today's modern age.

This hearing, although proving little, did put the CEO of Google on the national stage and gave a face to what many see as a faceless corporation. It also opened many's eyes to the reality that perhaps everything is not as it seems, and just maybe, bias does exist in the largest custodian of information that this world has ever seen.

In the past, I have highlighted the bias and corruption that is currently plaguing Silicon Valley elites, as they succumb to group think, showcasing how they can actively control what people are thinking, through manipulating search results, or simply by what they choose to promote.

Now today, we see Republicans once again ratcheting up their retaliation, targeting not only one of the left's biggest allies, but rather some of their key players.

Testifying in front of Congress, Tom Fitton of Judicial Watch, will be bringing forth a number of damning charges against both Bill and Hillary Clinton, as he claims to have numerous whistle blowers from within the Clinton Foundation, who state they have evidence of extreme corruption and illegal activities.

The Hill reports the following;

"Evidence was assembled by a private firm called MDA Analytics LLC, run by accomplished ex-federal criminal investigators, who alleged the Clinton Foundation engaged in illegal activities and may be liable for millions of dollars in delinquent taxes and penalties.

In addition to the IRS, the firm’s partners have had contact with prosecutors in the main Justice Department in Washington and FBI agents in Little Rock, Ark. And last week, a federal prosecutor suddenly asked for documents from their private investigation.

The 48-page submission, dated Aug. 11, 2017, supports its claims with 95 exhibits, including internal legal reviews that the foundation conducted on itself in 2008 and 2011.

Those reviews flagged serious concerns about legal compliance, improper commingling of personal and charity business and “quid pro quo” promises made to donors while Hillary Clinton was secretary of State."

If these allegations are proven truthful, Trump's justice department will have no choice but to act.

This, as I warned, is exactly what I thought would begin to happen moving into the future, as the Democratic party has adopted this personal targeting strategy as their own. 

Retaliation was undoubtedly going to follow, and already we are seeing that it is.

With the Democratic party recently threatening President Trump with jail time, after he leaves office, I believe they have opened up the flood gates and must now prepare themselves for an anything goes blood fest.

Trump knows that he is now fighting for his life, and unfortunately for the Democratic party, he still holds the upper hand, at least in the short term. 

They have backed him into a corner, and he has no choice but to use every tactic at his disposal.

Washington, as a whole is filled with shady dealings and cases of corruption, just waiting to have the curtain pulled back on them, exposing them to the public forever.

As I have previously stated, get ready for a brutally chaotic and yes, violent run up to the 2020 elections. 

It isn't 2019 yet, and already things are beginning to unfold even more rapidly than I could of predicted. Hold onto to your seats, things are going to get messy.

- As first seen on the Sprott Money Blog

Michael Pento: The Fed Will Pursue Radical Inflation Moving Forward

Money manager Michael Pento says things are going to get much worse from here. Pento explains, “They understand when the stock market goes down, consumption and the wealth effect crumble, and the economy is going to falter. 

So, they are going to have to pursue a radical inflation goal. ” So, what is going to happen to the price of gold and silver? 

Pento says, “When they do this and they (the Fed) have to change and go from draining its balance sheet and admit that they have permanently monetized $4.5 trillion of debt, and they will only be able to increase the size of their balance sheet and never be able to drain it and never be able to raise interest rates.

Gold and silver that has long been suffering are going to rip higher like they have never done before. Gold and silver and the mining shares are going to go like a rocket ship, higher.

If I was a poor guy or a rich guy who wanted to preserve his purchasing power, I would be buying physical gold and silver, and mostly gold.”

- Source, USA Watchdog

The Deep State Destroyed Chances Of Trade Deal With China, Stocks Tank As A Result

Somebody out there apparently does not want President Trump to make a trade deal with China. Just after U.S. and Chinese officials agreed to suspend the implementation of new tariffs for 90 days, one of China’s most important tech executives was literally kidnapped as she was changing planes in Canada. 

Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou was simply on her way to Mexico, but at the urging of U.S. authorities the Canadians grabbed her and are refusing to let her go. Reportedly, the plan is to extradite her to the United States where she will apparently face charges relating to Huawei’s evasion of U.S. sanctions against Iran. 

When Trump was negotiating face to face with the Chinese, he was not aware that this was taking place. So now all of Trump’s hard work is out the window, and our relations with the Chinese are probably the worst that they have been since the Korean War.

If U.S. authorities wanted to punish Huawei, they should have just slapped a big fine on them and have been done with it.

The Chinese would have been annoyed, but not that much damage would have been done.

But kidnapping a high profile member of Chinese tech loyalty and throwing her in prison is something that the Chinese will not forgive.

The Chinese are a deeply nationalistic people, and the kidnapping of Meng Wanzhou is being treated as a grave national insult in China. If the goal of the Deep State was to really upset the Chinese, they picked a perfect target. The following comes from Robert Wenzel…

“This is a really big deal. Ms. Meng is by birth and position a member of China’s corporate royalty,” David Mulroney, a former Canadian ambassador to China, is quoted by TGM as having said.

According to TGM, Meng, 46, who also goes by the name Sabrina, was appointed CFO of Huawei in 2011 and is also one of four deputy chairs. She appears to be being groomed for the top job at Shenzhen-based Huawei, which is now the world’s second-largest maker of telecommunications equipment.

Just imagine how Americans would feel if China kidnapped a high profile member of our tech royalty and multiply that outrage by about 10.

Until Meng Wanzhou is let go, there is not going to be any deal with China. Many Americans are not familiar with Huawei, but they are essentially China’s version of Apple or Microsoft. The following originally comes from CNN…

Huawei is one of the world’s biggest makers of smartphones and networking equipment. It is at the heart of China’s ambitions to reduce its reliance on foreign technology and become an innovation powerhouse in its own right.

The country is pumping hundreds of billions into its “Made in China 2025” plan, which aims to make China a global leader in industries such as robotics, electric cars and computer chips. The introduction of 5G wireless technology, which hinges on Huawei, is a top priority.

Meng Wanzhou is not just the CFO of the company. She is also the daughter of the founder of the company and she is considered to be a hero by millions of Chinese.

So what in the world is the Deep State thinking? Are we going to start regularly kidnapping individuals that work for foreign corporations that have somehow violated U.S. laws?

And should Americans expect the same treatment? How would you like it if your mother or daughter was kidnapped while changing planes in a foreign country because the company that she works for had committed some sort of violation?

I don’t want to make it sound like Huawei is perfectly innocent, because they aren’t. But this is a move that is not just going to ensure a nightmarish trade war with China. Ultimately, things could get a whole lot worse than that.

At this point, the Chinese have summoned the U.S. ambassador and have formally demanded Meng Wanzhou’s release…


The Chinese foreign ministry on Sunday summoned U.S. Ambassador to China Terry Branstad to protest the detention of a senior tech executive by the Canadian authorities “at the unreasonable behest of the United States.”

Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng demanded the release of Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Huawei Technologies, who is accused by U.S. officials of attempting to circumvent U.S. sanctions on Iran.

It would be wonderful if Meng Wanzhou was released, but it doesn’t look like that is going to happen.

So now our relationship with China is officially in the toilet, and this is one of the factors that could push stock prices much lower once again this week. In fact, as I write this article Dow futures are way down…


U.S. stock futures fell on Sunday night as traders feared an intensifying trade war between the United States and China.

Dow Jones Industrial Average futures dropped 197 points, implying a decline of 173.95 points at Monday’s open. S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 futures also declined. The losses would add to a steep decline from last week.

This current “correction” was supposed to be over by the time December rolled around, but instead stock prices accelerated their decline last week.

And many of those that work in financial circles are starting to use language that is much more pessimistic than we have become accustomed to seeing. Here is just one example…

“We’re very mindful once again where we’re at in the cycle,” Gregory Carmichael, chief executive of the Cincinnati-based lender Fifth Third, said at a conference last week. “We’re well positioned to deal with the downturn in the economy, and we’ll be very cautious.”

I don’t know what “well positioned to deal with the downturn in the economy” means exactly, but it sounds nice.

It frustrates me that so few people seem to understand the gravity of the situation that we are facing. Our stores are filled with cheap products that come from China and they own more than a trillion dollars of our national debt. The two largest economies in the entire world are decoupling from one another, and if the Chinese conclude that they are not able to salvage the relationship then they will rapidly become an exceedingly dangerous enemy.

This is a major turning point, and the kidnapping of Meng Wanzhou has put us on a road that doesn’t lead anywhere good. Hopefully things can rapidly be fixed, because if not, events are likely to start escalating quite dramatically.

- Source, Economic Collapse Blog

The Real Donald Trump Exposed... Who is He?

Gene Ho was the official campaign photographer for Donald J. Trump during Trump's two year run for the Presidency. Gene had total access and got a unique insiders look at the REAL Donald J. Trump. This is his story.

- Source, SGT Report

2020 Elections Forecast: Expect Extreme Violence and Chaos

The Democrats and the Republicans are both positioning themselves for the next leg of the race, in the never ending cycle of political jockeying.

This should come as no surprise, as the 2020 elections will be here before we know it and once again, people will be taking to the street, campaigning for their candidate of choice in what will most certainly go down as one of the most violent, vicious elections this world has ever seen.

The left, still has no clear message, and is being driven further and further towards what appears to the average person to be a deep state of insanity, or as others call it, Trump derangement syndrome.

Sadly, this move is being exasperated by the MSM media, who have fully cast off any regard for unbiased, real reporting. 

Declaring their full allegiance to the Democratic party, no matter the cost to their long term prosperity, they have gone "all in", alienating a large percentage of the population of the United States, who now view them as the "enemy" and will never trust them again.

The right on the other hand, have gone all in on Trump, who seemingly can do no wrong in their eyes, despite his many downfalls. 

They view him as the anti globalist candidate, who is taking a battering ram to the "old establishment", while at the same time, is being constantly dogged by the MSM and even members of his own party, known as "never Trumpers".

Despite being the President of the United States, this puts Trump in a unique position of opportunity for the upcoming 2020 elections, the position of "underdog".

Because of this fact, his base will feel sympathetic towards him and will not be complacent, as was the left during the 2018 elections. They will feel that the entire system is rigged against them and will put their full force into campaigning and voting for their President.

The left, will also not be complacent and I expect them to become increasingly more erratic and violent in the run up to the 2020 elections. 

They believe the never ending stream of propaganda spouted by the MSM, and will adopt extreme strategies to shut down opposing voices, some of whom will even come from their own more centrist base.

This is going to lead to massive clashes, as groups similar to both the Proud Boys on the right and ANTIFA on the left swell in size, leading to monstrous, bloody battles in the streets, resulting in high levels of damage to public property.

During this period of time, President Trump will call for calm, while at the same time, he will not fully condemn those he views as allies. 

The MSM will of course adopt the same tactic, condemning right wing elements, while at the same time taking a "soft gloves" approach to the bad actors on the left.

Meanwhile, those of us who consider ourselves centrist will be pressured to "pick" a side, as fear begins to escalate, some will do so, while others will resist, keeping a sound mind and shaking their head all the while.

This violence will make the recent gyrations seen in the broad markets, of which are growing increasingly more and more unstable with the almost daily escalating geopolitical uncertainty, look like child's play.

Sadly, this is not a forecast that I would like to make. But unfortunately as I stated many times in the past, things are going to get a lot worse, before they get better. 

Prepare accordingly and don't say you weren't warned. Chaos is coming.

- Source, as first seen on the Sprott Money Blog

Gold Will Rally 22% In 2019, It Will Outperform Everything

2019 will see the start of a new bull cycle for gold and push the metal up to $1,500 an ounce, said E.B. Tucker, director of Metalla Royalty & Streaming. 

“To make big money in this market, you have to see the cycles. Nothing changes. 

We’ve had three big cycles in gold since 2000 and we’re about to have another one,” Tucker told Kitco News. 

Tucker said that the next cycle peak could reach $1,900 an ounce, but that won’t happen next year. 

“We’re calling for $1,500 next year, that’s a 22% increase in the price of gold, it’ll be one of the best performing markets in a very, very volatile year for equities,” he said.

- Source, Kitco News

Richard Maybury: Surviving and Profiting from Internet Warfare

Richard Maybury discusses how we can protect ourselves against internet intrusions as individuals and governments seek to protect their sovereign rights.

- Source, Jay Taylor Media

Is General Electric Signaling That The Next Crisis In Corporate Bonds & Debt is Starting?

Jason talks about his research into GE and how there's a much larger problem in corporate bonds and corporate debt than just General Electric (GE).

- Source, Wall St for Main St

The Complete Disarray of US Politics: What Goes Around, Comes Around

As we have seen since President Trump took office, the Democratic party has used every trick in the book, attempting to bog down his administration and keep his party, which at the time, had a majority in both the House and the Senate, from achieving their goals. To a large degree this has worked, yet, not entirely.

Despite their best efforts, and the unprecedented amount of assistance that they have unarguably received from the Mainstream Media, the latter of which has forever exposed themselves as nothing more than partisan puppets, President Trump has pushed on and achieved many successes.

The fact that he has achieved anything at all, is truly stunning. Especially given the tidal wave of resistance that he receives on a daily basis, orchestrated by the DC establishment and the forces behind them.

Yet, even though the Democrats have been successful in many regards, and have bogged down the Republican Administration, this has not come without its cost, which in the future, the whole world is going to pay for.

You see, these tactics that have been adopted, which many classify as "dirty" or "disgusting", are a double edged sword, and as Senator Lindsey Graham recently pointed out, they are going to regret the day they ever chose to go this route.

Since taking office, President Trump has attempted to weather this storm as best as he could, taking a massive beating in the process and noticeably became more and more irritated as time went on.

I believe, he has finally come to his senses and the realization that he cannot and will not be able to work hand in hand with his opponents. 

This means that moving forward, you can expect to see a lot more of "campaign" Trump, as he turns away from the approach he has been taking and turns more into what got him elected. A free wheeling, sometimes apparently, loose cannon.

The straw that broke the camels back was the emboldening of the Democratic party, as they retook the House, a scenario that I and many others predicated would happen.

Since that day, there has been an ever increasing amount of calls from within the Democratic party to investigate Trump and his family on every level, using whatever tools are available to them.

This tactic, will not end well for the American people, and could possibly upset the entire apple cart, which is already incredibly precarious and unstable, as President Trump and the Republican party fight back in full force.

Indicating that he would do just this in a recent interview with The Post, he stated the following;

“If they go down the presidential harassment track, if they want go and harass the president and the administration, I think that would be the best thing that would happen to me. I’m a counter-puncher and I will hit them so hard they’d never been hit like that,”

Going on further, he explained during the interview that he has a number of "bombshell" reports that he is just waiting to declassify, reports that would be devastating to the Democratics and expose extreme corruption from within their party.

Whether or not this is a bluff, or not, is unknown, however given the level of corruption within DC, on both sides of the aisle, I would lean towards the side of caution and believe that there is most certainly some truth to his threats.

Democrats know this as well, and just the thought of being exposed for their many secrets and wrong doings, may just be enough to make them second guess themselves and wonder what "dirt" Trump has on them.

Remember, the powers that the President has to access classified information is vast and powerful. He still has and will have many tricks at his disposal and with a stroke of a pen, can inflict serious damage against his opponents.

Still, the true damage is not going to be felt in the short term, but rather in the long term, as I previously alluded to. The genie is out of the bottle and there is no going back.

Which is exactly why, now more than ever, it is important to be dollar cost averaging into both gold bullion and silver bullion, month after month, year after year, as the entire system could implode, if civility isn't restored.

To think for a moment that when the roles are reversed and the Democrats take power, that the Republicans will not behave in a similar manner as the left have moving forward, is foolish and irrational. They will.

Hopefully, just hopefully, sanity will be restored and rational minds will prevail, before it is too late and the entire system systematically destroys itself, from within. Wishful thinking, I know.

- As first seen on the Sprott Money Blog

Bill Holter: Mad Max World Possible as Unpayable Debt Bubble Pops

There is going to be a reset of this unpayable debt, and financial writer and precious metals expert Bill Holter contends, “It’s going to happen, and I hope for not a very long period of time. 

I am hoping it’s just a two week or four week event where the system goes down and goes back up. If I am wrong, then you are looking at a Mad Max world.

Basically, nothing works. Your electricity doesn’t work. Your car may or may not work. We may have an EMP or it will work until you run out of gas. 

When credit breaks down, then distribution breaks down. If credit doesn’t come back up, then distribution is gone. 

That means every Walmart, every grocery store is empty. Basically, you are on your own.” In closing, Holter warns, “The balloon has already been popped. 

The pin has popped the bubble, and now we are just going to work its way out. 

The workout, by the way, is going to be a complete and utter financial collapse. It is a house of cards, and it is all going to end up flat.”

- Source, USA Watchdog

Time Has Run Out for the Markets... Again

In this episode of the Keiser Report, Max and Stacy discuss the latest newsletter from the capitulated bull market bear, Albert Edwards, who says that, perhaps, too many were focused on the obvious risks (like Italy, China, Japan, etc.) and that, in fact, the smaller, less obvious financial risks like the United Kingdom will be the catalyst for the next global financial crisis. 

In the second half, Max interviews Dan Collins of TheChinaMoneyReport.com about ‘grey rhinos’ in the economy, the disastrous APEC meeting in Papua New Guinea and the 50 million empty homes in China.

- Source, RT

Metals Moving In Unison For a Massive Price Advance

As we continue to explore our custom research into the metals markets and our presumption that the metals markets are poised for a massive price rally over the next few months/years, we pick up this second part of our multi-part article illustrating our research work and conclusions. 

We left off in Part I showing a number of supply and demand components and briefly highlighting our newest research using a custom Gold/Silver/US Dollar ratio index. Our attempt at finding anything new that could help us determine the future outcome of the metals markets and to either support or deny our future expectations that the metals markets are poised for a massive price advance was at stake. This new research would either help to confirm our analysis or completely blow it out of the water with new data. Let’s continue where we left off and start by showing even more data related to our new custom metals ratio.

This Monthly chart showing our custom gold pricing ratio and the correlative price of Gold illustrates a number of key features. If you remember from Part I, the current ratio level (the Blue Area chart) is near the top of the Upper Boundary level (0.80 or higher). Whenever the ratio level enters this Upper Boundary level, it typically only stays there briefly before falling towards the Lower Boundary level. 

We’ve highlighted what we believe to be key elements of this type of ratio/price reaction. On the chart, below, we’ve highlighted every major ratio level decline from near the Upper Boundary level and the associated reaction to the price of Gold as well as the indicator reaction near the bottom of the chart. With each instance, we can clearly see that price advanced, in some cases dramatically, as the ratio level declined from the Upper Boundary towards the Lower Boundary. The biggest move occurred between 2002 and 2012 where two of these ratio rotations occurred.

Near the right edge of this chart, we can see that the ratio levels have already started to decline from recent peaks. We believe this could this be the start of a broader ratio level decrease that prompts a massive price rally in the metals markets. We believe this ratio swing could be accelerated by rotation and volatility within the US Dollar price and increased demand from Investors over the next 4~6 months.

Again, this Monthly chart paints a very big picture – planning many years in advance of this move. We believe this new metals market rally is setting up to be something that Gold traders have been thinking about for decades – a potential of Gold reaching $5000 or higher in a dramatic price rally that correlates with broader global market events. We don’t know what those events are at the moment, but we could certainly guess as to the nature of their origination.

Our research supports our opinion that the metals markets are dramatically underpriced in relation to global risk and potential future events. The only thing, in our opinion, that could prevent a new price rally from forming over the next 6+ months is a continued malaise in investor sentiment or continued strength in the US Dollar. If either of these two components continues for any length of time, the price of Gold and our custom ratio will likely continue to base near current levels or slightly lower.

Our expectation is that currency issues as well as rotation or some weakness in the US Dollar will likely prompt an impulse rally in Gold where prices rally above $1300 before April 2019 and form a price base for the rest of the expected rally. Once the conditions ripen within the market and investors begin to pile into the long gold trade, the ratio will reflect this move and demand from the investor side will drive prices higher with the expectation that some type of crisis event cycle is about to unfold.

This next Monthly Gold chart shows what we believe will be the initial impulse move higher (towards and above $1300) before the rally really starts to gain speed. A rotation above $1300 would establish a new price base near or above recent highs and start the accumulation by Investors – driving the demand side of the equation. This move would also push the ratio a bit lower in support of our expectations.

This Monthly Silver chart clearly shows the extended opportunity for skilled investors ahead of this move. We believe Silver is one of the most undervalued investments on the planet right now and that our analysis supports a longer-term view that Silver could reach the $40 to $50 level very quickly if the events we suspect are unfolding actually do unfold as we are suggesting. This would equate to a 280%+ swing in price before an even bigger move higher unfolds.

This Monthly Platinum chart shows the pricing pressures over the past 5+ years that have plagued the metals markets. If you were to take a look at the custom metals ratio chart near the top of this article, you would see that this pricing pressure is related to a number of key factors – most of which relate to lack of investor demand and lack of true price exploration (rotation of the ratio levels). 

In other words, price levels in the metals markets have been operating in a very narrow “void” or any real price rotation or exploration. We believe this environment is about to end and we believe the continued “price malaise” will end with a massive impulse move higher.

You can see from this chart we expect Platinum to rally to near $1150~1200 in the initial impulse move, then form a base before a further price advance.

- Source, Sprott Money

Moves Are Not Telegraphed, What Happens Next Will Change Everything

Obama's common core is a disaster for this country. Five Eyes are scrambling to stop the declas. Former CIA chief Michael Hayden has a stroke. Macron has a big problem on his hands the people are rioting. 

Khashoggi event was manufactured by the intelligence groups of many countries to push their agenda, their FF is now falling apart. It is being reported the rebels in Syria are using chemical weapons. 

Q has continually said that they will not telegraph their moves, POTUS never telegraphs his moves and disinformation is necessary.

- Source, X22 Report

Perpetual Surveillance: Your Smart City Knows More About You Than Your Mother Does

Dr. Oscar Gandy joins the commentary to discuss: TGI: Transactional-Generated Information - the fuel for AI control. 

Artificial Intelligence: “It’s time to come to terms with the machine” Dr. Oscar Gandy, Author of “The Panoptic Sort: A Political Economy Of Personal Information”: Functioning in a completely monitored environment.

- Source, Golden Rule Radio

Bitcoin, One Year After the Historic Bubble

We are rapidly approaching the one year anniversary of Bitcoins all time, mind blowing, historic high of $19,140.70 USD that occurred on December 19th 2017.

Just as predicted, the price of Bitcoin has suffered a staggering, absolute collapse in price since that period of time, falling to a low of $4,246.31, just a few short days ago.

As of today's writing, Bitcoin has tested its low multiple times, perhaps foreshadowing a move higher as the crypto bulls attempt to rally higher into the close of the year.

Sadly, for many, this is a time period of abysmal reflection, as there were countless examples of perma bulls making irrational calls during this time period last year, some even going as far as to put their money where their mouth was, selling everything they owned and doubling down on the crypto bull market rally.

Unfortunately, the hype has died and so too has many of these people's dreams of "making it rich quick", as they learned the harsh lesson that has been repeated time and time again throughout financial history. Nothing goes up forever.

For those who think for a moment that I am a "Bitcoin", or crypto hater, quite the contrary, I was there early, participating in the Bitcoin economy when it was young, partaking in the movement on Bitcoin Talk, the central hub for the crypto sphere. I was there when it was a true community.

The alarms bells started ringing for me as I noticed the continued deterioration of the Bitcoin community, as it was rapidly and steadily devoured by the "HODLERS".

These "perma" holders of Bitcoin rapidly destroyed the foundation of Bitcoin, as the economy that surrounded Bitcoin and other crypto currencies was rapidly destroyed, eroding the foundation that led to the historic moves higher.

I watched as long term supporters of Bitcoin, many of whom were staples of the community began to leave in droves, either cashing out, or throwing their hands up in frustration as they watched what once was a thriving alternative currency, devolve into a "get rich quick scheme".

A madness then erupted, that put the "Tulip Mania" to shame, as the MSM media and a swarm of ill informed "investors" began to draw an ever increasing amount of attention to the crypto marketplace, many of whom claimed "it could never go down".

People who couldn't even pronounce Bitcoin began to discuss its daily movements, and it was the hottest "cooler talk" at many workplaces.

To any contrarian based investor, this was like a flashing red light, and blaring siren going off all at once. The writing was on the wall, and this massive bubble was about to explode, wiping out thousands of lemmings in the process. 

The rest is history.

Fortunately, Bitcoin has survived and is still here, with many positive indications on the horizon, even as it continues to trend lower in the short term. 

Hope remains for those who still wish to see it, and the community that once surrounded it, return to prosperity, hopefully avoiding some of the mistakes of the past.

As the year rapidly approaches a close, take a moment to reflect, think of the current stock market rally and the gyrations that it has been experiencing as of recently, and remember this. Nothing, absolutely nothing goes up forever. Prepare accordingly.

- Source, As first seen on the Sprott Money Blog