http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Today-Marks-40th-Anniversary-wscheats-1950132810.htmlSome interesting tidbits:
As is well known now, though the dollar bought roughly 1/35th of an ounce of gold in 1971, today it buys less than 1/1750th. It gets interesting, however, when we notice just how little some things have changed in the last forty years.
Indeed, as Brookes calculated in his essential book The Economy In Mind, In 1970 an ounce of gold ($35) would buy 15 barrels of OPEC oil ($2.30/bbl). In May 1981 an ounce of gold ($480) still bought 15 barrels of Saudi oil ($32/bbl). Fast forward to the present, and an ounce of gold ($1750) buys roughly 20 barrels of oil ($85), but given the historical reversion to a 1/15 gold/oil ratio, its not a reach to suggest that oil is due for a spike upward to roughly $116/bbl assuming gold remains where it is.
Thoughts, comments, debate on some of the points in the article? I found it interesting how closely 'oil' follows 'gold'...
Cheers,
Kermee