I don't think sales are slow at all. Especially material that sells for over 5,000 usd. Matt Morgan ---------------------- Matt Morgan Mile High Meteorites http://www.mhmeteorites.com P.O. Box 151293 Lakewood, CO 80215 USA
-----Original Message----- From: "Rob Matson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Tue, 8 Apr 2008 10:16:28 To:"Meteorite List" <meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com> Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Effect of fall of dollar against Euro/ dirham's At least at the present time, the U.S. drives the meteorite market, which is why sales are slow. From a collecting standpoint, meteorites are and have always been a luxury item. Despite their rarity and scientific value, they do not have the liquidity of other commodities, so they cannot be used as a reliable hedge against inflation. (Wouldn't it be interesting if there was a futures market for meteorites? That would add some price stability.) If I was a dealer that depended on sales for my livelihood, I might consider making advertising inroads into emerging markets -- specifically China. Effective marketing there is likely to be quite different from that which works for Western consumers. Dave and Michael both mentioned the rise in the U.S. national debt which certainly has a negative effect on the purchasing power of the dollar. (As a humorous aside, I'm reminded of Saturday Night Live's Dennis Miller once asking, "Who do we owe this debt to? I say, 'let's just not pay it.' What are they going to do?" As for oil/gasoline, the real price is no higher than it was in the 1970s. Frankly, I don't quite understand how gasoline isn't over $6/gallon when you consider the comparative cost of a barrel of oil today (over $100) vs. say five years ago (less than $30). Dave wrote: "I think big oil is probably a good business to invest in at the moment...", to which I would say it's probably better than meteorites! But the truth is, anyone who owns mutual funds is already invested in oil. That's not to say you wouldn't want to press your position (I have been). As for the outcome of the fall elections having an impact on oil prices, I'd say it will be minimal. Oil is a global commodity whose price is fixed largely by demand, not U.S. politics. Cheers, Rob ______________________________________________ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list ______________________________________________ http://www.meteoritecentral.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
