SANTELLI: 'I Don't Even Look At Gold As Gold Anymore'

Now that gold isn't doing so hot, it sounds as though Rick Santelli thinks the whole game is rigged.

Santelli, who traded gold since 1979, says those investing in gold ETFs are going to end up with checks from ETFs rather than physical gold.

His quote from CNBC:

"I don't even look at gold as gold anymore. Gold is just another piece of paper.

Listen, if things go badly in the world that I used to observe as a gold bug, the gold would end up in the hands of the gold bugs. If things go badly now, they're going to end up with checks from ETFs.

Sorry, it's not the same. The reign of gold is the Ayn Rand end product. To me, that's over. Game, set, match."

It seems that he's suggesting this is causing distortions in the market for gold.

In an interview with Santelli last month, trader Frank Lesh said the prevalence of ETFs has attracted people that wouldn't normally be trading gold. At the time, Santelli said:

"If you trade in paper, the notion of many who trade gold — the Ayn Randers — if the financial world comes to an end, they're going to have the gold. If you're playing in ETFs, you're going to have a piece of paper. So it takes away some of what I perceive are the driving forces behind the run-up in the early stages after the crisis."

Watch the video here:

(Via ZeroHedge)