"Fiat is a fraud. Look, I started my career in 1981, the Mexican Peso was 20 to $1. Today we are at 20,000 to 1.

And that is in Mexico, but if we look at Venezuela, Argentina or Zimbabwe, the numbers lose all proportions."

Those are the ominous words of Ricardo Salinas Pliego - Mexico's third richest man - in a recent interview in which he called the dollar "a joke":

"The fiat fraud is inherent to the fiat system and we can see it today in USA. Monetary issuance went to the moon, you understand? The dollar as hard money is a joke."