Here are the latest items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. We also cover hedges, derivatives, and obscura. And it bears mention that most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of JWR. (SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor.) Today’s focus is on Collectible Knives. (See the Tangibles Investing section, near the end of this column.)
Precious Metals:
Ira Epstein’s Precious Metals Video: Dec-27-2017. JWR’s Comment: As I’ve mentioned before, I’m not a chartist, but I always find something of interest in Ira’s videos.
Stock Markets:
London stock market hits record high but bitcoin wobbles – as it happened
Charitable Giving
Since we are rapidly approaching New Year’s Eve, a lot of folks are thinking about charitable giving. One fully tax-deductible charity that I have personally endorsed for more than seven years is Anchor Of Hope Charities. They support 110 rural schools in rural Zambia. Most of these are for orphans. They do a great service, and their overhead costs are negligible. One interesting aspect of their ministry is that they encourage the schools to plant large scale gardens and row crops, so that they can become self-sufficient. That fits in nicely with the “teach a man to fish” philosophy. Please consider supporting this Godly ministry.
Cryptocurrencies:
In a recent interview with Owen Shroyer on Infowars, I was quizzed about my predictions for Bitcoin and the other cryptocurrencies. (You can start at the 7:22 mark on the YouTube clip.) I went out on a limb and said that Bitcoin might touch $50,000 in the next two years. And I also predicted great volatility with all of the cryptos, and urged their listeners to keep their cryptocurrency holdings small (as a percentage of their net worth.) I stressed: Be ready for some wild gyrations in valuations. The day-to-day price swings could be enormous. When that happens, having a diverse portfolio of at least three cryptos) will be your best protection. I also mentioned that there is increasing risk of larcenous hacker attacks on the the crypto exchanges, and even schemes to identify individual passphrases. After all, we do live in the Age of Envy–and envy often leads to larceny. If Bitcoin goes north of $30,000, then there will be plenty of envy among hackers who will feel vengeful about not getting in to Bitcoin early enough. Count on it.
Tangibles Investing (Collectible Knives):
One good hedge on inflation is investing in collectible knives. As with other tangible investments, you need to research the market before you buy, and limit your buying to top quality items that will not just hold their value, but appreciate in value. It all comes down to finding knives of true quality, with long term buyer appeal. Do not buy the widely-marketed commemerative issue knives. And do not buy cheap knives from China. Rather, concentrate on hand-made knives from both well-known makers, and up-and-coming makers that you find in your research. It might be worth the time to attend a few knife shows, and a subscribe to Blade magazine.
Provisos:
SurvivalBlog and its Editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. So please see our Provisos page for our detailed disclaimers.
News Tips:
Please send your economics and investing news tips to JWR. (Either via e-mail of via our Contact form.) These are often especially relevant, because they come from folks who particularly watch individual markets. And due to their diligence and focus, we benefit from fresh “on target” investing news. We often “get the scoop” on economic and investing news that is probably ignored (or reported late) by mainstream American news outlets. Thanks!
To the reader looking for auto tracking. It depends in cell coverage at the location. The cheap ones on ebay use 2 g cell service which is being phased out in US. You will need a sim card. What you want is a paygo plan with low monthly charge 5$. You pay for each message sent. Device can plug into OBCD port for power. You can set a geofence or motion alert and get an SMS when trigger d.
One crypto to keep an eye on is Ripple (XRP) it’s moved from $0.20 to $1.87 in a few months is currently the third largest market cap crypto out there. It has actual real world use for transactions and expected to be adopted world wide. Might be worth researching and picking some up while it’s still “cheap”.
Re: Bitcoin.
Do you really trust that Bitcoin isn’t being manipulated by the government?
Even if it isn’t, each transaction with it is a taxable event, and if you don’t keep track of every coin and it’s history, you could be looking at criminal tax evasion charges.
I think they’re letting it boil up before completely regulating it’s purchase and use to the point of the dollar. At that point, the value crashes, but you still have to pay taxes on every movement your bitcoin has made.
My brother is investing in the various crypto currencies and I’m willing to bet that he has not considered the various tax obligations of same. I’ll refer him to this comment. Thanks.
General Economics Comment – One of the most practical books I’ve read was “The Richest Man in Babylon”. It preaches presonal responsibility and how to achieve economic independence. You can download a free pdf copy from my web site, find it here at:
http://www.filetaxesintheusa.com/uploads/the_richest_man_in_babylon_1_.pdf
Wishing everyone a Blessed New Year!
Hi Jim,
With all due respect, I personally know persons who are invested in Bitcoin without making any basic prepping arrangements.
I would hope that you aggree that before “Bitcoin” , that getting Farmable Land should be stressed.
Blessed New Year!
I first heard of Anchor of Hope Charities here on Survival blog about three years ago and began donating to them. I have been impressed at the personal communications by their founder Judy. She always sends me a personal note of thanks along with a picture of some of the children she helps there in Zambia and her plans for future projects. I truly believe that this is a very worthwhile charity and by donating to them you can be assured your money will be spent wisely and do much good.