Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. We also cover hedges, derivatives, and obscura. Most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor, JWR. Today, we look at America’s aging cars and trucks. (See the Tangibles Investing section.)

Precious Metals:

Gold and silver both dipped on Wednesday and Thursday (June 16-17, 2021) as traders responded to Fed Chairman Jerome Powell’s remarks. Gold’s 4% dip marks a good buying opportunity.  In percentage terms, silver has dipped more than gold. But I expect that to correct in the next few days, bringing the ratio back under 67-to-1.

In September, 2018, when the silver-to-gold price ratio was 82-to-1, I wrote:

“Again, I recommend that folks seriously consider doing some ratio trading. The approach should be much like the oft-quoted “buy low, sell high” mantra. In the case of commodities ratios, we should say:  ‘Ratio trade whenever ratios reach extremes.’ After all, reversion to the norm happens more often than not.”

And then in August, 2020, I wrote:

“The silver-to-gold ratio is now at 70.73-to-1. It will likely get back below 50-to-1 fairly soon.”

As I predicted, the silver-to-gold ratio is still slipping, but not as quickly as I anticipated. As of the day that I’m writing this, (June 17, 2021) gold is at $1,778.40 per ounce, and silver is at $27.71 per ounce. That makes the ratio 68.19-to-1. But, again, I expect to soon see the ratio back under 67-to-1.

I stand by my long-term prediction. I’ll still be buying silver rather than gold until the ratio is south of 40-to-1.

Economy & Finance:

Can’t find chicken wings, diapers, or a new car? Here’s a list of all the shortages hitting the reopening economy.

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At Zero Hedge: Bank of America: Everyone Knows The Fed Will Stop Tapering As Soon As The S&P Drops 10%.

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New Zealand houseplant sells for $19,200 in online bidding war.

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And at Wolf Street: Third Publicly Traded Mall REIT Files for Bankruptcy in 8 Months: Washington Prime Group, the Simon Property Spinoff.

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And over at Credit Bubble Bulletin: Weekly Commentary: Historic Monetary Inflation: Q1 2021.

Commodities:

Rare earth oxide prices drop as China loosens production quotas.

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Copper Prices Are Going Nowhere. What That Means for Stocks.

Inflation Watch:

Another Jump in Prices Tightens the Squeeze on U.S. Consumers.

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I found this at Whatfinger News: Inflation’s Here, Getting Worse, And Could Last Longer Than COVID-19 Pandemic.

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Used Car And Truck Prices Are Fueling A Dramatic Rise In Inflation.

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Inflation is like ‘cocaine addiction’, the Fed is hooked and wants more – E.B. Tucker

Forex & Cryptos:

 

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Zimbabwe prices spiral after businesses told to stop pricing in dollars.

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Tesla only sold ~10%” of its Bitcoin Holdings: Musk Speaks, Bitcoin Moves. But it Takes Two to Tango.

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U.S Government to unveil Crypto nemesis before end of July.

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Bitcoin’s Biggest Corporate Backer Expects $285 Million Loss After Crypto Crash—But Wants To Raise $400 Million In Debt To Buy More.

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Jameson Lopp: Tor-Only Bitcoin & Lightning Guide

Tangibles Investing:

In The Wall Street Journal: Americans Are Keeping Their Cars Longer, as Vehicle Age Hits 12 Years.

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Dealerships continue to battle empty car lots due to chip shortage.

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Thor Industries Now Has $14 Billion Order Backlog Amid Booming Demand For RVs.

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Meanwhile, in Canada: Weekend Reading: Bidding War Insanity Edition.

Provisos:

SurvivalBlog and its Editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. 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 or via our Contact form.) These are often especially relevant because they come from folks who closely watch specific markets. If you spot any news that would be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers, then please send it in. News items from local news outlets that are missed by the news wire services are especially appreciated. And it need not be only about commodities and precious metals. Thanks!