Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. In this column, JWR also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. This column emphasizes JWR’s “tangibles heavy” investing strategy and contrarian perspective. Today, we look at the slowdown in house construction. (See the Economy & Finance section.)
Precious Metals:
At Gold-Eagle.com: Only a Retail Gold Standard Could Dethrone the Dollar.
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Is the world on the cusp of Bretton Woods 3.0, 52 years after Nixon closed the gold window?
Economy & Finance:
Linked over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site: US Building Permits Stagnant In July As Mortgage Rates Top 7%.
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An interesting piece about private credit: Post-SVB crisis, this debt market juggernaut is poised to grow even more.
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Michael ‘The Big Short’ Burry Just Bet 90% of His Portfolio That the Stock Market Is About to Crash.
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‘China’s Blackstone’ Misses Payments, Faces Government Scrutiny.
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Saxo: Global Market Quick Take: Asia – August 16, 2023.
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Bond traders prepare to brave ‘painful’ yield curve bets as rate hikes slow.
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World Bank: Pacific Economic Update – Recovering in the Midst of Uncertainty, August 2023.
Commodities:
Germany Sees Natural Gas Prices Remaining High For Years.
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Have US corn, soy yields already marked their lows for 2023? – Braun
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Aluminum market is creaking as traders brace for excess stocks.
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Graphite Is The Big Winner In A Multi-Trillion Dollar EV Boom.
Inflation/Deflation Watch:
Gas and Diesel Prices Rise Again.
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Inflation has been defeated – but is deflation coming?
Forex & Cryptos:
Over at Zero Hedge: Russia Hikes Rates To 12% In Emergency Move To Halt Rouble’s Collapse.
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The minutes of the FOMC meeting on August 16, 2023 show that the Federal Reserve banking cartel will probably continue to raise interest rates. JWR’s Comment: Another increase of 75 basis points will likely be the death knell of the residential real estate market boom. But meanwhile, the U.S. Dollar should strengthen, as it attracts foreign investors. This change could also weaken precious metals, in Dollar terms. Plan and invest accordingly.
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‘BRICS bank’ issues first South African rand bonds.
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At Daily News Egypt: BRICS 2023 summit to challenge Western dominance, US dollar, says South Centre chief.
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BRICS summit, economic shift: Exploring a new currency and possible de-dollarization.
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The State of Global Crypto Regulations.
Tangibles Investing:
At Old Cars: Trends in Collecting 2023. Trucks, imports, Caddy convertibles and muscle remain hot.
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Knight Frank: Art Leads 2023 Luxury Investment Index. (August 8, 2023 update.)
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Analysis: Where is the Bottom of the Gun Market?
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. Thanks!