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, a look at the precious metals bull market and some conflicting predictions for the equities markets.
Precious Metals:
The bull market continues! Gold just hit another all-time high, in terms of US Dollars. Spot prices, as of Wednesday morning:
Not that the silver-to-gold ratio is at 88.35-to-1.So this is another good juncture to ratio trade some of your physical gold or ETF gold into physical silver. And it is not too late to hedge into some platinum, because it is still undervalued vis-a-vis gold. In the event of a Third World War, the price of platinum will almost surely be higher than the price of gold.- JWR
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A piece by Dave Kranzler, over at Gold-Eagle.com: Gold Market Stress More About A Shortage Of Deliverable Gold Than Tariffs.
Economy & Finance:
A Reuters report: Morgan Stanley revises Fed rate cut forecast amid tariff uncertainty.
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Martin W. Armstrong: Trump Tariffs – The Art of the Deal.
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At Zero Hedge: World Bank Forecasts Economic Slowdown In The Caucasus And Central Asia.
Commodities:
CBS News: As bird flu ravages poultry industry, the damage spreads.
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US Cattle Herd Continues To Drop: ‘New Record Low’.
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WTI Extends Losses After Biggest Crude Inventory Build In A Year.
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Commodity prices up as precious metals, risecoffee in January.
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From OilPrice News: Here’s Why Oil Prices Could Go Higher in the Short Term.
Equities:
Hedge funds’ massive bet on stock market crash raises alarm for 401(k)s – and risks ire of Trump.
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As Trump’s tariffs grip markets, a key indicator flashes a warning for bullish investors.
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And from the CNBC Perpetual Cheering Section: ‘A bull with a lowercase b’: Stock market experts say to prepare for continued growth, but more volatility, in 2025.
Forex & Cryptos:
Sterling hits one-month high as dollar slides; focus turns to BoE.
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Bitcoin approaches $100,000 as Trump’s pro-crypto policies take shape.
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El Salvador buys 12 Bitcoin in a day, bringing reserve to 6,068 BTC.
Tangibles Investing:
5 Housing Markets That Will Plummet in Value Before the End of 2025.
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USN&WR: The Most Overvalued U.S. Housing Markets.
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!