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 [1] also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. This column emphasizes JWR’s “tangibles heavy” investing strategy and contrarian perspective. Today, we look at the demise of the U.S. penny. (See the commodities section.)
Precious Metals:
The spot prices of gold and silver have been strong for nearly a week. If we see a sustained rally in silver above $36 per Troy ounce, I suspect that the Perma-Short market manipulators may capitulate. And once that happens, a rapid run-up to $50 or even $70 per ounce is possible. Hold on to your silver for the long haul, folks! – JWR
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Goldman Sachs analyst predicts $4,000 gold, calls it a better hedge than Bitcoin [2].
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At Gold-Eagle.com: Gold SWOT: Platinum Surged to a Two-Year High, Posting Its Strongest Weekly Gain Over Four Years [3]. JWR’s Comments: I still see platinum as the ultimate World War 3 hedge. You can’t produce cruise missiles and a lot of other high-tech weaponry without it. Mark my words: If a major war breaks out, Platinum could quadruple or quintuple in just a couple of weeks, catapulting it well above the price of gold.
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Economy & Finance:
US court blocks most Trump tariffs, says president exceeded his authority [5].
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Commodities:
An Epoch Times piece, by way of Zero Hedge: Say Goodbye To The Penny [7]. JWR’s Comments: The U.S. Treasury officials and their co-conspirators in Federal Reserve banking cartel should be embarrassed that they inflated our currency so badly that the penny is now essentially meaningless. I wonder if Congress will legalize melting them. The scrap melt value of a pre-September 1982 (95% copper) penny is 3 cents, and the scrap melt value of a post-September 1982 copper-plated (97.5% zinc) “penny” is only about one cent. The minting cost of each of those zinc tokens is more than 3 cents. Regardless, it is now worthwhile to set aside all of your pennies, including any that you continue to receive in change. At least they have some real value, unlike paper currency. But don’t bother investing your time in sorting the coppers from the zincs, unless you have a sorting machine.
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Oil Prices Jump After Court Blocks Trump’s Tariffs [8].
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Germany Vows To ‘Do Everything’ To Prevent Nord Stream Resurrection [9].
The Public and Private Debt Bombs:
U.S. household debt reaches $18.2 trillion in first quarter of 2025. [10]
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From the slightly right-of-center The Street: The U.S. debt crisis is worse than you think [11].
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A summary from the New York Fed: Change in Household Debt Balances Mixed; Student Loan Delinquencies Rise Sharply [12].
Forex & Cryptos:
Stocks and U.S. dollar rally as Trump tariffs hit court roadblock [13].
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At Currency Thoughts: Another New Zealand Interest Rate Cut [14].
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SEC chair Paul Atkins slams ‘ostrich’ policy [15].
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Vice President JD Vance delivers a keynote address at the Bitcoin 2025 conference — 5/28/2025 [16].
Tangibles Investing:
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Our featured Pre-1899 Gun Of The Week, at Elk Creek Company: 6.5 Carcano M1891 Torino Sporter — Dated 1896 [18]. It is priced at $495. Or, if you want to pay in pre-1965 U.S. silver coinage, you can divide the price by 24.7. (Thus, just $20 face value in any combination of 90% silver dimes, quarters, or half-dollars. Note that our silver payments divisor changes frequently.)
Provisos:
SurvivalBlog and its Editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our Provisos [19] page for our detailed disclaimers.
News Tips:
Please send your economics and investing news tips to JWR [1]. (Either via e-mail or via our Contact form [20].) 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!