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, more coverage of the bull market in gold and silver.
Precious Metals:
On Thursday, spot gold was at $4,076.10, and spot silver hit $51.42 per Troy ounce. This eclipsed the record high price set in January 17, 1980, when the Hunt Brothers attempted to corner the global silver market. When I last checked, it took $37,074 to buy a $1,000 face value bag of circulated pre-1965 U.S. silver coins. There was some predictable profit-taking on Thursday: Gold closed at $4,009.80, and silver at $50.03. However, I expect to see buyers in Asia push the price of silver up over $60 USD per Troy ounce in the coming weeks.
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On Tuesday, CNBC reported: The price of gold reached $4,000 an ounce for the first time ever. JWR’s Comments: CNBC has consistently bad-mouthed precious metals as investments, ever since their launch in 1989. And they couldn’t resist ending this landmark article on a down note. Typisch. The equities-centric editors of CNBC wouldn’t recognize a golden opportunity if it hit them on the head. Here is some data that CNBC won’t report on: 2025 US Market Index Performance – Actual vs. Gold-Adjusted Returns. What does this tell us? Stocks are going up, but meanwhile, the FRN Dollar is declining, in real terms. So the 2025 “gains” in the stock market are mostly illusory. We should ignore the mainstream market reporting bias and continue shifting into tangibles!
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And in the WSJ: Gold Rally Points to Eroding Faith in Central Banks Worldwide.
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Hub Moolman: Gold: The US Dollar Bank Run Is Speeding Up.
Economy & Finance:
Reported on September 23rd: Tariffs to Hit Slowing U.S. Economy Hard in 2026, OECD Says.
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BRICS making incremental progress in dollar-free trade.
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David Haggith (by way of the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site): The Stealth Recession Is Creeping Back, Even as AI Stocks Go for Broke.
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At Zero Hedge: Futures Flat As AI Bubble Euphoria Takes A Break.
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The Unofficial Jobs Numbers Are In and It’s Rough Out There.
Commodities:
Copper Nears Record Highs – Supply Concerns and Weak Dollar Fuel Rally.
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High cattle prices: Ground beef now or calves in 2026?
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Dan Basse predicts bearish outlook for grain prices amid oversupply.
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And at OilPrice News: Energy Sector Outperforms with 6.2% Gain in Q3.
Inflation/Deflation Watch:
At Seeking Alpha: Three Way-Too-Early Predictions For 2026.
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J.P. Morgan: The Inflation Outlook.
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Reported back in May: US in The Biggest Housing Bubble of All-Time in 2025. Even Larger Than 2006. JWR’s Comment: Someday, every bubble meets a proverbial pin.
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World Bank warns Thailand and China facing deflationary pressures.
Forex & Cryptos:
EUR/USD weekly outlook — October 6, 2025.
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Over at Larry Greenberg’s Currency Thoughts: Dollar Rises Amid Absence of Fresh Themes.
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BNB flips XRP to become third-largest cryptocurrency.
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Why BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF proves ‘ETFs are no joke’.
Tangibles Investing:
At Dave Ramsey’s site: U.S. Housing Market Trends and Forecast for 2025.
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The Bad News: I have decided to put Elk Creek Company on hiatus until January of 2027. This was for two reasons: 1.) I was selling inventory faster than I could restock it. And, 2.) Because I will soon start drawing Social Security, and I need to reduce my income until I reach “Full Retirement Age” (67 years old.) Otherwise, I may have to pay back a large portion of my Social Security earnings. The Good News: When I re-open in 2027, I will have a fantastic inventory of antique guns to sell. This is because I will only be buying inventory for the next two years. Thanks for your patience.
Note: There is one exception to our hiatus: I will continue to fill orders for the winners of Writing Contest prize purchase credits. Just let me know what you’d like to buy, via e-mail. (The shopping cart system will be disabled until January of 2027.)
Needless to say: I plan to continue posting SurvivalBlog every day, and I will still be producing a SurvivalBlog archive USB stick, each January. – JWR
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!