Category: Economics & Investing

In Economics & Investing Media of the Week we feature photos, charts, graphs, maps, video links, and news items of interest to preppers.  This week: A map showing the hours of minimum wage work needed for rent, as of 2025. The thumbnail below is click-expandable.       (Graphic courtesy of Reddit.) Economics & Investing Links of Interest Reported on March 6th: Oil surges 35% this week for biggest gain in futures trading history dating back to 1983. Oil soars then retreats, gold drops as Iran war jolts global commodity markets. Venezuela Inflation Hit 475% In 2025, The World’s Highest …

In Economics & Investing Media of the Week we feature photos, charts, graphs, maps, video links, and news items of interest to preppers.  This week, a map of solar farms, wind farms, and battery farms in the United States. The thumbnail below is click-expandable.       (Graphic courtesy of Reddit.) Economics & Investing Links of Interest The slam-down of precious metals prices on Day 3 & 4 of the Iran War defied logic.  Spot silver was down 7.92% by Tuesday afternoon. This was just after the Strait of Hormuz was closed. Logically, at such a time, most would expect …

In Economics & Investing Media of the Week we feature photos, charts, graphs, maps, video links, and news items of interest to preppers. Economics & Investing News and Links of Interest DVDs the new vinyl records: Why Gen Z is embracing physical media in the age of streaming. JWR’s Comment: Real prepper families never trusted cloud storage and have held on to their DVDs and BluRays. At Zero Hedge: $845 Trillion Derivative Crisis as U.S. Banks Prepare for Bail-Ins. Just as I predicted, precious metals prices rebounded early this week. And not surprisingly, silver gained the most of them, up about …

In Economics & Investing Media of the Week we feature photos, charts, graphs, maps, video links, and news items of interest to preppers. This week, another look at the penny shortage. The thumbnail below is click-expandable.   Economics & Investing Links of Interest More retailers impacted by penny shortage: How they’re responding. Reader H.L. sent this: Copper Prices Hit a Record $13,000 per Ton in January 2026. During the annual Lunar New Year/Spring Festival, the Shanghai metals markets will be closed from February 15, 2026 (Sunday) to February 23, 2026 (Monday). They will open as usual on February 24, 2026.  …

In Economics & Investing Media of the Week we feature photos, charts, graphs, maps, video links, and news items of interest to preppers.  This week:  A graphic showing countries with the highest levels of household debt. The thumbnail below is click-expandable.         (Graphic courtesy of Reddit, based on IMF data) Economics & Investing Links of Interest WSJ: U.S. Budget Hole Set to Deepen by Trillions”.  A key quote: The U.S. is projected to run a deficit of $1.85 trillion, or 5.8% of gross domestic product, in the year that ends Sept. 30, and then stay about level …

In Economics & Investing Media of the Week we feature photos, charts, graphs, maps, video links, and news items of interest to preppers. Today: A Map Showing the Largest Type of Electric Generating Capacity, By County. The thumbnail below is click-expandable.       (Graphic courtesy of Reddit.) Economics & Investing Links of Interest H.L. sent this very troubling news: The Great Taking: Global Looting of Humanity Imminent? Reader Tom H. mentioned this essay by Adam Sharp at The Daily Reckoning: Silver’s 27% Drop, in Context. Video from The Economic Ninja: Why I am pivoting from Silver investing into something …

In Economics & Investing Media of the Week we feature photos, charts, graphs, maps, video links, and news items of interest to preppers. On Monday (January 26, 2026), spot silver touched $116.59 per Troy ounce in Comex trading. That brought the silver-to-gold price ratio down to 43.3-to-1. (It was 102-to-1 in late May of 2025.)  I expect the ratio to drop perhaps to as low as 28-to-1, in 2026. Friday PM Update: In reaction to news about Trump’s pick to head the Federal Reserve, there was some strong selling this morning in New York that brought silver down to below …

In Economics & Investing Media of the Week we feature photos, charts, graphs, maps, video links, and news items of interest to preppers. The thumbnail below is click-expandable. Economics & Investing Links of Interest As reported by the leftist Washington Post: How tech billionaires spurred an exodus from California. Spot silver broke out again to $94.77 per Troy ounce on Monday morning. By Tuesday afternoon, it was at $95.57. And just after Thursday’s Comex market close, it touched $99.64. This morning, it was $100.41, in Asian trading. That was another all-time high. Gold was at $4,968.70. (Another all-time high.) A …

In Economics & Investing Media of the Week we feature photos, charts, graphs, maps, video links, and news items of interest to preppers. Today: A map of State Minimum Wages, in Dollars, as of January 2026. The thumbnail below is click-expandable.       (Graphic courtesy of Reddit.) Economics & Investing Links of Interest For the first time ever, silver touched $100 per Troy ounce in Shanghai on Wednesday (January 14, 2026.) Soon after, the spot price on the Comex briefly touched $93.98 per ounce — another all-time high!  This brought to silver-to-gold ratio down to around 50-to-1. (Not trying …

After some huge price swings in the last week of the year, the Silver Bull has resumed his charge. As of Tuesday afternoon (January 6, 2026), spot silver was at $82.06 USD per Troy ounce.  I expect a few gasps of short-selling today, but $70 seems to be the new floor for silver. I’m holding to my prediction that silver and platinum will continue to outperform gold’s gains. The formerly languishing price of nickel has spiked.  Surprisingly, we still have the opportunity to stack Nickels (U.S. 5-cent pieces) at face value.  The U.S. Mint recently stopped producing pennies.  I believe …

In Economics & Investing Media of the Week we feature photos, charts, graphs, maps, video links, and news items of interest to preppers.  This week, some market and economic predictions for 2026. The thumbnail below is click-expandable.       (Graphic courtesy of Visual Capitalist.) Economics & Investing Links of Interest JWR’s 2026 economic predictions in a nutshell:  Repeated Fed interest rate cuts with little effect. Renewed inflation. A major stock market correction, but a continuing boom in defense stocks. A continuing precious metals bull market led by silver, and then a metals price crash.  Expect a weaker U.S. Dollar, …

In Economics & Investing Media of the Week we feature photos, charts, graphs, maps, video links, and news items of interest to preppers. Economics & Investing Links of Interest Spot silver closed at $72.12 per Troy ounce on Wednesday. Gold, platinum, and palladium were also up, similarly. And also on Wednesday, we saw $77.12 in Shanghai trading! (A huge opportunity for the arb traders.)  Silver in Hong Kong briefly touched $75.62 this morning. For anyone who established their silver stack at below $35 per ounce, this is a logical time to liquidate 5% of your silver holdings, and put the proceeds …