Stocking Items for Barter, by Big John

Along with all of the other items that a seasoned Prepper has, barter items are critical. You undoubtedly will need items that you forgot to stockpile during the good times. This area of prepping needs to be approached with the same meticulous logical order as all of your other prepping gear. Your trading partner, the one with those critical items that you need to survive must be satisfied. You’ve gotta have stuff that he really needs, not just stuff that fit into the category of general prepping items. He may have no need for ammo but desperately needs antibiotics. So …




Economics & Investing Media of the Week

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 where ancient Roman coins have been found. JWR’s Comments: I must mention that the price of most ancient Greek and Roman coins collapsed in the late 1980s and early 1990s, as large hoards were dug up in Eastern Europe and in the former Soviet Union. The demise of the Soviet Bloc opened up western markets. This was coupled with faltering economies that were transitioning to free market capitalism. The result was that a …




Economics & Investing Media of the Week

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 Several readers sent this: The Treasury just declared the U.S. insolvent. The media missed it. Newly released IRS data shows Red States GAINED $39 BILLION in net income in 2023 compared to Blue States LOSING $43 BILLION. The Private Credit Collapse Accelerates. Germany’s Economy At The Point Of No Return. Economics & Investing Media Tips: Please send your economics and investing links to JWR. (Either via e-mail or via our Contact …




Economics & Investing Media of the Week

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 global oil chokepoints. The thumbnail below is click-expandable.         (Graphic courtesy of Reddit.) Economics & Investing Links of Interest How (And When) Gold Could Reach $10,000. Financial Tsunami Coming Because of Programmable Money – Catherine Austin Fitts Video: Billionaires Want Us Homeless. I received an e-mail on Wednesday from a reader who was befuddled by the bifurcation of precious metals and oil prices.  He asked why silver and gold dropped …




Economics & Investing Media of the Week

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 …




Economics & Investing Media of the Week

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 …




Economics & Investing Media of the Week

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 …




Economics & Investing Media of the Week

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.  …




More Inflation Ahead: At Best, Plan on Semi-Retirement

Imagine that you were a weakling who kept his cash under his mattress, and you lived in a bad neighborhood that was dominated by the Mafia.  Every year or two, Mafia thugs would come by and threaten to beat you to death, and demand: “Half for us and half for you.”  That is a bit like what it is like to live in an era of mass inflation. But with inflation, the cash extractions are gradual, and almost invisible. No thugs. Just melting purchasing power. Perhaps I chose a poor analogy, but bear with me, while I explain: As a …




Economics & Investing Media of the Week

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 …




Economics & Investing Media of the Week

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 …




Economics & Investing Media of the Week

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 …




Why Silver Continues To Be A Must-Buy, by Hubert Moolman

Editor’s Introductory Note: This analysis was published by our friend Hub Moolman on January 20th, 2026.  There is a wide range of opinion amongst precious metals market analysts on where the top might be for silver, in the current cycle. I personally expect to see a top somewhere between $125 and $195 per ounce. The bull market will probably be stopped by the combined force of legislation, executive orders, central bank intervention, and radically increased margin requirements by the metals exchanges. Presently, Asian silver buyers are unperturbed by the recent COMEX and LBMA trading rules changes. But when it comes, …




Economics & Investing Media of the Week

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 …




Economics & Investing Media of the Week

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 …