Category: Economics & Investing

Some more sad “Bad OPSEC” news from Australia: Bullion worth $200,000 stolen from Brisbane home of war veteran by thieves using wheelie bin Company makes good on leaving Colorado over gun laws: Colorado gun accessories maker Magpul moving to Wyoming, Texas because of new gun laws Items from The Economatrix: Retail Traffic Plunges By “Staggering” 21% In Week Before Christmas Comparing the inflated cost of living today from 1938 to 2013: How the US Dollar has lost incredible purchasing power since 1938. How does an America with no middle class look like? Bureau of Labor and Statistics projects top two …

Cuba economic reforms felt at the dinner table. (Thanks to James W. for the link.) The hidden costs of ObamaCare Items from The Economatrix: On This Day In History, Gas Prices Have Never Been Higher November Durable Goods Jump, Driven By Abnormal Seasonal Adjustments Mortgage Applications Down 66% From Highs To New 13-Year Low

There is some ground truth in this video excerpt: Will USA Default Or Inflate? Mike Maloney U.S. Jobless Claims Rise to Near Nine-Month High. (Thanks to R.B.S. for the link.) Items from The Economatrix: Peter Schiff On The Fed’s Audacity Welcome To Schizoland, Media Headlines Edition Gold Heads For Worst Annual Loss In 32 Years Despite The Propaganda, The US Economy Is Collapsing

Tracey in Tennessee recommended some free online courses such as Economics 101 and Constitution 101 offered through Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Michigan. B.B. sent: Bitcoin is Gold 2.0 Reader Jeff E. suggested this piece at Forbes: Romney Was Wrong About The 47 Percent, The Problem Is Much Worse

Welcome to SurvivalBlog’s Precious Metals Month in Review, by Steven Cochran of Gainesville Coins. Every month, we’ll take a look at the “month that was” in precious metals, covering everything from price action, to the information that’s driving the numbers. December in Precious Metals December is traditionally a slow month for precious metals, and the second-best month for stocks. This trend was amplified this year, as we saw lots of good economic reports from Europe, China, and the U.S. The stock markets, already hitting highs fueled by central bank money printing, sucked cash out of bonds and the precious metals …

James, The more I learn about cryptocurrency, the more it reveals itself as a Godsend that could save us all from the tyranny of a central bank manipulated currency. I see this now as a revolution in civilization itself, nothing short of what penicillin or the internet has meant to us. It is new and undiscovered, just as America was in its beginnings, it is an unfolding wonderment. When Bitcoin was starting up a few years ago, I fooled around with it on my computer trying to mine some coins, but it became apparent that I needed a lot more …

G.G. flagged this: Labor-Force Participation Rate Continues to Sink Push of a Button: This Is How Fast They Can Lock Down the Entire Banking System Bank Of America’s Derivatives Death Rattle Bob in Virginia suggested: Hayek on Morality

SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large Michael Z. Williamson forwarded a link to a FAS and government report on rare earths. Reader Jerry E. recommended a captivating article in The Guardian: Former BP geologist: peak oil is here and it will ‘break economies’ N.S. suggested this video:Economic Problems and the Rise of Dictators — Mike Maloney & James Turk J.B.G. sent: Shoppers Stock Up On Rifles, Shotguns Before Long Gun Registry Begins Moguls Rent South Dakota Addresses to Dodge Taxes Forever. (Thanks to H.L. for the link.) Silver To Hit New Highs As The Quality Of Analysis Sinks To New Lows

Several readers suggested this article: Be prepared: Wall Street advisor recommends guns, ammo for protection in collapse National Debt Clock Passes $150,000 Per Taxpayer Comparing the inflated cost of living today from 1938 to 2013: How the US Dollar has lost incredible purchasing power since 1938. Items from The Economatrix: Faber, Rogers, Dent, Maloney, & Stockman – What Do They Say Is Coming In 2014? U.S. Dollar And Treasury Bonds Are Dead-Dr. Jim Willie Recession In 2014: “The Government Will Not Be Able To Save The Economy” 2014 Going To Be Better For Silver & Gold-David Morgan

Doug Eberhardt’s precious metals market predictions for 2014 John Mauldin’s most recent newsletter, under the title What Has QE Brought? is well worth reading. (For many years, I’ve recommended subscribing to his free e-newsletter.) Diana recommended this news piece: The Big Squeeze – mystery hand scoops up copper   Items from The Economatrix: Camden, New Jersey: One Of Hundreds Of U.S. Cities That Are Turning Into Rotting, Decaying Hellholes Many American-Made Companies Are Now Under Foreign Control! The Perfect Storm Is Coming For Gold: “Economics Will Crush The Very People Who Are Behind The Devastation”

The Hidden Motives Behind The Federal Reserve Taper. [JWR’s Comment: The renewed talk of the Fed tapering from the current $85 billion per month of Quantitative Easing (QE) money creation is balderdash. Presently, I can see only two possible solutions for the Fed’s quandary: 1.) They find another excuse not to taper Fed purchase of MBS derivatives and other securities. or 2.) They do taper the current QE program, but meanwhile surreptitiously create another form of monetization that is just a big, or even bigger. (This might involve foreign central banks, in a mutual back-scratching arrangement, whereby we’ll buy their …

What Does the Price of Gold Do In Deflation? (Thanks to Pierre M. for the link.) B.B. sent: The Federal Reserve Is Leveraged Roughly 70 Times Italy’s president fears violent insurrection in 2014 Andre D. sent a link to an opinion piece by Gordon Brown: Stumbling Toward the Next Crash. (Brown is a Labour Party member of the British Parliament a former Chancellor of the Exchequer and former Prime Minister.)

D.L.T. sent us this: The modern economy depends on dozens of obscure metals. What happens if we run out? Over at Sipsey Street Irregulars, some more evidence that ammunition was and still is a wise investment: Logistics: CMP advisory on .22 Long Rifle My old friend Conor recommended a BBC news segment about the little-publicized EB-5 Green Card program: Chinese investors ‘buying’ US green cards for $1Million. (Warning to dial-up users: The included video is launched automatically.) Of course the reverse side of that coin is found in countries like Panama, where American retirees are effectively buying residency for as …

J.W. suggested this piece by Jeff Thomas, over at Doug Casey’s International Man site: It’s Not “If;” It’s “When” G.G. suggested this news item: Sterling to go plastic, Bank of England decides Also from G.G.: Price of Ground Beef Hits All-Time High

Reader Andre D. sent: Feeding the Bubble: Is the Next Crash Brewing? Charles Hugh-Smith: A Quick Guide to What’s Fake: Everything That’s Officially Sanctioned. [JWR’s Comment: While I disagree with his viewpoint on government intervention in the marketplace and on taxation (I’m a laissez faire minimalist-government libertarian), I almost always enjoy reading Charles Hugh-Smith’s piercing observations.] Over at The Daily Bell: Forced Savings Bait and Switch Items from The Economatrix: U.S. October Business Inventories Up 0.7% Why The Budget Deal Is Bad News For Gold: Pro Is Your Job About To Be Outsourced By A Computer (The Probability Is 47%) …