Category: Economics & Investing

Reader L.I.Z. sent this: Using new metals in U.S. coins could impact counterfeiting, public safety and a lot more. Collect you cache of nickels now, before their minting composition is debased. Meanwhile in commodity news: Are High Nickel Prices Here to Stay? KAF forwarded this: U.S. sets $223 Billion Monthly Deficit Record John R. recommended this piece by Bob Chapman: The Fed Distorts The Economy With Inflation Items from The Economatrix: Burst of Hiring Could Mark Turning Point for Jobs   Factory Orders Up in January, Helped by Airplanes   Food and Fuel Bills to Rocket, Warn Ministers and UN …

Lynn G. mentioned this disturbing article about the bankrupt city of Vallejo, California: Broke Town, U.S.A. John R. suggested this: Egon von Greyerz: “A Hyperinflationary Deluge Is Imminent”, And Why, Therefore, Bernanke’s Motto Is “Après Nous Le Déluge” Utah House Passes Bill Recognizing Gold, Silver as Legal Tender. (A nice gesture and a good start, but what we need to do is abolish the Federal Reserve and reinstitute a Constitutional bi-metallic currency system for the nation.) Reader C.D.V. sent several inks: Investors Are Seeking Safety in New Harbors: Dollar, Once a Favored Refuge, Loses Ground to Yen, Franc US Standard …

C.D.V. sent this: The Future of Food Prices: What Will Food Cost in 2015. “The current prices in your grocery store don’t presage an approaching storm. But that’s exactly what’s coming, says Bill Lapp, president of Advanced Economic Solutions, a consulting firm in Omaha, Nebraska, and the former chief economist for ConAgra Foods.”  Kory P. sent this update on his local chicken feed prices: Nutrena Premium Layer feed last year was $9.99 per bag Nutrena Premium Layer feed two months ago was $10.79 per bag Nutrena Layer feed (no longer premium) is presently $12.49 per bag World Food Prices Increase …

“I Get It Now.” A beginners to guide to investing in physical silver. (A hat tip to CRW for the link.) In Price of Farmland, Echoes of Another Boom J.B.G. sent this from from The Daily Mail: Petrol prices could hit £2 a litre if Libya turmoil escalates, warns Government minister. (At the current exchange rate this works out to about $13 USD per gallon.) Items from The Economatrix: As Silver Touches $34.90 US Mint Runs Out Of Bullion Blanks, Halts American Eagle Silver Coin Production   Silver Still In Backwardation / Small Silver Deliveries   China “Attacks The Dollar” …

Charley S. pointed me to an opinion piece in The New York Times on the silver market by William D. Cohan: A Conspiracy With a Silver Lining. We are witnessing a market that is so hot, and that has taken so many mainstream market pundits by surprise that they finally realize that it is time to mention alternative media sources like Silverseek, 321Gold and Seeking Alpha. I’ve been quoting and linking to these site since 2005. All that I can say to the mainstream media is: “Well, better late than never!” Here’s a thought to ponder: How many times does …

State Worker Retirements Soar Across the Country Gonzalo Lira: The Dollar, and The Next Ten Days. “The next ten days will be key: Will the dollar spike up? Become the safe haven of everyone fleeing from the world’s troubles? Or will the dollar nosedive, the first big step down in its death spiral?” James Turk – The Dollar Collapse Will Shock the World G.G. suggested this piece by Michael Pento: It’s Taps For the Still Weakening Dollar Items from The Economatrix: February Retail Sales Rise In Most Categories   Oil Jumps Above $102   Bernanke Sees 200,000 Hit to Jobs …

C.D.V. sent us a link to an interesting “heat” chart: Feeling the Heat: Global Inflation Britons face soaring food prices as supermarkets boost margins and blame inflation, analysts warn. File Under “Humor Department”: Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said Tuesday the U.S. central bank is ready to respond as necessary to a surge in global commodity prices caused in part by unrest in the Middle East, though he said inflation expectations remain low.

Commentary from Barry Eichengreen in the Wall Street Journal: Why the Dollar’s Reign is Near an End. (Thanks to Jeff E. for the link.) Also from Jeff: Muni Default Estimate: $100 Billion. A site that maps gasoline prices, by county, has been mentioned here before: Gas Buddy. So much for the “recovery”: February planned layoffs highest in 11 months: Challenger Items from The Economatrix: Can you feel the artificial stimulus trickling down? US Auto Sales Jump 20% In February. (Perhaps people are out shopping for more fuel-efficient cars.) Oil Prices Jump On Middle East, Bernanke Comments   Manufacturing Growing at …

Jim, Just another data point for you about Nickels, from North Carolina.  My bank continues to order boxes [of $100 face value in nickel rolls] for me, but they were told by their supplier that 20 boxes was the new limit per week (I had asked for 55 boxes).  The funny thing is the manager said they would simply order me 20 boxes/week until I had what I wanted! They also noted a strong uptick (from essentially none) in customer requesting nickels for the same reason I am getting them – base metal value.  Though none more than a couple …

At last report, Spot Silver was at $34.65 per Troy Ounce. I told you so… Ben S. mentioned: Is the U.S. dollar still a safe haven?   Ben notes: “One opinion in this article is that the dollar is overvalued by 8%.  If this is true, wouldn’t the US Dollar Index also be overvalued by the same, thus resulting in an index of approximately 71?”  Peter Schiff: “We’re in the Early Stages of a Depression” Items from The Economatrix: History Tells Us That A Surge In Fuel Costs Makes A US Recession Likely  Silver Squeeze to Continue   The Silver …

What are We Getting for an Extra $1 Trillion in Federal Spending? Wind Power Generates Renewed Interest as Oil Worries Grow   Prospective Homebuyers: Time Is on Your Side  Items from The Economatrix: Oil Drops, But Gasoline Prices Keep Rising   Easing Oil Prices, Deal News Send Stocks Higher   China’s Holding of US Debt Jumps 30%   Celente:  “When the Money Stops Flowing Down to the Man in the Street, the Blood Starts Flowing in the Streets”   

Fake Silver Coins/Bars/Ingots ARE on the market in U.S.! This includes some useful videos with tests for fakes. (Thanks to Nic for the link.) Reader “Firecracker” notes: Paul Krugman (Nobel prize-winning Princeton economist) recently spoke to students at The University of Oklahoma.  The local paper had a very short article about his speech. The last line in the article sums it up pretty well: “We’re eating our seed corn,” he said. “We are very far from being over the financial crisis.” Items from The Economatrix: Royal Canadian Mint Now Saying It’s Difficult Securing Silver   War, Martial Law, And The …