Category: Economics & Investing

Reader G.W. wrote to mention that the Coin Debasement Modernization Act passed on November 30th. It is now waiting President BHO‘s signature. I’ve been warning folks about a likely change in the composition of the U.S. Nickel (Five Cent coin) for more than three years. This may be your last chance to get real nickels at no premium over their face value and without the effort of any sorting. (Once a coin composition change takes places, it will become labor intensive, just as it did with pennies.) Jason in Central New York sent this: Was There A Big Recession Warning …

Surprise, surprise: Fed aid in financial crisis went beyond U.S. banks to industry, foreign firms B.B. sent this from the Des Moines Register: Why farmland is skyrocketing. (I’ve been telling folks to invest in productive farm land, for many years. I told you so!) How muni bond bust could do big damage Foreclosure mess could threaten banks, report. (A tip of the hat to Kelly D. for the link.) Elitists Leading On An Odyssey Of Economic Ruin. (An excerpt from Bob Chapman’s weekly International Forecaster) Our thanks to frequent link contributor John R. I told you so: Spot silver hit …

America Bails Out A Thankless World  Here is an excerpt: “Turns out the Fed had over a dozen emergency programs operating beginning in 2007-08, one of them lending close to $9 trillion to Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley and other troubled institutions, often at the comical interest rate of 1%.” John R. suggested this insightful piece by David at Deepcaster: Profit-Lessons from The Ongoing Europe/USA Crises Reader Davis sent flagged this: Mounting State Debts Stoke Fears of Looming Crisis Bob G. sent this item: The Patriotic and Moral Imperative for Owning Gold and Silver Items from The Economatrix: FDIC Takes Gloves …

I got a bit of a shock when I dropped by my local coin shop, planning to buy some pre-1965 non-numismatic (“junk”) U.S. silver coins for Christmas gifts for Rawles family members. Their asking prices was 21.1 times face value! I was also surprised to see a few minty-looking 1964 proof quarters mixed in with the dealer’s tray of junk silver coins. He said that the spot price of bullion silver has galloped up so quickly that it has completely overshadowed any numismatic value for the 1964 proof Washington quarters. These are strange and exciting times for the coin bourse! …

Sue C. sent an article that illustrates the depth of the European sovereign debt crisis: A Day of Reckoning Failed bond auctions: Germany struggles to sell five year debt; Portugal stung Also from Sue: Deficit Commission Report Fails to Advance to Congress Items from The Economatrix: Consumer Price Inflation: The Wolf at the Door   Mug’s Game (The Mogambo Guru)   Could WikiLeaks Revealing Major Bank Secrets Crash The Global Economy?   Fed Survey:  Economic Growth Picks Up In Most Of U.S.   Economy Appears Headed For Strong Finish In 2010  

G.G. recommended: The road to a US insolvency crisis F.J. liked this piece by Simon Black: Disappearing Bank Accounts. The article begins: “If you don’t have money outside the computerized banking system, you should do so now. You just never know when the system is going to go down.” Randy F. suggested this book review: The Penniless Billionaires: A Tour of Inflationary Eras Past and Present Items from The Economatrix: Cutoff of Jobless Aid Would Lower Economic Growth   Happy Holidays?  28 Hard Questions It Would Be Great If We Could Get Some Real Answers To   The Gold Standard …

The latest video from the NIA is excellent: The Day the Dollar Died Regular link contributor B.B. sent this: Holidays about survival as jobless benefits end Also from B.B.: Russia’s central bank to invest reserves in Australian dollar. Reader J.B.G. sent this: Jeb Bush: Some States Already ‘Bankrupt’ Items from The Economatrix: The Euro Game Is Up   Euro, Stocks, Spanish Bonds Fall On Concern European Debt Crisis To Spread   New Phase Of Debt Crisis Striking Now!  Despite Rescues!   Global Sovereign Debt Default Bankruptcy Bailout And Contagion Risk Assessment   Huge Drop In Credit Card Users 

Hello Mr. Rawles, I’m a newbie to investing in junk silver and no nothing about coin collecting, but some questions at my local coin shop in Calgary, some research on Wikipedia have yielded some information I thought your readers might find useful: 1920 – 1967 Canadian minted coins seem to be the most commonly collected and follow this general rule: Any combination of $1 face value 1920 – 1967 Canadian minted coins contain 0.6 Troy Ounces of silver (said coins have 80% silver content), with the exception of dimes and nickels. In 1967-1968 it appears there were 50% silver dimes …

Those pesky derivatives again: The Next Shoe To Drop: European Insurance Companies – Assicurazioni Generali CDS Explodes. (Thanks to J.B.G. for the link.) Another from J.B.G.: US Ready to Back Bigger EU Stability Fund: Official. John R. sent these two items: EU Outlines Bond Restructuring Plan  Also from John: EU rescue costs start to threaten Germany itself. “The escalating debt crisis on the eurozone periphery is starting to contaminate the creditworthiness of Germany and the core states of monetary union.” Mounting calls for ‘nuclear response’ to save monetary union. (Thanks to J.B.G. for the link.) Dr. Housing Bubble reports: The …

John R. sent this: Currency Crisis! So What Happens if the Dollar and the Euro Both Collapse? [JWR Notes: I predict that both will collapse, but that the Euro will tank first. This will mean a brief upswing in the value of the U.S. Dollar. As I’ve noted before, that brief interim will likely provide a window of opportunity to buy precious metals.] Number of the Week: 492 Days From Default to Foreclosure. (Thanks to John R. for the the link.) Another from John R.: Starve the Beast: Just Bull, not Good Economics. World at a Boil with War and …

Kleptocracy in action: France seizes €36 billion of pension assets. We’re told that this was done to pay off some of their welfare debt. I thought that the French had done away with pissoirs, but apparently they still have a very large one. But of course the French are tres brillant, so I shouldn’t doubt their judgment. Thanks to Pierre M. for this item: Hungary Follows Argentina in Pension-Fund Ultimatum, `Nightmare’ for Some Marc the former 91B mentioned Chris Martenson’s commentary on Peak Oil: It’s Official: The Economy Is Set To Starve B.B. sent this news item from Oz: Millions …

Lynn G. sent this: Seven Towns Where Land is Free John R. flagged this news item: IMF’s Dominique Strauss-Kahn wants fiscal and reform powers given to Europe Reader B.B. suggested this article: Debt commission co-chairman predicts ‘bloodbath’. B.B. also mentioned a Zero Hedge piece, where Tyler Durden asks: Are Expert Networks About To Be Exposed As The Ringleader In The Biggest Insider Trading Bust In History? Tam over at View From The Porch had some commentary about an article on modern day house squatters: Another step closer to Mad Max? John R. sent this commentary by Lawrence A. Hunter: Save …

The latest official CPI figure: 0.2%. Yeah, right… (After some masterful hedonic adjustments and excluding “volatile” food and fuel–things that matter the most to consumers.) Reader P.T.R. notes: “I noticed that I needed to re-stock some Tang [freeze-dried orange juice powder].  At the store, I noted that it’s now sold in a larger container, so I thought ‘they’re trying to sell more product — the Large Economy Size ploy’.  It wasn’t until I got home and compared it to a canister That I had purchased a couple of years back that I saw the real differences.  The old container held 12.3 …

Doug Kass: Jaw Dropping Prediction For 2011 John R. mentioned this commentary by Jim Willie: QE2 & The Great Misdiagnosis Ireland Unveils Four Year Budget Details, Riots Imminent The Guardian reports: Belgium joins financial markets’ hit list. (Thanks to Bram for the link.) B.B. sent this “desperation measures” news from Ireland: Pension reserve funds to be spent on banks Items from The Economatrix: China, Russia Quit Dollar On Bilateral Trade   Gold Is George Soros’ Biggest Holding   Silver Shortage, A Sign of Manipulation?   Nutting Professor (The Mogambo Guru)