Category: Economics & Investing

Fractional Reserve Banking: The Global Fraud Syndicate

I’ll begin with some history: Beginning in the 1500s, goldsmiths began issuing paper receipts or notes for gold that was held in safekeeping for their customers. Each note represented a specified amount of gold that they held in their vaults. Any note could be used to have the goldsmith repay the depositor, or later anyone holding that piece of paper, handing over a like amount upon demand. These receipts were locally traded for goods and services because they could be freely redeemed for gold. So people believed that these receipts were almost as good as gold.  The goldsmiths soon realized …


Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. In this column, JWR also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. This column emphasizes JWR’s “tangibles heavy” investing strategy and contrarian perspective. Today we report on the final death knell for FinCen’s domestic reporting requirements. (See the Financial Privacy section.) Precious Metals: The Precious Metals Bull is picking up speed. On Thursday, March 27th, spot gold was under $3,052 per Troy ounce.  But by Monday (March 31st) spot gold touched an all-time high of $3,148.88. Meanwhile, silver was …


March, 2025 in Precious Metals, by Everett Millman

Welcome to SurvivalBlog’s Precious Metals Month in Review, where we take a look at “the month that was” in precious metals. Each month, we cover gold’s performance and silver’s performance and examine the factors that affected the metal prices. WHAT DID GOLD AND SILVER DO IN MARCH? Silver enjoyed a great performance in March. Yet it was easy to miss when gold kept setting new record highs every time I looked up. The metals got off to a solid start to the month, posting gains on each of the first three days of trading. Silver rallied 70 cents higher on …


Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. In this column, JWR also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. This column emphasizes JWR’s “tangibles heavy” investing strategy and contrarian perspective. Today, a closer look at the volatile precious metals markets. Pictured above is the Chicago Board of Trade, pre-2015. About 90% of the open outcry “pit” trading has since migrated to office computer screens. Precious Metals: On March 21st, I had a consulting client ask me about the spot silver market. He asked if I thought …


Prepping: The Department of Redundancy Department

This essay was inspired by SurvivalBlog reader R.T., who recently sent me a photo of his accumulation of 17 hand-crank kitchen grinders. In bygone years, almost every family owned one of these. But they have gradually been replaced by more fragile electric blenders, electric meat grinders, and food processors. So, most of these sturdy old machines have been unwisely discarded.  I assume that R.T. found most of his at yard sales and at thrift stores. He included the caption:  “One is none and two is one, but seventeen?” An oft-quoted saying in the prepping community is: ‘One is none and …


Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. In this column, JWR also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. This column emphasizes JWR’s “tangibles heavy” investing strategy and contrarian perspective. Today, we look at Canadian trade and currency exchange issues. Precious Metals: Mike Gleason: Gold Breaks $3,000, But Here’s Why Silver Could Steal the Show… o  o  o At Gold-Eagle.com: $3000/Ounce: Why The Oldest Money Just Hit Its Newest High. o  o  o Take heed:  The silver-to-gold ratio just hit 90.7-to-1.  And the platinum-to-gold ratio is …


Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. In this column, JWR also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. This column emphasizes JWR’s “tangibles heavy” investing strategy and contrarian perspective. Today, we look at the nascent Strategic Bitcoin Reserve. (See the Forex & Cryptos section.) Precious Metals: The spot and futures prices of silver and gold gained during the recent $4 trillion stock market rout.  Typically, gold has been liquidated for short covering by some traders, during sharp stock market declines. But this time, it appears …


Preparedness in the New Golden Age or Grimy Age – Part 6, by Single Farmer

Editor’s Introductory Note: This young man is prayerfully seeking a wife. He is offering an after-marriage gift of up to $50,000 to whoever introduces him to his bride, with $18,000 after their marriage and another $16,000 to the individual who provided the introduction after the first two births of healthy children born to him and his wife, for a total potential gift of $50,000. For further details, see this link to his article posted on February 24th, 2025: My Quest For a Wife. — (Continued from Part 5. This concludes the article.) Prepper Fatigue Do you have prepper fatigue? Have …


Preparedness in the New Golden Age or Grimy Age – Part 5, by Single Farmer

Editor’s Introductory Note: This young man is prayerfully seeking a wife. He is offering an after-marriage gift of up to $50,000 to whoever introduces him to his bride with $18,000 after their marriage and another $16,000 to the individual who provided the introduction after the first two births of healthy children born to him and his wife, for a total potential gift of $50,000. For further details, see this link to his article posted on February 24th, 2025: My Quest For a Wife. — (Continued from Part 4.) Gold: What one ounce can buy in a grimy world In the …


Preparedness in the New Golden Age or Grimy Age – Part 4, by Single Farmer

Editor’s Introductory Note: This young man is prayerfully seeking a wife. He is offering an after-marriage gift of up to $50,000 to whoever introduces him to his bride with $18,000 after their marriage and another $16,000 to the individual who provided the introduction after the first two births of healthy children born to him and his wife, for a total potential gift of $50,000. For further details, see this link to his article posted on February 24th, 2025: My Quest For a Wife. — (Continued from Part 3.) Welcome to the Grimy Age In this future time after the “golden …


Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. In this column, JWR also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. This column emphasizes JWR’s “tangibles heavy” investing strategy and contrarian perspective. Today, we examine the impact of new tariffs. Precious Metals: Central Bank Gold Buying Remained Strong to Kick Off 2025. o  o  o Silver Extends Rally Amid Risk-Off Sentiment. o  o  o Gold’s Price Disruption Eases as Trump Tariff Trade ‘Exhausted’. o  o  o A Jim Willie interview video: SWAP IT ALL, TODAY! My Last Message To …


Preparedness in the New Golden Age or Grimy Age – Part 3, by Single Farmer

Editor’s Introductory Note: This young man is prayerfully seeking a wife. He is offering an after-marriage gift of up to $50,000 to whoever introduces him to his bride with $18,000 after their marriage and another $16,000 to the individual who provided the introduction after the first two births of healthy children born to him and his wife, for a total potential gift of $50,000. For further details, see this link to his article posted on February 24th, 2025: My Quest For a Wife. — (Continued from Part 2.) There was another Golden Age that ended in a spectacular fashion almost …


Preparedness in the New Golden Age or Grimy Age – Part 2, by Single Farmer

Editor’s Introductory Note: This young man is prayerfully seeking a wife. He is offering an after-marriage gift of up to $50,000 to whoever introduces him to his bride with $18,000 after their marriage and another $16,000 to the individual who provided the introduction after the first two births of healthy children born to him and his wife, for a total potential gift of $50,000. For further details, see this link to his article posted on February 24th, 2025: My Quest For a Wife. — (Continued from Part 1.) We are not a wealthy society and it is doubtful that we …


Preparedness in the New Golden Age or Grimy Age – Part 1, by Single Farmer

Editor’s Introductory Note: This young man is prayerfully seeking a wife. He is offering an after-marriage gift of up to $50,000 to whoever introduces him to his bride with $18,000 after their marriage and another $16,000 to the individual who provided the introduction after the first two births of healthy children born to him and his wife, for a total potential gift of $50,000. For further details, see this link to his article posted on February 24th, 2025: My Quest For a Wife. — We find ourselves in a unique time which will be of great change. We can either …


The Savvy Barterer: References, Skills, and Tools for TEOTWAWKI Barter

JWR’s Introductory Note:  This is an update and substantial expansion to an article that I wrote for SurvivalBlog back in 2008. — One of my long-standing Precepts is that every prepared individual should be ready for both barter and dispensing charity. Today, I’ll be briefly discussing barter. Being ready to barter is not just a matter of having a pile of “stuff” to barter. While barter and charity logistics are important, what is even more important is what is between your ears. A Bazaar Experience Bartering takes practice. Dickering is an acquired skill. Short of buying yourself a plane ticket …