Category: Economics & Investing

Economics and Investing:

The Hidden Costs Of Obama’s Cheap Gas. President Obama graciously thanked himself for cheap gasoline at a rally in Philadelphia on Tuesday, but he may be exaggerating just how popular cheap gasoline is. o o o The US has signaled support for digital currencies – B.B. o o o Former Treasury Secretary says banks may be riskier now than in the 2008 crisis o o o Bayer Clinches $66 Billion Deal For Monsanto That Could Reshape The Farming Industry – RBS o o o SurvivalBlog and its editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our Provisos page …


Economics and Investing:

Here’s a great example of how they’ll default on Social Security o o o The Gold To Housing Ratio As A Valuation Indicator o o o Venezuela’s “Death Spiral” – B.B. o o o Forget Alpha: Billionaires Deliver Bedlam Warnings Instead! – B.H. o o o CRUSH THE STREET: SRSrocco, Will We See A 10/1 Gold-Silver Price Ratio? o o o SurvivalBlog and its editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our Provisos page for details.


Letter Re: Fireproof Safes

Hugh: I did some consulting for a well-known gun safe manufacturer. They make a premium product, and their clients never suffered loss due to either break-in or fire damage. The only heat resistant insulation they used was common sheetrock. They used multiple layers with offset corners and edges, similar to the wall between living space and garage in a modern home. They did not tape or use any mud, just a snug fit. It seems reasonable that the heat resistance of an ordinary inexpensive safe could be enhanced by fabricating a welded enclosure insulated with sheetrock and inserting the safe …


Economics and Investing:

Buffett Loses $1.4 Billion as Wells Fargo Tumbles on Scandal – DSV o o o U.S. credit card balances may soon top $1 trillion – B.B. o o o Census Bureau: 118,395,000 on ‘Government Health Insurance’ in 2015; 28,966,000 Uninsured for Entire Year – B.B. o o o Video: Why I Bought Silver NOW – Mike Maloney o o o SurvivalBlog and its editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our Provisos page for details.


Letter Re: Storing Cash at Home

Hugh, Caution. My dad stored several mason jars around the property stuffed with $100 bills rolled tightly. When he moved from the old homestead, we helped him dig them up and found mold had invaded the jars so the outer eighth inch of $100 bills turned to dust. The bills were in so tight we had to break the glass to get them out. We will never know how much was lost, but if i were doing the same thing today I think I might look at vacuum packing to insure survival. – M.


Economics and Investing:

Wells Fargo scandal is just the beginning… here’s what else they’re hiding– o o o US Dollar Will Strengthen As Fed Funds Rate Rises o o o The Death Of The Bakken Field Has Begun: Means Big Trouble For The U.S. – K.T. o o o Bad News For The Bakken As Obama Administration Blocks Pipeline o o o SurvivalBlog and its editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our Provisos page for details.


Letter Re: Storing Cash at Home

Hugh, Every small fire resistant safe I’ve found has a warning that the fireproofing material emits moisture, and they recommend putting papers in plastic to protect against mildew and rot. They also recommend airing the box out periodically, which might be difficult if it’s cached someplace. We use our Foodsaver to protect against this. Just wanted to mention it in case someone doesn’t read the instructions that come with the safes. Regards, – P.T.


Economics and Investing:

U.S. national debt is more than all the world’s physical cash, gold, silver, and bitcoin combined. – B.B. o o o Central Banks May Choose Helicopter Money Over Negative Rates o o o Case For -2% Rates, Banning Cash? Jim Grant Blasts Lunatic Proposals – DSV o o o An Explosion of Global Debt. Excerpt: “Whether we talk about Greek, Spanish, French, Italian or German banks, their balance sheets are all lumbered with billions of toxic assets with the only buyer being the ECB. This is why the current ECB printing program will not end in March 2017 but instead …


Letter Re: Storing Cash at Home

Hugh, A caution to those storing cash at home: Those “fire-proof” lock boxes are only relatively fire proof and are typically rated for temperatures up to 1000F for up to 20 minutes. High temperatures for long periods will completely destroy them. A severe house fire can easily exceed 1000F and take hours to extinguish. The best place to keep them is in a basement or crawlspace, which tends to remain (relatively) cool even in a devastating fire. Regards, Don in Oregon


Economics and Investing:

Major Problems Announced At One Of The Largest Too Big To Fail Banks In The United States – W.C. o o o Iranian oil output stagnates for third month amid OPEC bargaining o o o Oil Markets Brace As U.S. Looks To Sell 100 Million Barrels From SPR. Aging infrastructure could render the U.S. strategic petroleum reserve (SPR) increasingly ineffective, leading to a potentially smaller reserve in the near future. o o o From steaks to furniture, Hanjin Shipping collapse to raise freight costs o o o SurvivalBlog and its editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see …


Economics and Investing:

Police seize over 5,000 ounces of silver from man’s home o o o The Six Presidents Causing US Bankruptcy – A.D. o o o Gold Could Blast Through $1,350 And Be $1,500 In The Blink Of An Eye o o o Latin America’s Pink Tide Crashes on the Rocks o o o SurvivalBlog and its editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our Provisos page for details.


Economics and Investing:

Why You Should Be Paying Attention to America’s Quiet War on Cash – DSV o o o 5,300 Wells Fargo employees fired for creating over 2 million phony accounts – P.S. o o o Hanjin Bankruptcy: a Harbinger for the Global Economy? – B.B. o o o Hanjin Shipping’s Troubles Leave $14 Billion in Cargo Stranded at Sea o o o Are they serious? First picture of four-bed house that jobless couple with eight kids slammed council for offering – P.M. o o o SurvivalBlog and its editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our Provisos page …


Economics and Investing:

IRS Warns Against Keeping IRA Funds In Gold At Home – J.C. o o o Negative Interest Rates and the War on Cash (2) – H.L. o o o This One Chart Should Drive Investors Into Buying Gold & Silver o o o Worse Than the Depression: 1 in 6 Working Age Males Has No Job Under Obama – B.B. o o o SurvivalBlog and its editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our Provisos page for details.


A Plea to Those Still Dependant Upon the Banking System, by G.S.

Recently, I discovered the last local bank in the area is being bought by a bank with eight times more exposure to derivatives. As I attempted to explain the dangers of this increased exposure to my family one evening, I realized my father may have more than the current FDIC insured limit stashed in this one bank. In an attempt to make the case for him to at least spread out his savings, I have been researching the many reasons he should consider changing where his money is kept. I believe it is important for everyone to recognize the danger …


Economics and Investing:

When they say ‘hoarding’ instead of ‘saving’ you know you’re in trouble o o o Cash in a Box Catches On as Swiss Negative Rates Bite – G.G. o o o Items from Mr. Econocobas: Sorry Losers! how the Fed Screwed the Many to Benefit the Few – From the folks at Peak Prosperity, good read for sure Cash in a Box Catches On as Swiss Negative Rates Bite o o o SurvivalBlog and its editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our Provisos page for details.