Category: Economics & Investing

Letter Re: Older Swiss Franc Note Invalidations

HJL, Having experienced some disappointments with foreign currencies both in minor personal matters and in business (as well as some successes). Repeated mention of the Swiss Franc here on SurvivalBlog piqued my interest. When I first became involved in currency, I took a look through the souvenirs my family brought back over the years. I was happy to see a 10 SFr note there. My presumption was that surely this must be something! Disappointment followed shortly thereafter, when it turned out to be nothing more than a piece of colored paper by that time. There is one fact regarding the …


Economics and Investing:

Three lessons from safari in Zimbabwe (Note: contains a sales pitch but good info anyway.) o o o Gold Price Skyrockets In India After Currency Ban – RBS o o o Abolishing Large Currency. Government of India has recalled all large denomination bills and are using it for a tool to collect information on its citizens and go after them for tax evasion. – B.R. o o o Is The Silver Price Even A Better Bargain Than Gold’s? o o o SurvivalBlog and its editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our Provisos page for details.


Purchasing Power: Past, Present, Future- Part 5, by L.M.

If one was to purchase gold and silver as insurance and track the spot price at kitco.com on an hourly or even weekly basis, one is missing the purpose entirely. Do you review your health, home, or automobile insurance policies weekly? Of course not. You review it before you purchase it, put the policy in a safe place, and bring it out when you need it. Then there is the camp that loves to argue that silver and gold are a worthless store of value and that good stocks with good dividends are the way to protect your purchasing power …


Letter Re: Fingerprinted To Sell Gold Coin

Dear JWR and HJL, It appears I have missed something along the way. I recently went in to a local pawn shop that a year ago was a coin and jewelry shop. My husband and I have purchased from the coin and jewelry shop a number of times and I had sold a gold necklace once. You surrender gold and get cash; it was that easy. The same owner turned it into a pawn shop. This time I went in to sell a single gold coin, and the owner took my drivers license information and my thumb print. I was …


Economics and Investing:

Ag barometer points toward tough times – K.W. o o o The Looming Bubble in Long-Term Debt o o o Paper Gold Market Trades Jaw-Dropping 6,800 Tonnes In One Day! o o o Make Inflation Great Again! Is Trump the “Inflation President”? Spotlight on Bonds, Oil, Gold, Attitudes o o o SurvivalBlog and its editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our Provisos page for details.


Purchasing Power: Past, Present, Future- Part 4, by L.M.

The real currency of the world has become trust. Dallas Fed chairman Fisher stated, “Fiat money is a game of CONfidence and faith and if these are lost it is over.” (emphasis added) Did he really just admit that this is a CON game? I thought we were supposed to play our part in this grand charade and pretend it had value? What is the matter with him? What in the world does this even mean? Sadly, we are past the time in history when being honest was considered noble and right! Governments are past it, and soon people around …


Economics and Investing:

Half of America Can’t Afford More Than $100/Month on Health Insurance – B.B. o o o Most people in the US missed out on this o o o President Trump: This Is How To Bring Back 1 Million Energy Jobs. Although the energy policies of President-elect Trump remain largely unclear, there is huge potential to create hundreds of thousands of energy jobs across the country. o o o The story of inflation between 1996 and 2016 is of rising prices in things that you need: Prices skyrocket for middle class goods and services. o o o SurvivalBlog and its editors …


Purchasing Power: Past, Present, Future- Part 3, by L.M.

Largest Theft in History As expected, Ms. Yellen smiled last week, announcing no change to the Fed’s extraordinary policies. For the last eight years, she has been aiding and abetting the largest theft in history. Thanks to ZIRP (zero-interest-rate policy) and QE (quantitative easing), every year, about $300 billion is transferred from largely middle-class savers to largely better-off speculators, financial asset owners, and the biggest borrowers during that period– corporations and the government. The financial press, nevertheless, finds something vaguely heroic about enabling the grandest larceny ever. Bloomberg says, “Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen braved mounting opposition inside and outside …


Economics and Investing:

War On Cash Strikes India: PM Scraps Large Bills, Limits ATM Withdrawals To “Fight Corruption” – G.G. o o o Meanwhile… as the world watched the election… this happened o o o Oil And Gas – Huge Victors Of The Presidential Election. Oil and gas are potentially huge winners of the Trump victory, but uncertainty about the geopolitical situation and Trump’s policies could sour the situation. o o o How Government Budget Deficits Make Us Poorer o o o SurvivalBlog and its editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our Provisos page for details.


Purchasing Power: Past, Present, Future- Part 2, by L.M.

“We have, in this country, one of the most corrupt institutions the world has ever known. I refer to the Federal Reserve Board. This evil institution has impoverished the people of the United States and has practically bankrupted our government. It has done this through the corrupt practices of the moneyed vultures who control it.” – Congressman Louis T. McFadden in 1932 (Rep. Pa) They finally told the truth about who really owns the currency, though not in plain English. They do not explain their actions nor their comments on the economy in plain English. One has to deduce and …


Economics and Investing:

Dallas “Pension Fund Panic” As Mayor Warns Of 130% Property Tax Hike To Avoid Collapse. This is a large city, BUT a collapsing pension plan CAN happen in a state! – H.L. o o o OPEC Remains Positive On Output Cut As Oil Crashes To $44 o o o Global Markets Rocked as Traders See Likelihood of Trump Victory o o o Greenspan Foresees 5% Interest Rates: “Only One Long-Term Direction and That is Up” o o o SurvivalBlog and its editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our Provisos page for details.


Purchasing Power: Past, Present, Future- Part 1, by L.M.

How did I end up here? Now I can feel the noose tightening! I learned about the gallows early. I began to notice in the late 80s. Perhaps that is when I became self-aware, no longer like a Jack Russell that has no fear fighting a German Shepard, not one who has no idea how big he is or that he is a dog. A Jack Russell even considers you to be part of the dog pack. Are you willing to become self-aware or perhaps you prefer the pack. “It is easier to fool people than to convince them that …


Economics and Investing:

David Stockman warns both Trump and Clinton could lead to 25% sell-of o o o Gold Surges While Stocks And Bonds Melt o o o Is the Rise in Price Inflation Transitory? o o o 94,609,000 adult Americans not in the labor force: In January 2009, 80,529,000 were not in the labor force. Now we’ve added 14 million Americans. o o o As The World Awaits The U.S. Election Outcome, Buckle Up For Some Rough Times o o o SurvivalBlog and its editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our Provisos page for details.


Economics and Investing:

David Stockman warns both Trump and Clinton could lead to 25% sell-off o o o End Of The U.S. Major Oil Industry Era: Big Trouble At ExxonMobil o o o UK court says Brexit needs parliament’s approval, complicates government plans o o o Kentucky Plans to Pull At Least $800 Million From Hedge Funds o o o SurvivalBlog and its editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our Provisos page for details.


Economics and Investing:

Silver Price Forecast: Silver Is Looking Really Bullish In Dollars, Euros and Rands o o o Gun control groups spend millions on state ballot initiatives o o o The potential ‘economic catastrophe’ that no one is talking about – G.G. o o o Global Interest In Silver Investment Expands As South Africa Adds New Silver Krugerrand JWR Warns: Because this design is almost identical to the gold Krugerrand, readers are warned to start watching for faked gold-plated silver Krugerrands! Caveat emptor. o o o SurvivalBlog and its editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our Provisos page …