Category: Odds ‘n Sods

Courtesy of reader KBF: J.P. Morgan Says Banks Face “Systemic Margin Call,” $325 billion hit    o o o When I last checked, the US Dollar Index was down to 72.260, and falling rapidly. Consider this a final warning: If the USD Index drops below 72, the next likely trading target will be approximately $1.75 to buy a Euro. Keep in mind that 72 is the magic number that The Chartist Gnome warned us about. Quit dawdling and get out of your dollar-denominated investments! OBTW, on a related note, here is a piece (by way of Eric) from Forbes: Fed …

MB and Jason both mentioned an article that indicates that the mainstream media is catching on to the threat of a derivatives implosion: Derivatives the new ‘ticking bomb’ The only good news is that the number of new derivatives contracts has dropped dramatically since August of ’07. But then again, that “good” news is indicative that the global economy has stalled and is about to crash and burn.    o o o Eric recommended this commentary from England: Who knows there’s a food crisis? The early signals are there, but the world seems to be sleepwalking towards disaster    o …

More from economist Marc Faber’s recent speech: ‘Doom and Gloom’ has just begun. And at the risk of exceeding your maximum daily dose of Gloom and Doom, consider this article sent in by RBS: US Fed releases [another] $200 billion as credit crisis hits new depths. And for the icing on the cake, The New York Times ran this: Seeing an End to the Good Times (Such as They Were). A key data point mentioned in the article: “The median household [in the US] earned $48,201 in 2006, down from $49,244 in 1999, according to the Census Bureau.” OBTW, that …

P.R. suggested an article in Home Power magazine on hydropower basics.    o o o A reminder that the Western Rifle Shooter’s Association (WRSA)’s first event scheduled for 2008 is a two day defensive handgun course, in Brookings, Oregon on March 15 & 16. The WRSA offers high quality training for very little money, so be sure to take advantage of it!    o o o Remember what I’ve been saying about lenders reverting to saying “No”? And do your remember my predictions on municipal bonds and their insurers” Here are a couple of recent snippets from Bill Bonner, over …

From Bloomberg: Fed Boosts Lending to Banks as Credit Rout Continues. Bloomberg also reports: Bernanke Policy to `Destroy’ U.S. Dollar, Faber Says. It sounds like there are some perilous times ahead!    o o o Mark in Idaho mentioned: that he spoke recently with a good friend who lives in Southwestern Utah. Mark said that his friend went to his local LDS cannery over the weekend and was told to “hurry up and buy what he could since the cannery prices were going to increase, as of the 22nd of March.” That leaves just a short time before the price …

Patrick sent us a link to a promising new steam engine design. (I mentioned it once before in the blog, but their web site has recently been expanded, so it is worth another look.)    o o o Steve sent this: Citi Falls on Worries About Cash Levels. Steve’s comment: “The largest banks are in trouble and main stream media is reporting it.” Meanwhile, we read: Wall Street to Citigroup: Come clean    o o o Two more links from Eric, with more cheery news from abroad: International experts foresee collapse of U.S. economy and, Already we have riots, hoarding, …

Don’t miss watching this brief video clip: John Williams of ShadowStats Warns: Economic Depression Ahead. (A hat tip to William D. for spotting that video link.)   o o o Jason B. sent us this: Gulf investors may not save Citigroup, Dubai executive says. Jason’s comment: “JWR’s prediction of bank runs may come sooner rather than later.” Meanwhile, we read: Banks’ Losses Could Put $900 Billion Squeeze on Consumers.    o o o In a recent issue of The Daily Reckoning, Bill Bonner commented: “Among the Fed’s efforts to relieve the bankers’ pain has been a new line of credit – …

Fraud compounds woes of housing crisis. (Thanks to Heghduq for the link.)    o o o A reader in South Florida wrote to ask me why I had “an unrealistic view of the [investment] potential for farmland” and why I “such a strong emphasis on buying farm ground” when coastal and resort properties “have appreciated so well for more than 30 years.” I have a news flash for her: For the next 5 to 10 years, coastal and resort property will probably go substantially go down in price, but good productive farm ground is going to go up in price. …

Mainstream market commentator Robert Kioysaki recommends buying silver coins in this piece: The Profit of Doom A SurvivalBlog reader mentioned that Kiyosaki was one of the few mainstream market mavens to recognize silver as a bargain fairly early on. Meanwhile, a lot of his colleagues with stock and bond tunnel vision are still in denial.    o o o Lex found this from The Wall Street Journal: Will Thornburg Join Failed Lenders?    o o o Thanks to Sapa for flagging this: Zimbabwe bans ‘unlawful hoarding’. The illegal “hoarding” threshold is absurd–the equivalent of just $21 USD!    o o …

My old friend Jeff moved to England to get his final sheep skin–a doctorate degree. He tells me that the price of gasoline (“petrol”) now averages £1.09 GBP per liter in the Thames Valley, and that he has seen it advertised for as much as £1.50 GBP/liter out on the highways. At current exchange rates, £1.50 GBP equals $2.97 USD. Now, multiplying liters to US gallons (x 3.785) that equates to a heart-stopping $11.24 USD per gallon. Ouch! (For comparison, I most recently paid $2.98 per gallon, locally, but I’ve seen it as high as $3.05) OBTW, Jeff mentioned that …

Cleveland:ghost town created by America’s loan scandal. Here is a snippet from the article with some downright post-apocalyptic imagery: “…street after empty street of boarded-up houses, their roofs caving in, collapsed balconies hanging from the fronts of buildings. Some people seem to have just upped and left, leaving their belongings behind for the rats and vandals. Owners have put up signs offering their burnt-out homes for a $500 (£250) down payment. Bins and rubbish litter the street. Signs warn trespassers the structures are unsafe. People have spray-painted “No copper” or “No metal” on their doors to deter crooks who have …

Our friend Mike mentioned a web page that shows the contents of various vehicular kits for G.O.O.D., camping, first aid, and so forth.    o o o Reader Amy Q. pointed us to a post on another site that has some good ideas for building up a second income. As I’ve mentioned before, every family should have a second income that they can fall back on, in the event of a layoff. A home-based business might also grow into something that will be your ticket to living at your retreat year-round.    o o o Eric spotted this: Bernanke predicts …

Reader Daniel K. recommended an essay about dependence on grid power, posted over at the Jeff Rense site: Worst Drug On Earth Stops In 8 Milliseconds    o o o Freddie Mac posts $2.5 Billion Loss in Fourth Quarter of 2007    o o o I just heard that “The Armchair Survivalist” weekly Internet radio show is expanding to shortwave, on WWCR, starting tonight. Kurt covers some interesting topics and he has some great guests. He also still operates Survival Enterprises (that you may remember as a former SurvivalBlog advertiser). They sell a variety of storage foods and gear at …

I recently heard from three different storage food vendors that they are getting deluged with orders. Apparently, the recent economic news and reports of grain shortages have worked together to cause people to suddenly want to lay in a supply of long term storage food. Both Mountain House and Alpen Aire now have orders backed up 45 to 60 days. Many storage food vendors have run out of stock, so expect to wait at least two months for shipment. I only expect the order backlogs to increase in coming months, so don’t dawdle. Prices are also likely to increase, since …

Billy S. found this piece: Is Zimbabwe-style Inflation Coming to America? $500,000 for a cigarette?    o o o Courtesy of our friend Eric comes this from The Seattle Times: Wheat Hits Record on US Inventory Report    o o o PMac found us a “Fun little list of Dream BOVs“    o o o John S. suggested the economic commentary in video clip of Glenn Beck’s interview of Jonah Goldberg, the author of the book “Liberal Fascism”