Economics & Investing for Preppers

Here are the latest items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. We also cover hedges, derivatives, and obscura. And it bears mention that most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of JWR. (SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor.) Today’s focus is a likely burst of the global debt bubble in the near future.

Precious Metals:

First off, here is some useful commentary from Peter Hug: Is $1,300 Gold a Viable Target?

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Also at Kitco: Fed Increases; Dollar Rises, Gold Swoons

Commodities Economics:

Next, over at OilPrice.com, we read: Tillerson Seeks To Turn Oil Tap Off For North Korea

Forex:

On to the foreign exchange (Forex) news, Vladimir Ribakov offers: Weekly Forex Market Review 11 to 16 of June 2017

Global Stocks:

Moving on to stocks, there is this at The Guardian: Global stock markets: what’s driving the record rises – and will they continue?

Debt Bubble:

Reader H.L. sent this link.  It is a dire bubble burst warning that should be heeded! (Video) Jim Rogers: The worst crash in our lifetime is coming. (JWR’s Comment: As I concur, in the next crisis Rogers predicts not just businesses failing, but entire nation states failing.)

Economy and Finance:

Next, the big news on Wednesday was that the Fed Open Market Committee (FOMC) pushed up interest rates 1/4 of 1%.  Chairwoman Yellen hinted that a couple of more rate increases are expected in the next year.  But this still leaves rates exceptionally low, versus the historic norm. The Fed’s “target” for consumer  price inflation is  reportedly 2%.  How munificent of them to levy this hidden form of taxation that robs us of one half of the buying power of the Dollar once every couple of decades.

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And over at the SRSRocco Report, there is this:  MASSIVE CENTRAL BANK ASSET PURCHASES: Last Ditch Effort To Save Economy & Cap Gold Price. (JWR’s Comment: The Fed still holds about $3 Trillion in assets, about half of which  it bought while in panic mode, during the 2008/9 global credit debacle. They claim that they plan to unwind all of this balance sheet, at roughly $600 billion per year, but I’m dubious. They bought themselves this fake recovery and falsch prosperity.  This is what has propped up the equities markets. Someday this game of bubble blowing will come to an abrupt and tragic end.

Derivatives

The credit derivatives market was unperturbed by the Fed’s interest rate hike on Wednesday. This was attributed to foreknowledge of the change by the CDO/CDS cognoscenti. They had all been warned months in advance of the hike, so it was already “built in to the market.”  Here are the latest CDS and Bond Index numbers, courtesy of The Wall Street Journal.

Tangibles Investing:

Finally, we read where “the smart money” is headed: Billionaires are stockpiling land that could be used in the apocalypse — here’s where they’re going.

Provisos:

SurvivalBlog and its Editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. So please see our Provisos page for our detailed disclaimers.

News Tips:

Please send your economics and investing news tips to JWR. (Either via e-mail of via our Contact form.) These are often especially relevant, because they come from folks who particularly watch individual markets. And due to their diligence and focus, we benefit from fresh “on target”  investing news. As a result, SurvivalBlog often “gets the scoop” on economic and investing news that is probably missed (or reported late) in other news sources. Thanks!