Here are the latest news 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 on the bearish stock market. (See the Stocks section.)
Precious Metals:
This week was a short holiday week of trading on the Comex. By the Tuesday close, spot gold was up 0.37%, while silver was essentially flat.
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This Miner Switched From Gold To Battery Metals, Here’s Why
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Metals Focus: Record Palladium Prices Won’t Lead To Supply Surge
Economy & Finance:
Mortgage rates slide the fastest in four years, but it may be too late for the housing market
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Video: China’s Bike-Sharing Disaster
Stocks (Bearish Stock Market):
This week is a short holiday week of trading in the U.S. stock markets. The big sell-off seems to be continuing. It is not yet officially a bear market, but it is starting to look like a bearish stock market. All of the stock market gains for 2018 have been wiped out in the past few weeks. I expect to see the bull slaughtering continue for the rest of the calendar year. I’m hoping that most SurvivalBlog readers were already light on their stock portfolios, and are now fully divested except for perhaps a few recession-proof blue chip stocks. As for me? I presently hold no stocks, ETFs, or mutual funds. Yes, I sleep well at night.
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Dr. John Hussman: Stock Markets Remains Extremely Overvalued
Commodities:
VOA: Trump Thanks Saudis for Tamping Down World Oil Prices
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Could Trump And Xi Kill Bearish Sentiment In Oil?
Cryptos:
Brandon Smith: IMF Reveals That Cryptocurrency Is The New World Order End Game
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In First Since 2015, Bitcoin’s Price Is Testing a 200-Week Average
Provisos:
SurvivalBlog and its Editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. 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. We often get the scoop on economic and investing news that is probably ignored (or reported late) by mainstream American news outlets. Thanks!
Re: China’s bike sharing disaster
This video is very bias against China. Fredoneverything is a pretty savvy guy. He and his wife just got back from 2 weeks in China. His take on the REAL CHINA (including bike sharing ) from the people’s perspective sheds a much different take on the country. His pictures show a content people and a clean people. I challenge anyone to find one piece of litter on any street or locale. And there is virtually no police presence.
One look at their fast rail system, and you’ll realize that China is not stupid. It is vibrant and healthy compared to the decaying US. China will figure out its bike sharing problem without FEMA camps.Like Gerald Celente recently said, ‘The business of China is business. The business of America is war’.
The US is a rotted out husk. I’ve been to 20 major metro areas and many smaller cities in the past decade. There hasn’t been any real growth in 3 decades and even the growth under Reagan was debt fueled government expansion.
Working on investments for value increase today. Waiting 3 hours so far to get to my number…..17….for service. Meanwhile, sitting in store camping chair and ordering via phone……GunMagWarehouse 6 packs for $84.99.
No lack of entertainment either: meeting LMP, getting salmon fishing tips, turkey and elk hunting location suggestions, and tipped manager off to a lady trying to sneak out wearing a new pair of hightop boots with the tag fluttering behind her knee.
This 3 hour wait is like a great intel gathering opportunity.
God Bless you all, and have a beautiful day today.
There are several ETFs for battery metals. There is a pure ETF and others that are broader and include manufacturers and downstream battery buyers such as car makers. There are also ETFs that are more broadly “green” and include other energy sources. The battery metal miners are like any other commodity company. If you don’t know how to profit from commodities in general then avoid these too. Just because it’s shiny doesn’t change market dynamics. With dems regaining control of government over the coming several years one could expect solar and wind to do well, but keep in mind, the utility companies aren’t sitting around eating crayons and drooling, if wind and solar were profitable they wouldn’t require commie programs to make them successful. Return on Capital and Return on Investment are real things that grownups at real companies now how to calculate. Government? Not so much. Having said all that, I would expect the LONG TERM prospects for car battery technologies specifically, to be bright.
We need some damage here. I would like to see a down year. We need a good old fashioned 20 to 25 percent bear correction across the board. Markets that go straight up, go straight back down. A healthy market will instill fear among traders and respect among investors and not wild swings of ridiculous giddiness and jump from the top floor dire anguish.
To Fred that seems like right-thinking. I just read The Grid about our aging grid infrastructure and how compliance with green regulations challenge the legacy technology and business as usual. The book didn’t shy from techie engineering concepts but it wasn’t detailed like an IEEE publication to EE readers either. It was actually written by an anthropologist. I’m now appreciating the need for energy storage, and the potential for electric cars that can give and/or take from the grid (V2G) to reduce the need of the peaking generators.
If not for war America’s economy would be in the toilet. Used to be the Soviets ran their economy that way. We can see how Socialism and War combined to take the Soviet Socialist economy down. We are heading that way rapidly with the recent election of a majority democrat House of representatives. Too bad so many Americans are ignorant ill educated stooges wanting to suck off the hind teat of Govt. This includes especially the Corporate Warmongers with their huge War Machine Contracts.