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 on investing in Trading Cards. (See the Tangibles section, near the end of this column.)
Precious Metals:
Investors Should Take Advantage Of Gold’s Summer Doldrums – Mickey Fulp
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Stunning Results: Four Top Primary Silver Miners Production Plummets
Stocks:
When Will the Tech Bubble Burst?
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Over at the CNBC Cheering Section: S&P 500 and Dow hit record highs, led by financials
Commodities:
I missed this interesting article when it ran back in April: Nickel Market Beware: Batteries can no Longer be Ignored – Roskill Information Services
Forex:
Sterling hits 10-month low against euro after consumer spending fall
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Forex – Dollar index turns higher, hits fresh 1-week peak. JWR’s Comment: But we can probably expect a substantially weaker US Dollar, by the end of Trump’s term in office. Plan accordingly.
Economy and Finance:
Credit crunch, 10 years on: fate of RBS shows global crisis is not over
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Nomi Prins: Three Precursors to the ’08 Crisis are Repeating Now.
Derivatives:
Ay, ay ay: Options Exchange CBOE to Launch Cryptocurrency Derivatives in 2017
Troubling Trends:
Over at Alt-Market.com, Brandon Smith offered this incisive commentary: Geopolitical Tensions Are Designed To Distract The Public From Economic Decline
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Beneath the glow of stock-market records, darkly bearish trends are lurking
Tangibles Investing (Trading Cards):
One particularly fickle niche in the world of tangibles investing is Trading Cards. As with other ephemera, condition is key. You will have to do a lot of homework before investing. One small crease can make a huge difference in value. Keep in mind that ephemera values are often more volatile than rare precious metals coin values. If a particular subject become passé, then the price of its trading card can collapse. Conversely, if there is a major Hollywood movie release about a particular baseball player, then prices can soar. A caveat: I generally do not recommend investing in trading cards. But perhaps those with large portfolios might want to diversify a small percentage of their holdings.
For trading cards, the Beckett Guides seem to be the standard references. Here are a few useful articles, as a starting point:
- Trading card investing for monied nerds
- Eight Survival Tips for Collectors Returning to the World of Sports Cards
- Why baseball cards aren’t worth what they used to be
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. We often “get the scoop” on economic and investing news that is probably ignored (or reported late) by mainstream American news outlets. Thanks!
Baseball cards? Hardly what I’d consider ‘tangibles’. Guns, ammunition, tools, food, meds would retain value in a societal crash because people need them. Gold and silver coins are easily recognized and are waterproof. Even fire won’t destroy them. If you must buy collectibles, why not something with utility like antique furniture? Prices are way down. I enjoy baseball, but I wouldn’t bet the farm on baseball cards.
Depends on the level of collapse. Certain cards and coins are rare and garner constant attention among collectors. They will hold value after a recovery begins. Cards aren’t for me either but demand isn’t eliminated for all classes of high demand collectibles – it’s interrupted.
‘Depends on what constitutes the “disaster.” We prep for TEOTWAWKI. We also prep for the loss of a job, health issues, and the like. If I were in a financial pinch, I’d rather sell off a prized trading card than, say, my pickup truck.
That being said, I have NO IDEA what makes people pay so much for a scrap of cardboard that, when originally sold, went for about a nickel, and came with four or five other cards and a stick of gum!
I like the points you’ve been covering on hard assets investing. I’ve been focusing on Garands from WWII and the Korean era. Prices are stable as they are still being disbursed via the CMP program. They’re also fully functional rifles that can be very accurate and built to handle abuse.
Perhaps more than anything else, failure to recognize the precariousness and fickleness of confidence — especially in cases in which large short-term debts need to be rolled over continuously — is the key factor that gives rise to the “this-time-is-different” syndrome. Highly indebted governments, banks, or corporations can seem to be merrily rolling along for an extended period, when “BANG!” –confidence collapses, lenders disappear, and a crisis hits. — Carmen Reinhart and Kenneth Rogoff
The Nomi Prins article is intriging and troubling.
For those interested in baseball cards (investment or just collecting for a hobby), net54baseball.com is one of the best online sites for learning and buying/selling/trading. The site focuses on vintage cards, especially pre-WWII.
Cards,stamps etc maybe a good way to transfer wealth out in case of capital controls in a GOOD situation