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 antique gunleather. (See the Tangibles section, near the end of this column.)
Precious Metals:
First, there is this at Equities.com: Gold: A Hedge Against Growing Risk
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Gold eases ahead of Jackson Hole central bankers meet
Stocks:
Top 4 Inverse ETFs for a Bear Market as of August 2017
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Global investors look to Jackson Hole for signs of how QE will end
Commodities:
Copper: This one surging metal could see an even bigger rally ahead
Forex:
UK revised GDP Q2 confirmed at 0.3% q/q, 1.7% y/y – GBP/USD retreats
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Lower pound and Brexit making an impact on UK immigration figures
Economy and Finance:
From the statist-biased CNBC: What some expect from Jackson Hole, the ‘meeting of the minds’ of Fed policy (Note: This site has auto-starting video.)
Troubling Trends:
Chart: U.S. Household debt to GDP
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Student Loan Debt Statistics for 2017 Show Americans Are Burdened With Record Breaking Student Loan Debt. ($1.4 trillion and climbing!)
Tangibles Investing (Antique Gunleather):
One often overlooked aspect of gun collecting is buying antique gunleather. Bottom line, up front: There are still lots of antique guns dating back several centuries available to collectors and investors. But there is precious little original gunleather (holsters, slings, and scabbards), to match. This is because leather is far more perishable than steel and wood. If well cared for, high quality antique gunleather could appreciate in value considerably in the next couple of decades.
A favorite of mine are holsters that were made by H.H. Heiser, of Denver, Colorado. Best known as a saddlemaker, Heiser went out of business in the 1950s. If you want to collect Heiser products, then I recommend that you concentrate on their tooled holsters, since they are less common than plain leather holsters.
For some reason there is a profusion of Heiser hip holsters for Colt Woodsman out there. Avoid buying those unless you can find tooled examples, or other scarce variants.
A key reference on this subject is Richard Ratenbury’s book Packing Iron. This is a key reference that every serious gun investor should own. It is noteworthy that there is an entire chapter in this book on Heiser brand holsters.
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!