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. Most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor, JWR. Today, we look at the galloping prices for AR-15 lower receivers. (See the Tangibles Investing section.)
Precious Metals:
Long time reader and contributor H.L. sent this news: “Credit Suisse just raised their gold target price to $2,600. Looming higher taxes (especially if the Dems sweep the elections), US monetary policy (not good), debt, and inflation sooner rather than later.”
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A six-minute video: “We are all in trouble” PREPARE NOW! (Robert Kiyosaki). Like me, Kiyosaki prefers silver over gold. And I found this recent interview: Robert Kiyosaki: America headed for totalitarianism, will flee country with gold
Economy & Finance:
Wolf Street reports: Ecommerce Sales Blow Out, Spike 44% in Q2: Even Groceries, Building Materials, Garden Supplies, and Furniture
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At Zero Hedge: Apple Hits $2 Trillion Market Cap
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“Massively Compromised” – Corporate Debt Issuance Soars To Record Highs
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Ghost Town: Just 8% of Employees in NYC Are Back in Their Offices
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Another at Wolf Street: How Negative Interest Rates Sap Consumer Spending by an Ever Larger Part of Consumers
Commodities:
If you’ve shopped for treated lumber, plywood, or even plain-old 2×4 studs recently, you’ve surely seen both shortages and higher prices. Much of this attributed to “stay at homes” doing home improvement projects. The chart for plywood prices at the wholesale level doesn’t tell the whole store. Retail prices are now substantially higher!
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OilPrice News reports: U.S. Brokerage Faces Lawsuit Over Trades At Negative Oil Prices
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And at Seeking Alpha: Iron ore rally could run out of steam as supply risks fade, analysts say
Derivatives:
Vietnam: Derivatives market grows spectacularly after three years of operation
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Tadawul Announces the Launch Date of the Saudi Derivatives Market and Index Futures
Forex & Cryptos:
Dollar Slips to 27-Month Low, While Gold and Stocks Strengthen
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Rand stronger as dollar slips, stocks down
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Hedge Fund Looks for Bottom in Turkish Lira
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This Bearish Divergence Suggests Bitcoin Will Soon See a $1,300+ Pullback
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Despite Surge Past $12k, a Fund Manager Thinks Bitcoin Is “Still a Dying Asset”
Tangibles Investing:
This was inevitable, folks: There are now galloping prices for AR-15 lower receivers–both stripped and complete. Have you noticed that Palmetto State Armory is now down to just a few types of stripped lowers still available and that they have raised their price to an average of $79.95 each? Yikes.
Even the Anderson Manufacturing “Poverty Pony“ stripped lowers –that once sold for as low as $18.95 for ones with minor finish blemishes–are getting bid up over $60 each. For example, see this one that sold for $64, at GunBroker.com.
So… if you took my advice in August of 2019 and wisely “stacked them deep” in your gun vault at $29.95 each, then you’ve done well — now that they are at $79.95, and climbing. That 260% gain in 12 months represents a much better return than putting your money in most stocks. My updated recommendation: Don’t sell any of your extra lowers at the “old” price. It appears that somewhere around $80 to $100 will be the new going retail rate. And if “Shotgun Joe” Biden is elected and the Democrats take control of the U.S. Senate, then sky is the limit.
The days of “commodity” AR lowers, when makers were trying to under-bid each other are over, and not likely to return — at least not in this decade of the 2020s.
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Oh and speaking of strong sales, Reader C.B. sent us this video from Jon Patton of The Gun Collective (TGC): Breaking Records Again! – July NICS Numbers
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 closely watch specific markets. If you spot any news that would be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers, then please send it in. News items from local news outlets that are missed by the news wire services are especially appreciated. And it need not be only about commodities and precious metals. Thanks!
I’m telling those around me to keep stocking up on spare parts kits for rifles and handguns. Things happen and if you can’t keep them running then they do you no good.
I know ammo is tight but they also do you very little good if they aren’t sighted in. I’m not sure why thats an issue but I’ve encountered dozens this way recently and every hunting season we see it when misses are grumbled about or the day before when I’m trying to help them get it sighted in which means it’s sat for a year or more in a useless condition.
And no “Minute of Bad Guy” across the living room is not acceptable. Thats laziness talking of excuses.
“If you’ve shopped for treated lumber, plywood, or even plain-old 2×4 studs recently, you’ve surely seen both shortages and higher prices. Much of this attributed to “stay at homes” doing home improvement projects.”
I about died yesterday when I bought some lumber at my local hardware store and got prices for more. (Luckily the guy behind the counter knew CPR.) ½” chip board has doubled from a year ago and even since March has significantly increased. ½” CDX plywood was up to $29.50 a sheet. They emphasized that prices I got on treated lumber were just good for today and would have to be re-quoted if I didn’t buy. I only bought two 2 x 6 x 10, the rest was going to cost $500, $200 more than I was expecting. I was afraid to ask what 1 x 12 x 10 were going to cost for building beehives but I’m guessing it’s going to be a lot more expensive to build your own and even more expensive to buy them from the catalogs. I hope all the stay-at-home people run out of money soon or at least quit working on their projects once the weather gets cold so lumber prices will start dropping.
Yup I’ve put off a few projects because of the wood prices/availabilty. The housing market is still rising and that combined with the aforementioned home projects have driven it up IF you can find it.
My magic preparedness 8 ball missed that one.
St fun: many beehives are made from cedar. I have had great luck using a company that specializes in mill-outs, excess shorts etc and offers real value in those areas. Cedar direct in Wisconsin. I think that also have in other areas too? Good luck. Ps. Saw 7/16” osb yesterday for just under $23\sheet at local Home Depot. Ouch.
As I look at the continued increase in NCIS numbers and other articles on the demographics of new gun purchasers I cannot help but think that the people are rejecting the Democrats gun control platform by exercising their rights. As usual the Democrats are beating a dead horse by trying to convince their constitutes that they are actually doing something productive. This is a very good example of symbolism over substance. Realizing that their interference in peoples rights has no appreciable impact on gun usage by criminals in Democratic controlled cities and states, what do they do? Double down of course. This is the same as the continued increasing of funding for failing social programs and burdensome bureaucratic regulations. Their complete disregard for the laws of the land has set our cities to the torch with rioting, destruction, and death in the streets. Such poor decisions to pander to a few malcontents by defunding the police and ignoring the law illustrates the derangement of these elected leaders and reflects poorly on their constituents. The hypocrisy of mayors reacting only when the rioters show up on their door steps is unbelievable. We can only hope that the voters will oust these intellectually challenged and deranged individuals and replace them with people that have demonstrated their competence and not just the ability to mouth PC slogans. No apology for this rant, I have had it with morons governing us.
If anyone doubts the future direction our monetary system take a look at U.S. Senate Bill 3571. The title is Banking For All Act. The Congress.Gov site is a nightmare to navigate.
Easy to find on Google.
I’m sure that there won’t be any mention of this in the media.
The IMF published a Working Paper titled Steps In The Transition From Paper Standard To
Electronic Money.
The folks on Wall St. know what is coming. The folks on Main St. not so much.
You’ve heard the old saying about what flows down hill? We are at the bottom.
Looking at the bill, I am not sure how this would affect credit unions. Does anyone know what it could mean for a credit union?
The Robert Kiyosaki interview is a must watch. His insights are sobering on a number of critical issues.
Well I’m almost a millionaire lol
I just got an e-mail from Cheaper Than Dirt that has 100rd of Winchester white box fmj .380 for $149
Matt in Oklahoma…that is unbelievable… for .380 ???
ball generic 380
Matt. I got that same email. They also had a stripped AR15 lower for $399.00. The price of dirt is going up.
Wow I stopped at that box of ammo. I couldn’t afford to scroll through anymore. They say it don’t cost to look but I’m not too sure anymore lol
Where will the wealthy flee to next once the Globalists turn their sights on safe havens?
Lumber cost is also driven by high cost of commercial real estate and using cheaper “stick” frame versus poured concrete or metal. Then you shut down the mill for COVID but keep construction as essential and see what happens to supply and then prices. But….hey, trickle down econ is BS 🙂
The gun/ammo prices and shortage is a disaster for me, since I lost all mine in a house fire in June. About 30 guns and 25k rounds of ammo was destroyed. I had set aside a little money from what was given to us after the fire to re-aquire at least one battle rifle, ammo, and magazines, but the prices and shortage has made that a lost cause, and the money ran out.
I IMPLORE you all to PLEASE space out your preps in separate locations, so a catastrophe doesn’t take them all. Learn from those of us who neglected to do that. I lost ten years of food storage and twenty years of gun/ammo accumulation right when the world is truly going mad. PLEASE keep a trunk gun/etc in every vehicle you own, bury stuff in the yard, keep at a relative’s house, something, anything.
@EECOM
Yikes. That is indeed one of my fears. Having had to work so hard(and spend so much) to regain preps after having been overseas and traveling. Haven’t figured out any good way/place to store most things outside of my house though; our winter weather is pretty bad which precludes storing most things in the shed. I do keep camping gear, seed starting supplies and some tools out there but not much else. Can’t keep food anyplace other than inside my house due to the bear problem here. The basement is quite damp and will make a good root cellar but not a good spot to store anything else but veggies I don’t think.
This would make a great article. We all live in very different types of climates(and properties) but if someone was knowledgeable and wanted to share ideas for how we could safely store some things outside of our houses for a variety of settings, that would be very useful.
That’s the even bigger irony to the whole thing, I originally had 75% of all preps stored in an insulated semi trailer with a heater in it to keep the temperature regulated. I had a month before the fire moved it all out of there and into the house to do PM on some of the guns and better inventory what I had, then the fire hit. Almost as if it was preordained by God to lose it all. But I was still stupid for not leaving at keast one rifle as a trunk gun in a vehicle, and I was also foolishly not even concealed carrying that day, so I wasn’t even left with my usual carry gun. A comedy of errors, bad decisions, and I guess preordained loss.
Do you have hopes of acquiring a battle rifle (AR maybe) in the near future?
The most valuable commodities/tangibles are food and security. Period.
At a gun show I was at today people were buying Palmetto State Armory (PSA) -labeled lowers at $125.