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 rising value of Bitcoin. (See the Cryptos section.)
Precious Metals:
We’ll start out with this from Kelsey Williams: Gold To Monetary Base Ratio Says No Hyperinflation
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#SilverSqueeze hits London as SLV warns of Limited Available Silver Supply
Economy & Finance:
Budget Deficit Totals Record $735.7 Billion Through January
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Another at Wolf Street: 10-Year Treasury Yield Hit 1.21%, More than Doubling Since Aug. But Mortgage Rates Near Record Low. And Junk Bond Yields Dropped to New Record Lows
Commodities:
Samantha sent us this: Expert: Gas Prices Have Surged Since Election, Here’s How Much Americans Could Pay Under Biden
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An OilPrice News video report: Cold Snap Sees 24,000% Rise in Natural Gas Prices
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Column: Funds bought U.S. crude ahead of big freeze – John Kemp
Equities:
Reuters reports: Nikkei back above 30,000 after more than three decades. JWR’s Comment: Lest we feel smug, there could be a similar Long Winter for the DJIA. Diversify out of equities (individual stocks, mutual funds, and ETFs) and into tangibles, folks!
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Citi Literally Needed A Bigger Chart To Show The Latest Market Euphoria.
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Reported on Wednesday: Stock futures are flat after Dow closes at a record, Verizon gains after Berkshire adds position.
Cryptos:
All eyes were on Bitcoin, this past week, as it crossed the $50,000 USD threshold for the first time. See: Correction Anticipated as Bitcoin Runs Past $51,700 in Parabolic Rally. While I expect some sharp price setbacks in the coming weeks, Bitcoin’s rise is indicative of the general worthlessness of modern fiat currencies, including the U.S. Dollar. I have distrust of all currencies that are not silver or gold specie, or redeemable in specie. Just like Bunker Hunt: “I have always believed in silver.”
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The Bahamas gets a card for its sand dollar national digital currency
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The Best Bitcoin Wallets of 2021: A Comprehensive Review
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Why the Sovereign States Want Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs)
JWR’s Comment: As I’ve mentioned before: Once there are sovereign cryptos in use, the national governments will clamp down on private cryptos with heavy regulation and taxation. Their goals are establishing a monopoly, and control. They want full transparency –all the better to systematically tax every transaction. And of course, governments always loathe competition.
Tangibles Investing:
East Tennessee Outdoors…Where’s the Ammo? JWR’s Comment: Supplies are definitely tight, so it takes some sleuthing to find ammunition. I’ve learned that the best place for finding the lowest prices for ammunition online is AmmoSeek.com.
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Over in England, The Telegraph reports: Antique gun sales boom during lockdown as boredom and risk-taking rise
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Keefe Report: On the Front Lines of the Ammo Shortage
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!
Who bought the 4.5 trillion dollars of debt? The answer is very simple: NO ONE. The FED creates money with a few key strokes, they have no actual source of income to generate this amount of money. At their current lending rate of approx. 1/2 % they would have to lend out 200 times this amount to generate this much actual revenue. The Chinese are not buying our debt. This is all a scam and is pretty easy to determine the end result, Zimbabwe here we come.
The morons in Washington the banks and to some extent at the state government level are only trying to prop up a one legged race horse to prevent an uprising that will usurp their power base. It’s over folks, corrupted politicians and banks have just about finished us off, it is just a mater of time. Prepare like your life depends on it.
Here is something to chew on, folks. An experiment…Instead of looking for where you object, look for what you can agree with. Maybe you can complete the passage without your head exploding.
Okay let’s start with this:
“To have a real life, people must participate in real community. In fact, a
new cultural definition of wealth could be not the GNP, but how many people
truly know and care about each other.” ~ Mary Pipher
The CCC directly hired young men to work on rural conservation projects while the PWA built major public works projects such as dams and bridges using private contractors. The New Deal included many types of direct public spending that effectively created millions of jobs for unemployed workers.
Creating Jobs with SocialBenefits
Increasing employment is not an end in itself, but a means to an end. Individuals benefit as employment opportunities increase and they have an easier time finding a job and paying their bills. Workers as a whole benefit as they gain bargaining power and are able to demand better working conditions and higher wages. The effects on society, however, depend on what type of employment is created. Pursuing strategies to create employment in targeted areas such as clean energy, education, health care, or infrastructure can have social payoffs that go beyond the employment itself. The federal government can promote employment in the clean energy sector both directly and indirectly, including by pur-chasing fuel-efficient vehicles, weatherizing buildings, putting solar panels on schools, and offering discount loans or tax incentives to people buying renewable energy technologies such as solar panels or geothermal heat pumps. Employment in the clean energy sector encompasses a wide variety of educational backgrounds and levels of experience, and it spans a range of occupations and wages. Engineers and architects with college degrees are needed to design buildings and technologies. Production workers with credentials ranging from less than a high school education to a college degree will be needed in the manufacturing sector. Construction workers ranging from electricians with some college education to insulation workers with less than a high school education will be needed to install the renewable technologies and energy-efficient materials. By stimulating spending in the clean energy sector, the federal government can create a wide variety of employment opportunities in sectors that have been hit hard by this economic crisis, including construction and manufacturing, at the same time that it addresses environmental needs. Likewise, there are other priority areas for channeling public spending and stimulating private spending that can both create decent jobs and meet social needs. These include, but are not limited to, health care, edu-cation, and infrastructure. For example, the federal government could expand health insurance for low-income children (the CHIP program), could channel more education funds to cities and towns to prevent teacher layoffs, and could directly invest in infrastructure projects to update our electrical grid and expand public transportation. Targeting spending in these areas will address social priorities and at the same time will expand employment for medical professionals, teachers, construction workers, and all of the occupations that in some way support these industries—textbook manufacturing, editing, medical equipment design and manufacturing, accounting and administrative services, and so on. Creating job opportunities is one of the roles of our federal government, as codified by the 1978 Full Employment and Balanced Growth Act. By increasing public spending on clean energy, health care, education, and infrastructure, the federal government can create a wide range of employment opportunities for the millions of people who are ready to go back to work.
Carry on
It will not work, only kick the can down the road. What do you do with all these workers when the green projects are finished? When we are all electric, eating tofu, being herded onto masses transit, insulated up the butt? Then everybody and their children have no work. Most actual historians (not revisionist) tend to agree that the depression era CCC, WPA etc. government projects kept people eating, but didn’t provide a robust economy. WW2 actually revived the economy, and then after a couple of years it went down again. Today we have 4 times as many people as we did back then. It looks like the wonderful Government will go back to it’s play book and put us in another Major War just to maintain their power structure. This time they may have a war but the starving masses may not have the will or ability to participate.
You make good points, Joe. Thinking about this is exercise.
What is your opinion of this part of the proposal?
Likewise, there are other priority areas for channeling public spending and stimulating private spending that can both create decent jobs and meet social needs. These include, but are not limited to, health care, edu-cation, and infrastructure. For example, the federal government could expand health insurance for low-income children (the CHIP program), could channel more education funds to cities and towns to prevent teacher layoffs, and could directly invest in infrastructure projects to update our electrical grid and expand public transportation. Targeting spending in these areas will address social priorities and at the same time will expand employment for medical professionals, teachers, construction workers, and all of the occupations that in some way support these industries—textbook manufacturing, editing, medical equipment design and manufacturing, accounting and administrative services, and so on.
And of this: “To have a real life, people must participate in real community. In fact, a
new cultural definition of wealth could be not the GNP, but how many people
truly know and care about each other.” ~ Mary Pipher
Carry on
Nathan, I’m more interested in discourse than agreement.
Mary Pipher is full of it. Sorry.
I think I will survive your pinion of Mary…or of me, if it comes to that.
I appreciate you joining in.
Carry on
Any time the government gets involved in ANYTHING, at best, and this is not often, the program only breaks even. Most times government programs, even so-called jobs programs, are a massive black hole to put money in.
The best thing the government can do is to GTFO of the way and let us keep more of our money. Name ONE part of the government not involved with the military which is not 100% EVIL or corrupt. There is none. Mary Pipher is full of it. Sorry.
All of this debt is borrowed into existence and used to prop up the stock markets which have been on life support for the last 13 years. The debt is created and given to wall Street and corporate/private stimulus to support our fake prosperity. The ‘Fed’ actually has a trading window to facilitate this illusion. This debt will go into default, or repaid in hyperinflated fiat Zimbabwe style.
Bulkammo.com is also another great source we’ve used. It was two years ago when you could see .223 for $129 per thousand rounds plus you received ten free magazines.
Today’s Vaccine News from Multiple Sources:
The Vatican is saying that they may fire those who refuse the vaccine
https://www.nbc12.com/2021/02/18/anti-vax-vatican-you-might-lose-your-job/
Look what The Times of Israel is warning about: Is this a foretelling by the Elites of what they might be releasing soon?
https://www.timesofisrael.com/a-vaccine-defiant-israeli-mutation-wouldnt-be-surprising-former-virus-czar/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/fauci-to-toi-israeli-vaccine-effort-a-model-for-rest-of-the-world/
Pfizer CEO: https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/pfizer-ceo-shares-his-familys-tragic-story-during-the-holocaust-658818
This is an incredibly interesting article about modern science and healing the body: https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/science/articles/mad-science-sane-science
February 14, 2021. JD Farag “Divide and Conquer”
https://www.jdfarag.org/bible-prophecy?sapurl=LytkNmtjL2xiL21pLys0bTVmY201P2VtYmVkPXRydWU=
My father said, “Give me Liberty or Give me Death “, he has t-shirts printed up that said that…it wasn’t his original statement. I think you know who said that phrase.
He also said, ” The only legal tender, per art. 1, sec. 10, of the United States of American Constitution, is gold and silver coin”. Anyone remember something said about that being written down and not just conversation.
What he said has come to light in these resent days. He founded the United G.P. Truth
Church in North Georgia. The truth is coming out now.
I’m sure those SWAT team members that killed him remember what he said also.
Folks… It is time to get serious about the development of a Conservative economy.
Posted at The Federalist: “Biden Administration Prepares Way For Banks To Refuse Service To Democrats’ Enemies”
https://thefederalist.com/2021/02/19/biden-administration-prepares-way-for-banks-to-refuse-service-to-democrats-enemies/
Some aspects of this endeavor will take a tremendous amount of work and the investment of substantial resources. Other aspects will be much more a matter of minor inconvenience in a relative sense. Get over the matter of inconvenience, and get serious about supporting pro-Liberty, pro-America businesses and other organizations. Between the time of elections, we continue to vote — with our wallets. These votes matter too, much more than any one person might imagine. Taken as a whole they have great impact.
All that said, time is short and growing shorter. Delays are no longer an option, and this is made clear by the actions of the Biden regime.
I’ll say it again. Your most powerful vote is $$.
The ballot box is controlled by folks who care about themselves more than they care about us.
And, I will repeat my quote from earlier:
“To have a real life, people must participate in real community. In fact, a
new cultural definition of wealth could be not the GNP, but how many people
truly know and care about each other.” ~ Mary Pipher
Carry on
He was once a Marine, I live in a Intentional Community, where some participate and some don’t. I live next to a sovereign country inside the US,
the Cherokee Indian Reservation, they know how the government works.
If you see me, please don’t mess with my bowl and my blanket.
Tom McMillan, Your words: “I live in a Intentional Community, where some participate and some don’t.”
Fifty years ago, many people my age lived in Intentional Communities and, as I like to tell them these days, so did I.
The Intentional Community I was in provided clothing, housing, food, and armament. And our intentions were somewhat contrary to peace and love. We were also better organized than most intentional communities. This was also true: “where some participate and some don’t.”
Not everyone was on the same page.
Carry on
Ah… “Uncle Sam’s Misguided Children” That community. 🙂
Correctamundo, brother.
MARINE–My Ass Rides In Navy Equipment.
Carry on
Yes Sir, THAT community. The one where once you enter, you are for life beholden to, and can never leave, assuming your morals and sprit are “right”.
The one where Our Constitution and Oath actually mattered, and many of our brothers gave their all.
Carry on gentlemen…
Hey Marine, all this time I thought marine was an acronym for Muscles Are Required, Intelligence Not Essential. I’ll have to set my Navy relative straight who taught me that. He always made fun of jarheads but when asked who his biggest military heroes were, Chesty Puller was always in his top three and Carlos Hancock was pretty high on the list as well. I read Chesty Puller’s biography way back when and it was a very good book, ditto Marine Sniper. As for navy guys, if you haven’t read Thunder Below, that’s another one near the top of my list. And the German equivalent, Iron Coffins. You’ve probably read many of these already.
So many books, so little time…
Once a Marine,
As I recall, we carried the Sailors and were commonly seen dragging all their equipment.
Just kidding, Sailor friends!
God Bless all our Military from then to now.
Semper Fi
Batteau, some sailors carried Marines. The Navy corpsman, whoever he might be, is always my hero.
Carry on
Chaos is the goal.
Ordo Ab Chao – Governments create the chaos then offer their Freemason solution that the public will demand.
The two articles that follow make an excellent pairing…
Posted at FrontPage Mag: “Rush Limbaugh – and the Importance of Being Hated”
https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2021/02/importance-being-hated-rush-limbaugh-and-james-frontpagemagcom/
Posted at the Gateway Pundit: “Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene Not Invited to CPAC – Will Crash Orlando with Appearance Down the Street from Conference”
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2021/02/rep-marjorie-taylor-greene-not-invited-cpac-will-crash-conference-appearance-street-arena/
Shame on CPAC!
Like some others above, my comment to Keefe’s conversation with the ammo manufacturers is baloney. If all munitions companies are running three shifts, where are their products? I am very familiar with two retail markets: Northern Colorado and Northern Idaho/Spokane. There is NO ammunition available in either one other than dribs and drabs of over-priced old stock. If so much is being made, where is it being marketed? Supply chain problems are most likely the cause but the ammo that is being created is going somewhere, is it not? But where is the $64K question. We are being manipulated in yet another area…
I suspect that our very own Deep State is consuming all production. We shall see very soon.
Maybe it’s being “stored” with the millions (billions?) of rounds barry appropriated for all the civilian fed organizations, and/or his “private” army?
Semper Fi
Bingo!
Barry sent it all to his friends in the Middle East.
allegedly
They keep saying that all primer manufacturing is going toward factory ammo…
only the excess gets sold to reloaders… but no excess right now… so where’s the factory ammo?
The article claims that there are 4 locations where primers are made… Federal in Minnesota, CCI in Idaho, Remington in Arkansas, and Winchester in Mississippi.
( Im trying to find out if any of these plants are private facilities or GOCO’s.)
According to their website, Vista Outdoor owns, ” Federal Premium, Bushnell, Remington, Primos, Blackhawk, CCI, Speer, RCBS, Hoppe’s, Uncle Mike’s, Gold Tip, Tasco, HEVI-Shot and Weaver.”
Vista apparently “spun off” from ATK in 2015…
ATK used to run Lake City Army Ammo plant but apparently Olin-Winchester got the contract in 2019 which runs until 2026.
General Dynamics -ATK runs (and owns) the St. Marks Powder plant in Florida that makes ball powder (one of the few left in the US). Not sure if they make primers.
I’m wondering who owns the plants that make primers, …private companies or GOCO’s or both?
Northrop Grumman purchased ATK 4-5 years ago and acquired about 80% of the U.S. munitions production. Best move Wes Bush ever made.
If the government is buying and storing a mountain of ammo production, someone will figure out where it is and it will be there when we need it, it is ours, we are paying for it.
All politics id local. So, too, economics. When we choose so.
Here is a model we call can follow: https://www.vox.com/the-goods/22289581/mutual-aid-helps-texas-storm?utm_source=pocket-newtab
An excerpt…
While warmer weather is expected next week, Texans are concerned about the lasting implications of the winter storm in light of the state’s infrastructure failure. In the face of neglect, many feel like they have no choice but to direct hope — and resources — toward mutual aid networks.
Carry on