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 stainless Walther PPK pistols and other scarce discontinued guns. (See the Tangibles Investing section.)
Precious Metals:
We’ll start of with this from Peter Hug: Gold Treading Water Ahead Of Next Week’s Fed Meeting
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Some useful long term charts: Gold Mining Stocks vs. Gold & Silver
Stocks:
S&P at an an all-time high: Dow rallies more than 250 points to first record close since January
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Gary Christenson: Market Tops Take Time
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Ex-GM Boss: Tesla ‘Headed For The Graveyard’
Economy & Finance:
Six things to know ahead of next week’s Fed meeting. JWR ‘s Comment: The consensus seems to be another quarter percent rate increase will be announced. It they keep this up, they are going to put the brakes on the economy. And it goes without saying once again: If you have any credit card or home equity line of credit (HELOC) debt, then redouble your efforts to pay it off. With higher interest rates, consumer debt is definitely not your friend!
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The WSJ reports: U.S. Jobless Claims Fall to 49-Year Low for Third Straight Week
Forex:
FX Markets Unfazed by New Tariffs
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USD/CHF forecast Dollar Franc September 20, 2018
Tangibles Investing (Walther PPK Pistols):
Modern firearms that are prematurely discontinued represent a good opportunity for investors. For example, for just a few years Walther PPK Stainless .380 ACP pistols were produced under license by Smith & Wesson. Their fit, finish, and reliability were excellent. But sadly they were discontinued. The price of these pistols (new in box) has already jumped from under $450 to more than $700. If you hunt around online, at gun shows, and at gun stores, you can still find a few of them at close to their original price. Even with Walther USA going into production just a few years, I expect their prices to continue to rise.
The original PPK pistols are also of course quite collectible. But from the standpoint of a prepper, I’m a big believer in stainless steel. And nearly everyone knows the elevated value of an early PP or PPK. But thankfully you can still find sellers with the newer S&W-produced PPK pistols who have not yet caught on to their scarcity. If you can find them still in boxes and at reasonable prices, then jump on them!
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There are many other examples of guns that are prematurely discontinued. If you do your research, then you can profit handsomely. There is now a dip in the American gun market. It was created by economic and firearms freedom optimism triggered by Trump Administration statements and policies. This has driven gun and pun parts prices down. If this continues into 2019, several gun makers may go out of business. (Remington’s announced bankruptcy is one of the more notable examples.) If that happens, we might have a golden opportunity. If you hear of any gun maker that produces high quality guns quitting business, then it is probably time time to “buy low.” Of course to maximize this strategy you should only buy guns that are brand new or like new, preferably still in their original factory boxes.
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!