Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. In this column, JWR also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. This column emphasizes JWR’s “tangibles heavy” investing strategy and contrarian perspective. Today, a year-end look at the gold markets. (See the Precious Metals section.)

Precious Metals:

Market speculators did their best to push down the prices of gold and silver this week, but they failed. Spot gold seems quite resiliently holding above $2,690, and silver above $30.75, per Troy ounce.  I’m repeating my assertion that $30.50 is the new floor for silver. Any day that you can buy silver below $31 per Troy ounce is a bargain shopping day.  – JWR

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Gold SWOT: J.P. Morgan Says Gold Is the Top Commodity to Buy in 2025.

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Here’s Why the Gold Price Responds to Uncertainty and Chaos…

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Trump Tariffs Will Trigger Global Trade War, with Gold and Silver Set to Benefit. (Full disclosure:  Bullion Star is one of our occasional affiliate advertisers.)

Economy & Finance:

Reader Daniel K. sent this: Russia turns to bartering. JWR’s Comment: This is not a new phenomenon.  Countertrade in tangible goods has been used extensively since the late 1940s by many countries, particularly those with hard currency problems.

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The Economic Times (of India)) reports: Shocking! Researchers say over half of U.S states are going bankrupt; here’s how that is going to affect average Americans.

JWR’s Comments: It comes as no surprise that the top of the list of financially troubled states is led by spendthrift Democrat-controlled “blue” states like Connecticut, New Jersey, Illinois, and Massachusetts. And, surprise, surprise, California, Rhode Island, and Blue Hawaii are all close behind them.

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November Jobs Report: All Net Job Growth in the Past Year Has Gone to Foreign-born Workers.

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Hershey’s faces takeover bid by rival snack giant.  JWR’s Comments: Hershey also recently announced that they were planning to move the rest of their production to Mexico.  I take particular interest in this company because my father was born in what was Hershey’s west-coast factory town: Oakdale, California.  That plant was closed in 2016.

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At Zero Hedge: Biden Regime Quietly Revokes Veterans Hiring Preference For Civil Service Jobs.

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State’s new wage law destroys more than 6,000 jobs in fast food.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — December 12, 2024

December 12, 1914: The largest one-day percentage drop in the history of Dow Jones Industrial Average. It was down 24.39%.

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December 12, 1953: Chuck Yeager reached Mach 2.43 in a Bell X-1A rocket plane.

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And on December 12, 2019, the British General Election was won by Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party in a landslide win with 80-seat majority. The Scottish National Party also won 48 of 59 seats in Scotland.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 116 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A Peak Refuel “Wasatch Pack” variety of 60 servings of premium freeze-dried breakfasts and dinners in individual meal pouches — a whopping 21,970 calories, all made and packaged in the USA — courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses. Their course catalog now includes their latest Survival Gunsmithing course.
  5. HSM Ammunition in Montana is providing a $250 gift certificate. The certificate can be used for any of their products.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  3. A Laptop EMP Shield and a Smartphone Faraday Bag (a combined value of $200), courtesy of MobileSecSolutions.com.
  4. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of gun purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  3. A $200 credit from Military Surplus LLC that can be applied to purchase and/or shipping costs for any of their in-stock merchandise, including full mil-spec ammo cans, Rothco clothing and field gear, backpacks, optics, compact solar panels, first aid kits, and more.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

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More than $935,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 116 ends on January 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

 

Why A Cat Is The Most Valuable Animal on a Farm – Part 2, by W.J.

(Continued from Part 1.)

Mayoclinic.org has good information on hantavirus, and preventive rodent control (they do not address natural predators). They advise not keeping mice or rats as pets, unless they are tested, and then totally quarantined

HOW TO CHOOSE A CAT OR KITTEN
PHYSICAL ChARACTERISTICS

The longer and leaner the cat is, the better. The more it looks like a cheetah the faster it will be, the higher it can jump, and the better it can hunt. While even a chunky hunk of a cat may be a good hunter, it is fighting against its body type.

My Joyful looks like a cross between a cinder block and a powder puff, but she does a good job hunting. However, she can’t cross the living room in a single leap, as Rascal can – over twelve feet. He looks like a flying silk scarf: an absurdly long body soaring through the air. Relative to the difference in body size, that’s about the same leaping distance as a full-grown cougar.

A long-bodied, long-legged, lean “flying” cat will chase the birds out of your garden, and out of your fruit trees too. Yes, they do kill birds. The weak, slow, and stupid ones. Cats are often accused of killing vast quantities of birds, but somehow there are always the same number of birds every year, century in and century out. Birds are an occasional treat; I did not see feathers every day. Mice are the main course.Continue reading“Why A Cat Is The Most Valuable Animal on a Farm – Part 2, by W.J.”

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods. This column is a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from JWR. Our goal is to educate our readers, to help them to recognize emerging threats, and to be better prepared for both disasters and negative societal trends. You can’t mitigate a risk if you haven’t first identified a risk. In today’s column, a link to a Tucker Carlson interview with Sergey Lavrov.

Tucker Carlson: Russian F.M. Sergey Lavrov Speaks

Mark was the first of several readers to mention this: Exclusive: Russia Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov Describes the War With the US and How to End It.

Astronomers Discover More Dark Comets

Reader C.B. suggested this article: Astronomers discover more dark comets. Frome the opening of the article:

“The first dark comet—a celestial object that looks like an asteroid but moves through space like a comet—was reported less than two years ago. Soon after, another six were found. In a new paper, researchers announce the discovery of seven more, doubling the number of known dark comets, and find that they fall into two distinct populations: larger ones that reside in the outer solar system and smaller ones in the inner solar system, with various other traits that set them apart.”

Another Grid Collapse Strikes Cuba

Over at Zero Hedge: Total Grid Collapse Strikes Cuba (Again).

Claim: Generators Worth $45,000 Solen From Hurricane Victims

$45,000 Worth of Generators From Hurricane Helene Victims Disappear…

Update (December 12th, PM): Mitchell County North Carolina officials have denied the claim that 40 generators were stolen.

Your Household Appliances are Data Miners

Reader D.S.V. sent this: How Your Air Fryer and Other Household Appliances Became Data Miners.

Continue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods”

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — December 11, 2024

On December 11, 1913, DaVinci’s “Mona Lisa” was recovered two years after it was stolen from the Louvre Museum.

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December 11, 1978: Six masked men bound 10 employees at Lufthansa cargo area at NYC Kennedy Airport and made off with $5.8 Lillion USD in cash and jewelry. All of the participants and some associates were later killed on order of the alleged organized crime mastermind. The loot was never recovered.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 116 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A Peak Refuel “Wasatch Pack” variety of 60 servings of premium freeze-dried breakfasts and dinners in individual meal pouches — a whopping 21,970 calories, all made and packaged in the USA — courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses. Their course catalog now includes their latest Survival Gunsmithing course.
  5. HSM Ammunition in Montana is providing a $250 gift certificate. The certificate can be used for any of their products.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  3. A Laptop EMP Shield and a Smartphone Faraday Bag (a combined value of $200), courtesy of MobileSecSolutions.com.
  4. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of gun purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  3. A $200 credit from Military Surplus LLC that can be applied to purchase and/or shipping costs for any of their in-stock merchandise, including full mil-spec ammo cans, Rothco clothing and field gear, backpacks, optics, compact solar panels, first aid kits, and more.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $935,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 116 ends on January 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Why A Cat Is The Most Valuable Animal on a Farm – Part 1, by W.J.

My original title for this article was: Would You Like A Rattlesnake With Your Coffee? Or, Why A Cat Is The Most Valuable Animal on a Farm. (That was a bit long-winded.)

I was sitting peacefully in a recliner, sipping my morning coffee, when my beautiful cat, Rosita, jumped up onto the chair next to me. She wanted to offer me a treat to go with my coffee. A nice, tasty rattlesnake.

Fortunately, she had already killed it.

She held it up to me, hoping I would like it. What I liked was that it was dead, but I appreciated her intentions. She was quite the sight: a dead rattler dangling from her mouth, surrounded by a cloud of long, fluffy whipped cream and chocolate fur, with her deep cobalt blue eyes lovingly gazing at me. She looked like the most useless, luxurious thing on earth, but despite her totally sheltered life, she was all huntress.Continue reading“Why A Cat Is The Most Valuable Animal on a Farm – Part 1, by W.J.”

SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

This weekly Snippets column is a collection of short items: responses to posted articles, practical self-sufficiency items, how-tos, lessons learned, tips and tricks, and news items — both from readers and from SurvivalBlog’s editors. Note that we may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters.

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Peter in Washington wrote:

“A reminder that HB 2118 takes effect on July 1, 2025 in Washington State.  Here is the key part of the bill, Section 1 (3) from the final language:

No dealer may sell or otherwise transfer, or expose for sale or transfer, or have in his or her possession with intent to sell, or otherwise transfer, any ammunition without being licensed as provided in this section.

Some (including me) believe this will stop many companies from selling ammo to Washington State residents due to the compliance requirements.  Time will tell.

Assess your needs and plan/buy accordingly…  I still recommend AmmoSeek.com. I have no affiliation with them.”

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Video from Armed Scholar: Supreme Court Decision & Remand Order Set To End Firearm Permits Nationwide!

And on the same topic: SCOTUS Conservatives Say Aloha to Hawaiian Gun Control Appeal.

JWR’s Comments:  A disagreement between two Circuit courts (a “Circuit split”), is the ideal situation to get the Supreme Court to step in, and give them a proper spanking. Hooray!

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324 additional gun models!  Which guns are now banned in Canada? Here’s what you need to know. Here is an excerpt:

“Attached to Thursday’s expanded bans is an amnesty period to allow individuals and businesses time to turn over the prohibited weapons to police, participate in a federal buyback program or through other specified means.

Participants in the buyback program are compensated for their surrendered firearms. While it is currently only available to Canadian businesses, Public Safety says that a pathway for individual gun owners to participate is forthcoming, and that gun licensees will be notified some time next year.

Owners who lawfully possessed the firearms before the bans are protected from criminal liability for the duration of the period, which will run until Oct. 30, 2025. Additional considerations for Indigenous peoples and those who hunt for sustenance apply.”

There is a more detailed explanation in this video by a Canadian attorney: Canada Bans Hundreds More Guns And Destroys Many Shooting Sports — A Lawyer Explains.

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Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — December 10, 2024

On December 10, 1907, Rudyard Kipling received the Nobel prize for literature, the first English-language writer to do so.

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On December 10, 1869, while still a territory, Wyoming became the first state to grant women the right to vote.

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And on this day in 1942, my great uncle Lt. Robert I. Kinsella was killed when his B-24 bomber (part of the 90th Bombardment Group, Heavy, 320th Bomber Squadron), flying from the Iron Range Airfield in Northern Queensland, Australia went down in the South Pacific.

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Gerber Gear (maker of knives and multi-tools  and one of our affiliate advertisers) has announced their Gerber Gear Winter Sale, that runs until December 17th, 2024.  Check out their price reductions of up to 50% off.

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Today’s feature article is by JWR.

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We are seeking entries for Round 116 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $935,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 116 ends on January 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Should We Get Ready For a NFA Amnesty?

For the past several weeks, President Trump has been very busy naming his cabinet appointments.  One that is still uncertain is his choice to become the new BATFE Director. The current director, Steven Dettelbach, is a clueless anti-gun buffoon who can’t give congressmen a straight answer.  Many American gun owners are hopeful that DJT will appoint 07/02 FFL holder, gun designer, and pro-gun pundit Brandon Herrera as the new Director.  If that happens, it will surely inspire some boisterous celebration. In addition to his vows to slash the ATF’s budget and operations, Herrera has also promised to begin a series of National Firearms Act (NFA) registration amnesty periods.  There was a provision for tax-free amnesty periods written into the Gun Control Act of 1968. But thusfar, just one 30-day amnesty was held, back in 1968.  That amnesty was very poorly publicized, and not many gun owners took advantage of it.

Today, there are probably hundreds of thousands of unregistered full autos in the country. And there are parts in civilian hands to quickly make a million or more. What can I say, but: Americans just love to tinker.Continue reading“Should We Get Ready For a NFA Amnesty?”

SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. (Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and Wyoming.) Much of the region is also more commonly known as The Inland Northwest. We also mention companies located in the American Redoubt region that are of interest to preppers and survivalists. Today, more Greater Idaho movement news.  (See the Region-Wide section.)

Region-Wide

Greater Idaho Asks for Support from Incoming Trump Administration.

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Wyoming and Montana Republicans vow to challenge Biden decision to block coal mining in area.

Idaho

Idaho abortion trafficking law partly revived by US appeals court.

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“Angel” didn’t have functional wings: Nampa man faces vehicular manslaughter charge after car lands on house roof, killing one.

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Lori Vallow Daybell found competent to stand trial in Arizona.

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Bus carrying 31 students in Athol, Idaho, crashes into power pole, one student left with cut lip.

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt”

Preparedness Notes for Monday — December 9, 2024

December 9, 1775: At Fort Ticonderoga, New York, Henry Knox began his historic transport of abandoned British artillery to Boston, Massachusetts, that later forced the British to evacuate Boston.

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December 9, 1914 was the birthday of Maximo Guillermo “Max” Manus. He was one of the few Norwegians who fought the Nazi occupiers. Max Manus passed away in 1996. His exploits are fairly accurately shown in the movie Max Manus: Man of War.

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Today’s feature article was penned by Field Gear Editor Tom Christianson.

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We are seeking entries for Round 116 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $935,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 116 ends on January 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.