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, we look at lumber prices. (See the Commodities section.)

Precious Metals:

Spot gold and silver both took a pounding this week. This was mostly attributed to Dollar strength, with news that interest rates would remain high. But part of this was also due to the stock market decline — a 400-point drop on Tuesday.  Doubtless, some traders liquidated part of their precious metals ETFs, to cover stock losses. Look at any such dip in the metals as an opportunity to stack more silver.  The fundamentals haven’t changed: Buy low and sell high.

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At Gold-Eagle.com: Gold SWOT: ETFs Backed by Gold Are Now on Track for the Biggest Weekly Outflow Since June.

Economy & Finance:

Both the Biden Regime and the Federal Reserve seem to be in denial of the unfolding recession.  The yield curve has been inverted for more than 16 months. Maintaining higher interest rates may temporarily stave off inflation, but these rates are not a cure for the underlying systemic problems: fiat currency and fractional reserve banking. Mark my words: The Treasury and Fed are now squeezed between recession and inflation, with no room to maneuver.  If they lower rates, then inflation will come back with a vengeance.  If they raise rates any higher, then they will kill the engine of the economy. And, if they dawdle and continue their “pause” then we’ll sink into a recession. The 400-point NYSE drop on Tuesday, October 3rd was indicative: The markets are not easily fooled by rhetoric.  Bottom line: Brace for recession, widespread layoffs, and a stock market crash. – JWR

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Dimon Warns 7% Fed Rate Still Possible, Times of India Says.

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Where Did Neel Kashkari’s Infinite Cash Go?

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Data Firm Finds Greenwashing On The Rise.

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Linked over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site, a Steve Bannon interview: Dr. Navarro: “Before Our Eyes, Our Entire Economy And Financial System Is Disintegrating”.

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CNBC: 10-year and 30-year Treasury yields rise to their highest levels since 2007.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — October 5, 2023

October 5, 1703 was the birthday of Jonathan Edwards. He died March 22, 1758 and was a prolific Calvinist theological writer. Many of his writings were later collected in the multi-volume book The Rational Biblical Theology of Jonathan Edwards, edited by John Gerstner.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 109 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. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  5. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  6. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

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. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC.
  4. Montana Survival Seed is providing a $225 gift code for any items on its website, including organic non-GMO seeds, fossils, 1812-1964 US silver, jewelry, botany books, and Montana beeswax.
  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 firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A $300 gift certificate from Good2Goco.com, good for any of their products: Home freeze dryers, pressure canners, Country Living grain mills, Emergency Essentials foods, and much more.
  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 Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  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 $850,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. We recently polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 109 ends on November 30th, 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.

Disease Vector Awareness and Action, by K.B., M.D.

I am writing this article to share with our dear readers the information from several news articles featuring illnesses secondary to disease vectors and also spread due to immigration to the United States or international travel to other countries. It is a broad topic that I will condense for our readers in hopes of increasing not only awareness but also instructing in means of protection and treatment. Disclaimer: I am neither prescribing medicine nor dispensing medical advice. Anything that you choose to do as a result of reading this article is your own responsibility. Always seek out treatment and advice from your own medical professional who is aware of your personal medical health and the risks in the area of country in which you live or have traveled to.

Disease Vectors

What is a disease vector? It is any living agent that carries and transmits infectious disease to another living organism, such as humans. What are types of agents? There are arthropods such as mosquitos, fleas, and ticks. There are also mammals such as dogs, bats, raccoons, skunks, etc. Why the concern? As society declines and poverty rises, sanitation often deteriorates with the subsequent rise in populations of vermin.Continue reading“Disease Vector Awareness and Action, by K.B., M.D.”

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, announcements of a couple of upcoming preparedness expos.

Self-Reliance Festival Oct. 14-15 in Tennessee

A Self-Reliance Festival will be held on October 14th and 15th at:

Special Operations Equipment
4631 U.S. 70
Camden, Tennessee 38320

There will be many guest speakers, including Joel Salatin. (Pictured, above.)

Vanderbilt Philosopher Ponders Existential Risk

Vanderbilt philosopher says optimism about existential risk is central to reducing it.

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“By government giveaway programs, individuals are often hurt far more than they are helped. The recipients of these programs become dependent on the government and their dignity is destroyed. Is it compassionate to enslave more and more people by making them a part of the government dependency cycle? I think compassion should be measured by how many people no longer need it. Helping people to become self-sufficient is much more compassionate than drugging them with the narcotic of welfare.” – The Late Rush Limbaugh

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — October 4, 2023

October 4, 1895 was the birthday of American film comedian and director Buster Keaton, who was known for his deadpan expression, amazing stunts, and his imaginative and often elaborate visual comedy.

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October 4th is also the anniversary of the Tongo Tongo, Niger Ambush, in 2017. American KIAs: Staff Sgt. Bryan C Black, Sgt. First Class Jeremiah W Johnson, Sgt. La David T. Johnson, and Staff Sgt. Dustin M Wright.

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October 4, 1923 was the birthday of the late Charlton Heston, who was born John Charles Carter. He died April 5, 2008. He is often remembered for movies like Ben Hur, The Ten Commandments, Soylent Green, The Planet of the Apes, and the survivalist classic The Omega Man.

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Today’s planned Emergency Alert Test means that it is a good day to have your cellular phone powered down — not just in sleep mode.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 109 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. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  5. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  6. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

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. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC.
  4. Montana Survival Seed is providing a $225 gift code for any items on its website, including organic non-GMO seeds, fossils, 1812-1964 US silver, jewelry, botany books, and Montana beeswax.
  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 firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A $300 gift certificate from Good2Goco.com, good for any of their products: Home freeze dryers, pressure canners, Country Living grain mills, Emergency Essentials foods, and much more.
  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 Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $850,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. We recently polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 109 ends on November 30th, 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.

My Generator: Hard Lessons Learned – Part 2, by St. Funogas

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.)

The Second Big Problem

Everything was going great until the July test. As usual, the test went well. I put the generator in the shop and when I stood it up on end… the engine fell out! Since this is a family blog, my comment roughly translated to something along the lines of, “Wow, that’s not good.” My second thought was, “This is going to be pretty funny in a week.” Fortunately, it proved to be so.

I learned several things about generators in general that I’d never thought about and the whole event turned out to be a good learning experience as far as my preps go.

Determining Why the Engine Fell Out

The next morning, reattaching the engine seemed like it was going to be a fairly simple job. Those are the worst kind: they always turn out to be more complicated and time-consuming than imagined.

The first task was to determine how the engine could just plain fall out of a generator. You’d think the manufacturer would bolt the thing in to last forever.Continue reading“My Generator: Hard Lessons Learned – Part 2, by St. Funogas”

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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Reader Fred S. wrote:

“This is a 3/4-inch PVC pipe coupler that I bought about 20 years ago. Note the marked 33-cent price. This same item is now priced at $3.99 in stores.  House paint is also now very expensive.  Every item in a hardware store is now noticeably much expensive, with some dramatic prices increases. It doesn’t matter where you live.  Food has also gotten very expensive.  I think that we’re going to have a food crisis.”

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Some wisdom from my friend Commander Zero, in his Notes From The Bunker blog : Standardization.

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South Dakota governor tells California gunmakers and owners to ‘make the move’ to her state.

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A television news video: Homeless encampments growing next to Beverly Hills.

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An interesting text via HF data modes project set up by the folks at S2 Underground — ideal for those quiet winter months: Video: Intro to Ghostnet. Some additional information can be found at this Patreon page:  Ghostnet Plan. Also see: Receive-Only JS8Call.Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“History shows that the mere existence of a mass surveillance apparatus, regardless of how it is used, is in itself sufficient to stifle dissent. A citizenry that is aware of always being watched quickly becomes a compliant and fearful one.” – Glenn Greenwald

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — October 3, 2023

October 3rd, 2023 is the 30th anniversary of the Mogadishu, Somalia raid. The 18 Americans killed were:

MSG Gary Gordon, 1st SFOD-D

SFC Randy Shughart, 1st SFOD-D

SSG Daniel Busch, 1st SFOD-D

SFC Earl Fillmore, 1st SFOD-D

MSG Timothy Martin, 1st SFOD-D

CPL Jamie Smith, 3/75 Ranger

SPC James Cavaco, 3/75 Ranger

SGT Casey Joyce, 3/75 Ranger

PFC Richard Kowaleski, 3/75 Ranger

SGT Dominic Pilla, 3/75 Ranger

SGT Lorenzo Ruis, 3/75 Ranger

SSG William Cleveland, Jr. 160th SOAR

SSG Thomas Field, 160th SOAR

CW4 Raymond Frank, 160th SOAR

CW3 Clifton Wolcott, 160th SOAR

CW2 Donovan Briley, 160th SOAR

SGT Cornell Houston, 10th MTN DIV

PFC James Martin, 10th MTN DIV

The Somalis killed were unnamed and un-numbered, but estimates range from 315 to 2,000 KIAs.

The events of October 3, 1993 were memorialized in the movie Black Hawk Down.

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I just heard that Seed for Security is running a Harvest Stock-Up Sale. Their Colossal Security Pack is now priced at 20% off. This Pack is a total of over 5 pounds of vegetable, grain and herb seeds. All are open-pollinated and non-GMO. Included are three of their most popular collections: The Super Survival Pack, 4 Grain Collection, and the Heirloom Herb collection. This offer is for a limited time.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 109 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. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  5. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  6. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

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. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC.
  4. Montana Survival Seed is providing a $225 gift code for any items on its website, including organic non-GMO seeds, fossils, 1812-1964 US silver, jewelry, botany books, and Montana beeswax.
  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 firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A $300 gift certificate from Good2Goco.com, good for any of their products: Home freeze dryers, pressure canners, Country Living grain mills, Emergency Essentials foods, and much more.
  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 Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $850,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. We recently polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 109 ends on November 30th, 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.

My Generator: Hard Lessons Learned – Part 1, by St. Funogas

I consider a home generator to be one of the more important preparedness items for coping with the very steep learning curve we’d all go through while adjusting to a TEOTWAWKI situation. While finite fuel supplies will limit its usability for most of us to just a few months at best, with our own generator the immediate aftermath of a permanent grid-down world would be much more tolerable during the first few days and months of adjusting to the “new normal”.

Based on my own preps test a year ago (My Ten-Day Test-My-Preps Adventure Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4), if the SHTF we’ll discover we’re not quite as prepared as we had hoped to be. There are too many variables, some of which we couldn’t possibly have thought of and prepared for as I’ll soon demonstrate. The last thing to be worried about while making the transition is the availability of electricity. Based on our current lifestyles, it’ll be very difficult adjustment when it’s gone.

This article relates two major problems I experienced with my portable 5000-watt generator in the past year, one during the aforementioned 10-day preps test, the other this past summer during my monthly generator test. This article also explains how the problems were solved, how to avoid them, and how many people could fix these problems today even without much mechanical aptitude. The end of the article has a list of suggestions for generator owners and how to prepare ourselves for a continuation of electricity if the SHTF while we’re struggling to adjust to our new grid-down life.Continue reading“My Generator: Hard Lessons Learned – Part 1, by St. Funogas”

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 of interest to preppers and survivalists that are located in the American Redoubt region. Today, several news stories illustrate the changing times, in Wyoming. (See the Wyoming section.)

Idaho

North Idaho College tables motion to censure Trustee Tarie Zimmerman.

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A RINO alert, as reported by the leftist Sandpoint Reader:  Woodward will seek Dist. 1 Senate seat.

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Prosecutors ask Amazon for more information about Idaho murder suspect Bryan Kohberger’s browsing.

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

 “You talk to the farmers, the ranchers, our small community bankers, and boy, one of the Number One issues is the regulations coming out of Washington.” – Senator Steve Daines of Montana

 

Preparedness Notes for Monday — October 2, 2023

On October 2, 1957, the British-American war classic The Bridge on the River Kwai had its world premiere, and it later won the Academy Award for Best Picture.

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On October 2, 2002, the Beltway sniper attacks began. This was a series of coordinated sniper attacks that occurred in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. The attacks lasted three weeks and resulted in the killing of 10 people.

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Today’s feature article is a review penned by Field Gear Editor Tom Christianson.