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 another new all-time high for gold, in U.S. Dollar terms.  (See the Precious Metals section.) Also, take note of my warning on the stock market, in the Economy & Finance section. – JWR

Precious Metals:

Reported in the WSJ on Monday: Gold Futures Rise to Record High on Fed Concerns, Rate-Cut Expectations  — The precious metal is now up more than 34% in the year to date. Here is an excerpt:

“Continuous gold futures on the New York Mercantile Exchange rose 0.8% to $3,543.80 a troy ounce in European midday trading, having reached as high as $3,557.10/oz earlier in the session.”

JWR’s Comment:  The WSJ‘s editors failed to mention that spot silver hit a whopping $41.03 per Troy ounce, the same day. By Monday evening on the East Coast (which is Tuesday morning in Asian trading) spot gold was at $3,519.30 and silver at $41.19 per Troy ounce. That brought the market price for a $1,000 face value bag of “junk” silver up to almost $30,000. There was some profit-taking, but by Tuesday evening, gold was back up to $3,555.80. I don’t want to sound smug about this, but…  …I told you so!

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Mark Mead Baillie, at Gold-Eagle.com: Gold Lookin’ Sporty; Silver Lovin’ Forty!

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And Neils Christensen, at the Kitco site: Silver could outshine gold as investment demand picks up.

Economy & Finance:

From the WSJ: U.S. Stocks Are Now Pricier Than They Were in the Dot-Com Era. JWR’s Comments:  The P/E ratios don’t lie. In fact, they fairly accurately presage secular market downturns. And take note that the “Smart Money” is already on the sidelines, ready to ride out the upcoming stock market crash. Just look at Warren Buffett’s now huge cash position for the Berkshire Hathaway portfolio as a key indicator. If you haven’t done so already, GET OUT of most of your equities, ASAP!

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Some gloom and doom talk over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site: Population Collapse PART 2: Tim Pool & Elon Musk Warn Of Coming Depression, Social & Economic Crisis.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“We wargame and make plans for the end of the world, right? We have maps, escape routes, stashes of gear, emergency communication protocols, etc. But, as I’ve said over and over, you’ll have a bunch of small personal EOTWAWKI events that are resolved with $50 bills long before you have the EOTWAWKI event that is resolved with .50 BMG.

So, it would stand to reason that if you’re going to be so prepared that you have contingency plans for the apocalypse, perhaps it might be a good idea to have plans for those personal apocalypses as well.

I learned the hard way that when you’re suddenly in a financial hardship and you don’t know where the next dollar is coming from, that’s the worst time to suddenly write a budget or spending plan. Dude, you need to have that duck already in the row so that when you get that big pink slip or your income takes a headshot you simply open up the folder to the plan and you follow it. For me, that’s what I call ‘the war budget’…” –  Commander Zero, in his Notes From The Bunker blog

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — September 4, 2025

On this day in 1618, the “Rodi” avalanche destroyed the town of Plurs, Switzerland (now Piuro, Italy, pictured) at the base of Monte Conto, killing 1,500 residents.

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September 4, 1862 is the fateful day that General Lee invaded the North with 50,000 troops.

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Today’s feature piece is a product review that was authored by SurvivalBlog staffer Tom Christianson.

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We are in great need of entries for Round 120 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $960,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 120 ends on September 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. 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.

Timex Expedition Field Post Solar Watch, by Thomas Christianson

Certain observers would say that I have an unhealthy obsession with punctuality. The fact that those observers are my children does not necessarily mean that they are correct. Children have been known to misunderstand their parents. They may even rebel against their upbringing by arriving at events exactly on time rather than 30 minutes early. Thus, the world spirals into decay.

In any case, accurate time keeping is as a balm to my soul. If civilization collapses and chaos ensues, I want to know exactly what time it is when everything goes down.

In June of 2023, SurvivalBlog published my review of the Invicta 29178 automatic watch. The watch had many strong points, but it had one tragic flaw: it was just too shiny for field use. I felt like I was walking around with a mirror strapped to my arm that was screaming, “I am here! I am here!”Continue reading“Timex Expedition Field Post Solar Watch, by Thomas Christianson”

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 brief examination of Federal District Court Judge Charles Breyer.

National Guard Use for LA Protests Ruled Illegal

The Associated Press reports: Trump’s use of National Guard during LA immigration protests is illegal, judge rules. JWR’s Comments:  The AP reporters and editors failed to mention that 83-year-old Judge Charles Breyer is a life-long Democrat, he graduated from UC Berkeley’s Law School in the 1960s, he was a Bill Clinton appointee, and since June 27th he has been facing a pending House of Representatives impeachment that alleges:  “Senior District Judge Charles R. Breyer used the powers of his position to engage in actions that overstep his judicial authority. By making a political decision outside the scope of his judicial duties, he compromised the impartiality of our judicial system and created a constitutional crisis.”  Judge Charles Breyer is the younger brother of the slightly more conservative and better-known former Supreme Court Justice, Stephen Breyer. (Who is also a Democrat and was a fellow Bill Clinton appointee.)

SOF Veterans on Surviving a Catastrophic Event

What is mentioned in this video interview will sound familiar to SurvivalBlog readers: Navy SEAL and Green Beret on Surviving a Catastrophic Event.

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

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — September 3, 2025

On September 3, 301, San Marino, one of the smallest nations in the world and the world’s oldest republic still in existence, was founded by Marinus. He was named a Saint by the Roman Catholic church.

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English general and statesman Oliver Cromwell died on September 3, 1658.

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On September 3, 1752, Great Britain and its colonies, including the future United States of America officially adopted the Gregorian calendar, and it immediately became September the 14th.

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Today’s feature article is a guest post by our friend and fellow American Redoubt resident Brandon Smith, the editor of the Alt-Market.us blog.

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We are in need of entries for Round 120 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $960,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 120 ends on September 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. 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.

Bring Back Asylums: Transgender Fatigue In America, by Brandon Smith

Editor’s Introductory Note: This essay was first posted at Brandon Smith’s Alt-Market.us. It is reposted with permission.

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Transgenderism is not a civil rights movement; it’s a social engineering experiment. The LGBT movement is not a struggle for equal rights; it’s a covert war for political control. The agenda of the people involved in the spheres of trans-activism are radical zealots hellbent on the destruction of their enemies by any means necessary – And if you believe in logic, objective reality, biological science, and moral imperative, then you are one of their enemies.

A prime strategy of the trans movement is the indoctrination of our children. They rarely have any children of their own and in order to perpetuate their numbers they must groom future generations to their cause. And, it has become clear that if they can’t indoctrinate our kids, they are perfectly willing to murder our kids.Continue reading“Bring Back Asylums: Transgender Fatigue In America, by Brandon Smith”

SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

Our 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 Mark J. suggested this Matt Bracken interview on Rumble: Are We Normalizing Military on US Streets? (Matt is pictured above, from a previous interview.)

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Mike in Alaska wrote:

“Summer is over up here in the Arctic …snow is falling in the mountains and on the North Slope while we here in the valley are getting our wet rain (pre-snow?) and all the leaves have started falling in earnest … soon it will snow here too. Here’s an attached photo of a cabbage grown down in Palmer Alaska at the State Fair. It was 84.2 # fully grown. That’s a lot of coleslaw and kraut !! Our meager garden has produced some fine pepper this year, a lot of great tomatoes’, and oddly enough  some Russian cucumbers that are still producing! They are not very fat being only about 2″ round but very long usually about 12″ – 14″ in length and very tasty … I eat them peel and all. But the temps are no in the low 30’s at night and dark comes around 11:30 so it won’t be long now when the sun will fall below the horizon and not come above it for very ling and with the darkness will come snow … the signs are that this winter is going to be very harsh up here; I am not certain what it will be for you folks but I suspect it too will be harsh.

I was amazed to see the 20th anniversary post on the blog … how fast the time has passed.

I pray often for you and ask His Majesty King Jesus to richly bless you all and keep you safe. Our moose mother and her two calves are back again and seem to have taken up residence in our back yard again … they do this every fall and when the snow comes they’ll move on. I suspect that since it is hunting season they know they are safe in our yard and along the power line ally there with lots of food available, a slough off of the river flowing not too far from there for water and no hunting pressure. This year we’ve not seen any sign of grizzly activity. So maybe that’s a factor, too?

Lots of fox and lynx seen, but no wolverines in many years, at least four yearssince the last sight of one running in the snow.
I’ve tried making butter but can’t seem to get the hang of it even with reading directions… since I can get heavy cream I have been using whipping cream, I have to wonder if that’s the problem? The ice cream maker however works marvelously. I’ve been storing dry goods in mason jars using the jar sealer I reviewed in the blog, next spring or summer I’ll start trying some of the items to see how well it kept the food. Mostly beans, pasta, and some of the Ramen Toppings mix I recently wrote about just to see how well it keeps …
I have a one-tube shortwave radio kit I built and I am writing an article about it if you’re interested in having it … it is a simple design and works off four AAA batteries and one 9 volt battery but it is not a kit for beginners despite its simplicity.
… Sarah Sue has been posting some very good stuff and I would ask you to thank her for me.
Keep warm, and may God richly bless and protect you all.”

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Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“The major obstacle to a religious renewal is the intellectual classes, who are highly influential and tend to view religion as primitive superstition. They believe that science has left atheism as the only respectable intellectual stance.” – Robert Bork

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — September 2, 2025

September 2, 1798: The first reported bank robbery in the US: Bank of Pennsylvania robbed of $162,821 at Carpenter’s Hall, Philadelphia. The wrong man — blacksmith Patrick Lyon (pictured) — was accused of being one of the perpetrators.

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September 2, 1969 was the day that the first automatic teller machine (ATM) made its first public debut, dispensing cash to customers at Chemical Bank in Rockville Center, New York.

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The prepping Paratus holiday — an invention of our friend Commander Zero — is observed on the third Friday in September.  I recommend giving very practical preparedness-related gifts.

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Today’s feature article is a guest piece by a  SurvivalBlog reader. It was too short to qualify as an entry for Round 120 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest.

More than $960,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 120 ends on September 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. 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.

The Art and Science of Tool Making, by Grandpappy

Introduction

The rule of “Two is one, one is none” applies to almost all preparations. But what happens if once we’re safely in our shelter, we discover we’re missing a tool?

In a WTSHTF situation, with no way to go out to a hardware store or have an online store deliver it to your doorstep, this situation would be catastrophic unless you had basic tools and knew how to build your own.

With makeshift materials (as some military manuals call them) when there isn’t anything else suitable available, you can build a tool for yourself that will do the job.Continue reading“The Art and Science of Tool Making, by Grandpappy”

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, news about an accident at Shoshone Ice Caves.  (See the Idaho section.)

Idaho

Three injured during walkway collapse at the Shoshone Ice Caves.

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A television news segment: Gun ban sparks Idaho Caldwell Night rodeo controversy.

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Idaho 2nd Amendment Alliance wants to ban ‘gun-free school zones’.

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

Preparedness Notes for Monday — September 1, 2025

On September 1, 1752, Pennsylvania’s new State House bell (known today as the Liberty Bell) arrived in Philadelphia from Whitechapel Foundry in London, England.

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On September 1, 1836 Narcissa Whitman, one of the first white women to settle west of the Rocky Mountains, arrived at Walla Walla, Oregon Country (now US state of Washington.) On November 29, 1847, Dr. Marcus and Narcissa Whitman and twelve others were killed by members of the Waiilatpu band of the Cayuse tribe. This heinous massacre has recently been the subject of massive revisionism, mostly at the hands of National Park Service historians/apologists.  To the NPS historians, the massacre of 14 people was termed “revenge” and the subsequent gang rapes of two women survivors were euphemized as “unwanted attention.”

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September is Kilted to Kick Cancer Month.

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September is also National Preparedness Month.

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 120 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. 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),
  2. 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),
  3. 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.
  4. HSM Ammunition in Montana is providing a $350 gift certificate. The certificate can be used for any of their products.
  5. Preparedness author Jennifer Rader is offering a $200 purchase credit for any of her eight published food storage and medical preparedness books, including the Good Eats at the TEOTWAWKI Café series, the Armageddon Pharmacy series, and the Medicine Surrounds Us series.

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. A $269 retail value survival-ready power package from Solar Power Lifestyle. This includes two Solar Power Lifestyle 25W Portable Solar Panels, plus a $150 gift card to use for any purchase at solarpowerlifestyle.com.
  3. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from TOUGHGRID.com (a $287 value).
  4. 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. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
  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 $960,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 120 ends on September 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. 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.