Economics & Investing Media of the Week

In Economics & Investing Media of the Week we feature photos, charts, graphs, maps, video links, and news items of interest to preppers.

Economics & Investing Links of Interest
  • Spot silver closed at $72.12 per Troy ounce on Wednesday. Gold, platinum, and palladium were also up, similarly. And also on Wednesday, we saw $77.12 in Shanghai trading! (A huge opportunity for the arb traders.)  Silver in Hong Kong briefly touched $75.62 this morning. For anyone who established their silver stack at below $35 per ounce, this is a logical time to liquidate 5% of your silver holdings, and put the proceeds into a different tangible, such as paying down a home mortgage or HELOC, or stacking some full ammo cans or spare un-papered guns.  There is almost always an advantage to diversification. For some details on how to gradually divest, see my recent article: Planning Your Silver Bull Market Exit Strategy. – JWR
  • The conspiracy to suppress the spot silver price is doomed to fail. There is a massive short squeeze in progress. The buying in Asia is relentless, so the trading rules changes at the LBMA and Comex will at most only slow the bull market. Watch for higher margin requirements. The Comex may also restrict physical deliveries to just industrial silver users and ETFs.  All other contract holders might only be handed cash, upon settlement. There will surely be some spectacular fireworks in silver trading in the next four weeks.
  • With the silver bull on a rampage, this is a particularly advantageous time for SurvivalBlog readers to trade silver for guns, at Elk Creek Company. With federally-exempt “antiques” there is no FFL paperwork required. But please check your state and local laws before ordering. Just let me know when you pick out one or more pre-1899 antique guns, or other items from my Elk Creek Company catalog, and what you have to trade.  (You may ignore the Ordering Hiatus notice on my main web page, when making trades.) – JWR
  • From The Economic Times (of India): Why is silver price rising and how long will it rise as silver price hits a new record high of $66.5 per ounce, up 130% this year.
  • Reuters: Dollar set for worst year since 2017, yen still in focus.

Economics & Investing Media Tips:

Please send your economics and investing links to JWR. (Either via e-mail or via our Contact form.) Thanks!

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — December 25, 2025

To those who are celebrating the Advent of our Lord and Savior, the team at SurvivalBlog wishes you a peaceful and meaningful Christmas. For those who choose to celebrate our Lord through the Biblical feasts, stay safe and warm. Our prayer is that each and every one of you enjoy the family time and stay safe on the roads.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 122 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. Harvest Guard is providing a 200-Piece Bulk Mix Pack of their Regular and Wide-Mouth Reusable Canning Jar Lids & Gaskets. This is a $161 + shipping value.

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 TOUGHGRID.com (a $287 value).
  3. 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.
  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.

—

More than $978,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 122 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. 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 Hitchhiker’s Guide to TEOTWAWKI – Part 2, by St. Funogas

(Continued from Part 1.)

THE BASICS OF TRAVELING BY THUMB

To be successful, a hitchhiker must consider several things:

1. Appearance

2. Destination sign

3. Traveling light

4. Gender and group size

5. Having a map

6. Weapon

7. Food and water

8. Money

9. Just can’t get a ride

10. Shelter

APPEARANCE

Appearance is the single-most important qualification if you want to catch a ride in a timely manner.Continue reading“The Hitchhiker’s Guide to TEOTWAWKI – Part 2, by St. Funogas”

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, satellite ‘dogfighting’.

U.S. and Chinese Satellites are ‘Dogfighting’ in Orbit

Blog staff member Tom Christianson suggested this Washington Post article: Why U.S. and Chinese satellites are ‘dogfighting’ in orbit.  Here is a Fair Use pericope:

“Satellites whizzing by each other at close range, maneuvering to gain strategic advantage, is a new development in the militarization of space — and increasingly important. Satellites are vital for maintaining military supremacy, and tensions are rising amid growing technological competition between major powers.

Much of the “dogfighting” activity in space is simply for spying, defense analysts say, with specifics largely classified — snapping photos of each others’ satellites to learn what kind of systems are on board and their capabilities.
They monitor the signals and data emitted by satellites, listening to communications between space and the ground. Many can even jam those signals or interfere with orbiting craft that provide missile warnings, spy or relay critical information to troops.”:

The ATF eForms Shutdown

An important update for anyone planning to register suppressors:  ATF to Take eForms Offline After Christmas to Implement $0 NFA Tax.  The ATF has announced that the eForms website will be shut down for Form 1 and Form 4 submissions between December 26th and December 31st, 2025, and that all draft forms will be deleted. So much for your hard work in prepping for that great plan…

Australia to Bar ISIS Members from Owning Some Rifles

Daniel Greenfield, at Front Page: Australia to Pass Gun Control Laws Barring ISIS Members from Owning 6 Rifles.
Continue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods”

The Editors’ Quote Of The Day:

“After defeating the armies of Antiochus, the Maccabees said, ‘Let us go up to cleanse the sanctuary and dedicate it.’  They “…sang hymns and praises to Heaven, for He is good, for His mercy endures forever.” – From the apocryphal 1 Maccabees. 4:59, 24

 

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — December 24, 2025

On December 24, 1651, Jan van Riebeeck departed for the Cape of Good Hope to˜found the first permanent European settlement in southern Africa.

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And on December 24, 1818, the Christmas carol “Silent Night” composed by Franz Xaver Gruber was first sung at St. Nicholas parish church in Oberndorf, Austria.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 122 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. Harvest Guard is providing a 200-Piece Bulk Mix Pack of their Regular and Wide-Mouth Reusable Canning Jar Lids & Gaskets. This is a $161 + shipping value.

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 TOUGHGRID.com (a $287 value).
  3. 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.
  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.

—

More than $978,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 122 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. 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 Hitchhiker’s Guide to TEOTWAWKI – Part 1, by St. Funogas

In case the Powers That Be ask our opinions about how the world as we know it should end, I’m going to recommend the slow-motion kind that takes a few weeks, rather than an instantaneous welcome-to-Teotwawkiville atomic explosion or EMP. That will give die-hard preppers time to top off their supplies and buy that extra pallet of Thin Mints, but more importantly, give those with a bug-out retreat time to get there before the final SHTF events usher us into TEOTWAWKI.

For those who find themselves up Schumer Creek with no reliable means of travel to their bug-out location; for those college kids who don’t own a vehicle and need to get home as the Schumer is beginning to fly; for those who are standing in the driveway cussing the old jalopy because the starter just couldn’t handle one more start; for those broken down on the side of the road because microchip #27 of the 166 chips in your vehicle gave up the ghost; for those who find the battery in your EV ran out of power during the most critical voyage of its life; and for all the rest whose transportation for a million other reasons won’t be taking them to their retreat, hitchhiking can a viable means of travel.Continue reading“The Hitchhiker’s Guide to TEOTWAWKI – Part 1, by St. Funogas”

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 F.J. suggested this food for thought, over at Big Think: America’s post-apocalyptic maps reveal eerily familiar fault lines.  (Image Credit: ThaDrummer at DeviantArt.)

o  o  o

Reader J.L.S. wrote:

“Good evening Mr. Rawles I want to make a recommendation for you to add to your list of books on your Bookshelf page:  Z for Zachariah by Robert C. O’Brien.”

o  o  o

Reader C.B. suggested this piece at Bayou Renaissance Man that references SurvivalBlog’s Editor-At-Large, Mike Williamson: Need meat for long-term storage? Here’s a very useful option.

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

The Editors’ Quote Of The Day:

“I am an historian, I am not a believer, but I must confess as a historian that this penniless preacher from Nazareth is irrevocably the very center of history. Jesus Christ is easily the most dominant figure in all history.”  – H.G. Wells

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — December 23, 2025

On December 23, 1913,  US President Woodrow Wilson signed the Federal Reserve Act into law, creating the central banking Federal Reserve System. This law granted extraordinary monetary and economic power to a private banking cartel. The destruction of the purchasing power of the U.S. Dollar was a key result. (It has declined 98%, since 1913.)  I recommend the book The Creature from Jekyll Island: A Second Look at the Federal Reserve. – JWR

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December 23rd is the birthday of Founding Father and Supreme Court Justice John Jay. (Born 1745, died May 17, 1829.)

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 122 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. Harvest Guard is providing a 200-Piece Bulk Mix Pack of their Regular and Wide-Mouth Reusable Canning Jar Lids & Gaskets. This is a $161 + shipping value.

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 TOUGHGRID.com (a $287 value).
  3. 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.
  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.

—

More than $978,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 122 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. 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.

Using GSSF Matches to Prep, by Iowa Dave

Author’s Note: I am not affiliated with Glock or the Glock Sport Shooting Foundation other than volunteering as a range officer at their matches and shooting their matches.

JWR likes to say that owning a gun doesn’t make you a shooter any more than owning a surfboard makes you a surfer. You need to learn, train, and practice. Practical pistol disciplines such as International Defensive Pistol Association (IDPA) and International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC) are outstanding ways to practice, but they can be intimidating to the novice. That’s where the Glock Sport Shooting Foundation, or GSSF fits in. Glock started GSSF in 1991 to promote safe and proficient use of their product. GSSF matches are structured to be beginner-friendly. Unlike disciplines such as IDPA and IPSC, there is no movement, no drawing from a holster, no reloading on the clock, and no complicated rules such as use of cover, etc.

I first encountered GSSF nearly 20 years ago when my club where I lived in Kentucky at the time asked for volunteers to assist at a match. I volunteered and was put to work as a target paster, putting stickers over the holes on targets in between shooters. The next year, I volunteered again and also signed up to shoot the match. Soon, I was recording scores and times, then running the timer and ensuring the safety of the shooters. I’ve now volunteered at about 50 matches, in Kentucky (two locations), Wisconsin, Missouri, South Dakota, and Nebraska (two locations). As a volunteer, I have encountered a broad spectrum of shooters, from people who have never shot a firearm before and just came from the gun store with their first gun new in the box, to master shooters who shoot a stage in 3 seconds with perfect accuracy. I have served as a range officer for shooters from age 9 to 90, and people with various disabilities including people in wheelchairs or on scooters. I’ve seen many families participating in GSSF matches together.Continue reading“Using GSSF Matches to Prep, by Iowa Dave”

SurvivalBlog’s American Redoubt Media of the Week

This weekly column features media 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. Today, a Creative Commons photo by Justin Fincher of Glacier National Park, Montana.  The “Weeping Wall” can be seen alongside the Going To The Sun Road at the far right side of the photo. The thumbnail below is click-expandable.

American Redoubt Links of Interest

Send Your Media Links

Please send your links to media from the American Redoubt region to JWR. Any photos that are posted or re-posted must be uncopyrighted. You can do so either via e-mail or via our Contact form.

Preparedness Notes for Monday — December 22, 2025

December 22nd 1849: The planned execution of Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky by firing squad was called off, at the last second. JWR’s Comment: Novelists tend to thrive on drama, but that was a bit too intense.

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December 22nd is also the anniversary of the death of SP4 James T. Davis, the first uniformed American combat casualty of the Vietnam War, in 1961. This ASA soldier (of the 3rd Radio Research Unit) was killed in a Viet Cong ambush on a road outside Saigon.

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For those who have been waiting, the special 20th Anniversary SurvivalBlog 2005-2025 Waterproof/EMP-Resistant Archive USB sticks will be available for Pre-Ordering on Monday, December 29th.  (Please mark your calendar.) Orders should start shipping in the third week of January.  These sold out quickly last year, so don’t delay.

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 122 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. Harvest Guard is providing a 200-Piece Bulk Mix Pack of their Regular and Wide-Mouth Reusable Canning Jar Lids & Gaskets. This is a $161 + shipping value.

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 TOUGHGRID.com (a $287 value).
  3. 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.
  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.

—

More than $978,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 122 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. 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.