Economics & Investing For Preppers

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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 future collector cars–that is, current production models that are likely to become collectible. (See the Tangibles Investing section.)

 

Precious Metals:

Video: Gold Speculators Are Least Bullish In Years

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Over at Kitco: First Digital Gold, Now Silver To Be Added To Blockchain Platform

 

Stocks:

The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) just set a record for the longest bull market in its history.  Just short of 10 years with no reversals of more than 20%.  The MSNBC Cheering Section will tell you “it is a great time to buy”, but pleas e be objective, folks. There are now a lot of stocks that are overbought. P/E ratios haven’t been this out of whack since just before the 2008 debacle. And similar P/E ratios were seen just before the 2000 crash. So this is probably a good time to do some profit taking and diversify your holdings.

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Speaking of P/E ratios, let’s discuss a company that doesn’t have one. It has never turned a profit. When I last checked, Tesla Motors (TSLA)–which trades on the NASDAQ–was down again, to $321.23 per share.  It is hard to believe that Wallet Investor’s long range forecast presently shows the stock at $589.53 in five years.  I’m not much on stock predictions, but my gut is telling me that it will be priced under $50 a share, by then. I can foresee that much more lean small companies will steal most of their market share. And a lot of Tesla’s high valuation and hype was built on government subsidies.  Time will tell…

 

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The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“All the people constitute the militia – according to the Founding Fathers. Therefore every able-bodied man has a duty under the Constitution to become part of the ‘well-regulated’ militia, specifically to understand and perform well with the individual weapon currently issued to the regular establishment …. Thus one who has not qualified himself with the M16 may not be considered to be a responsible citizen.” – Col. Jeff Cooper

Preparedness Notes for Thursday – August 23, 2018

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August 23rd is the anniversary of the declaration of the independent state of “Franklin” in Eastern Tennessee by the settlers there in 1784. Unfortunately, the Continental Congress rejected it, so the state of Franklin never became a reality.

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There are still plenty of openings in round 78 of theSurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest.. If you like to see your article published and have an opportunity to win these fantastic prizes, get your article written and sent in to us.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

This has been another entry for Round 78 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $11,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A $3000 gift certificate towards a Sol-Ark Solar Generator from Veteran owned Portable Solar LLC. The only EMP Hardened Solar Generator System available to the public.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  4. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper. These have hammer forged, chrome-lined barrels and a hard case, to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel. This can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools. It also provides a compact carry capability in a hard case or in 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  7. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

Second Prize:

  1. A Model 175 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $439 value),
  2. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  3. A gift certificate for any two or three-day class from Max Velocity Tactical (a $600 value),
  4. A transferable certificate for a two-day Ultimate Bug Out Course from Florida Firearms Training (a $400 value),
  5. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  6. A $200 gift certificate good towards any books published by PrepperPress.com,
  7. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site.

Third Prize:

  1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  3. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances, and
  6. 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).

Round 78 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.

Ten Years After, by JPK

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It seems like yesterday, but it’s been ten years since we started on this wild journey of at first just prepping and then and now homesteading! (While it’s sad, I think I still have some canned food dated 2008. Yikes!)

Actually if I really think about it, we did actually start in baby steps while we had concerns about Y2K. But the real path was not there, for us.

The Light Bulb Went On After Patriots

We believe the light bulb went on after reading James Wesley, Rawles’ Patriots Surviving the Coming Collapse (the expanded edition). We stopped and re-evaluated our life and our goals and also our plans. We immersed ourselves in the list of lists and all that we could research. Our first copy of Patriots is highlighted, annotated, post-it note filled, and has a whole notebook that we keep with it with our notes and own lists.

Our Biggest Challenge- Water

Wow! How quickly we figured out what was our #1 priority! We realized water was our biggest challenge.

Solar Panels and Cistern

Since we get our water from a well, the solar panels for the pump were vital. Of course, this also meant we needed the cistern for the solar pump to pump to. It was an amazing amount of work and money. However, after a few trials and tribulations, we are relatively comfortable with the set up. (But, boy, do we have a story to tell about one heavy snow and freezing winter temperatures! I guess that is for another time.)

Since our solar panels can generate more power then we need for the small amount to pump water daily, our next project is to work on harnessing that power for use elsewhere on the farm. This means more research, more reaching out for guidance, and saving for the added components needed.

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The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods:

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SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods— a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from “HJL”. Oops, it seems Russia has a lost nuclear powered missile?

The IRS and Taxpayer Information

Reader DSV sent in this detailing how the IRS still lacks protections for sensitive taxpayer information. In this day and age of hardened data and government as well as private hackers, you would think that an institution that mandates every citizen have a profile would at least offer modern protection for that data. You would be wrong. Even with over 100 reforms explicitly pointed out to them, the GAO (Government Accountability Office) claims that the IRS has implemented virtually none of them in their latest audit. The IRS has a significant deficiency in internal control over financial reporting systems according to the audit. While the IRS isn’t the only government office to suffer from this lack of data hardening, they are one of the worst.

Russian AK-308

For those who love their AK-47, but miss the performance of the 7.62×51 NATO battle round, your dreams have now come true. Kalashnikov has now released the .308 version of their venerable AK-47 rifle. According to the company, the new rifle is based on the AK103 submachine gun with elements and components of the AK-12 automatic. It weighs in at a hefty 9 1/2 pounds with an empty 20-round magazine. It’s unclear at this point on whether the Russian military’s intent is to field the battle rifle or not, but it seems like a possibility. Thanks to G.P. for the link.

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Preparedness Notes for Wednesday – August 22, 2018

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August 22nd, 1992 was the second day of the Incident at Ruby Ridge. FBI sharpshooter Lon Horiuchi wounded Randy Weaver, wounded Kevin Harris, and murdered Weaver’s wife, Vicki. It should be noted that in 1994, after being acquitted by a federal court, Weaver filed a federal civil rights case against the FBI and U.S. Marshals stemming from the siege. In 1995 the government settled Weaver’s case for $3.1 million. It is commonly thought that had the Weaver family stayed with the trial, the award would have been the full $200 million. In true FBI style, Lon Horiuchi was not prosecuted by the Federal government. When Idaho brought manslaughter charges against him, the trial was moved to federal court and dismissed. Horiuchi has also been accused of firing unauthorized shots at the Waco siege.

Guest Post: Why Gold Should Be Accumulated At These Levels

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Here are a few reasons why gold should be accumulated at these levels:

1. Rising Interest Rates

Although gold rose significantly from 2001 to 2011, it was not really the ideal conditions. There were many reasons for conditions not being ideal, such as: rising stock markets and major commodities like oil (more markets rising means more competition for investment).

However, now I would like to focus on only interest rates. The direction of interest rates is normally indicative of a type of economic condition that exist. During the period from 2001 to 2011 interest rates were falling, and this was indicative of economic conditions that are less than ideal for gold prices.

In fact, these falling interest rates were in some way facilitating significant rises in the stock market and oil for example, which are investment classes competing with gold.

Continue reading“Guest Post: Why Gold Should Be Accumulated At These Levels”

Economics & Investing For Preppers

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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 Rare Coins. (See the Tangibles Investing section.)

 

Forex and Precious Metals:

Robert Shapiro: Dollar/Yuan And US Treasuries/Gold

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“Tyler Durden” at Zero Hedge: Russia Buys Over 800,000 Ounces Of Gold In July After Dumping US Treasuries

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Turkey lira crisis to trigger RECESSION: Germany may PROP UP Erdogan amid Europe concerns

 

Stocks:

Tesla gets hit again — shares fall 2% in volatile trading to below $300. JWR’s Comments: Investing should always be done dispassionately. Never buy stock in a company that has never turned a profit and that has poor prospects of ever being profitable! (Tesla isn’t turning a profit even with government subsidies, paid for by taxpayers!) Tesla shares are about as detached from reality as you will ever find in American investing history.

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Next, at Zero Hedge: The Market’s Record Bull Run In Five Charts. JWR’s Comment: It is a amazing what  artificially low interest rates can accomplish. And seeing what happens when interest rates inevitably rise will come as a shock, to many.

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BofA’s “Emerging Market Crisis” Indicator Was Just Triggered

 

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JWR’s Recommendations of the Week

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Here are JWR’s Recommendations of the Week for various media and tools of interest to SurvivalBlog readers. This week the focus is on a gun vault that can be disassembled, when you move. (See the Gear section.)

Books:

Fight: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Ass-Kicking but Were Afraid You’d Get Your Ass Kicked for Asking

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How to Win Friends & Influence People. This perennial bestseller written by Dale Carnegie still resonates in truth after nine decades. (It was first published in 1936.) Anyone who works in sales or marketing should definitely read this book.

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This is a key reference for both barter-oriented preppers and for tangibles investors: 2019 Official Red Book of United States Coins. It is updated annually. If your copy is more than three years out of date, then you are behind the power curve.

 

Movies & Television:

To Hell and Back. This is Audie Murphy’s autobiographical film about his experiences in World War II.

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The Prisoner. This British television show, was released in 1968 and starred Patrick McGoohan. It was the first television show intended to be a miniseries. (Although it was later expanded to include a few filler episodes, at the insistence of the production company.) This imaginative show with a libertarian bent was way ahead of its time!  It is now available on DVD, or for free streaming on Amazon Prime.

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Preparedness Notes for Tuesday – August 21, 2018

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In 1986, Lake Nyos in Cameroon  erupted with an estimated billion cubic yards of carbon dioxide gas. The gas had apparently been accumulating in the crater lake, held down by the weight of the water. When it finally erupted, the gas cloud smothered and killed every living animal, including insects, in its path until it dissipated. Outsiders learned of the disaster when they approached the villages and found animal and human bodies on the ground. The best estimate is that 1,700 people and thousands of cattle died.

The Family Stockpiles: Everything in Its Place and a Place for Everything

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I’ve been a prepper now for more than 40 years. The good news is that there hasn’t been a major nationwide crisis, and that means that I’ve only had to break out my gear for localized/minor emergencies and family crises. And the food that we’ve gardened and bought in bulk has meant that we’ve enjoyed substantially lower food costs. (Not to mention less processed food additives.) But the bad news is that I own a home that is now almost too well stocked.

First, some background on our situation: The Rawles Ranch is comfortably remote. It is nearly a 20 mile drive to the nearest business of any sort, more than an hour’s drive to any marginal shopping. It is nearly a three hour drive to shopping with any large selection of choices. We have well-established gardens and a fairly mature fruit and nut orchard.  Our berry vines are mature and producing heavily. All of the infrastructure is in place for livestock watering, garden watering, and domestic water–both grid up and grid down. We have enough firewood cut and stacked to last us for at least four winters.  We also have heaped stockpiles of extra road maintenance gravel, sand, and clay for various projects. (Five cubic yards of each.) Those piles are tucked in at the edge of the woods, mostly out of sight but readily available.  Mind you, I’m not recounting the foregoing to brag–just to let you know how we stand, and why we face some storage space challenges that come with prepping for decades.

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SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

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Here is SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt. This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. We also mention companies of interest to preppers that are located in the region. The emphasis this week is on Eastern Oregon Tactical in Hermiston, Oregon. (See the Eastern Oregon section.)

 

Idaho

The Inland Northwest Freedom Fest 2018 will be held on Friday, September 14th from 5 PM to 9PM. This will be at the Barn Again building, at 464138 US 95, Cocolalla, Idaho. (To clarify: The Barn Again building is south of the big Encoder Products factory but north of the Cocolalla Post Office.)

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Indian Creek Design, in Nampa, Idaho make a detachable “blast forwarder” called a BFD that works with most standard muzzle brakes and flash hiders for ARs. Here is a video review.

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Legendary actress Maureen O’Hara’s personal items for sale in Boise

 

Montana

Video: Father and Son Race for Their Lives in Wildfire in Glacier National Park

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G.P. and H.L  both mentioned this troubling news, over at Bearing Arms: Montana Governor Comes Out In Support Of Assault Weapon Ban. This is the same Democrat who twice vetoed Vermont style (permitless) concealed carry laws fro Montana. It sounds the folks in Montana need to find themselves a new Governor.

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The Value of Vodka: Bigfork distillery creates a special spirit to support the rebuilding of the Sperry Chalet

 

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The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods:

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SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods— a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from “HJL”.

Ghost Gunner

Defense Distributed won a settlement from the US Department of State to publish their gun blueprints online in July. This was a landmark victory for both the First and the Second Amendments. Now 21 states have file suit against them through four venues. After fighting the State Department for five years, their legal funds need help. Cody Wilson is asking for support to help manage all of these new lawsuits attacking your right to know. If you can, please donate to help (Note: They also take Bitcoin).

Who Needs Democracy

Who needs Democracy when you have data? China is one of the world leaders in collecting data on their own citizens. With this data in-hand, Xi’s regime manages to stop most dissidents from reaching government centers by blocking them from purchasing tickets on public transportation. Bloggers, activists and lawyers are routinely targeted by police and silenced or imprisoned. If you think America is living in Orwell’s 1984, wait till you read this article.

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