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,\u00a0JWR<\/a>\u00a0also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. This column emphasizes JWR\u2019s \u201ctangibles heavy\u201d investing strategy and contrarian perspective. Today, we look at the LMBA\u2019s delivery crunch. (See the\u00a0Precious Metals section.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n The London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) is running into a physical delivery crunch for gold contracts. There are now so many long contract holders demanding delivery that the\u00a0delivery<\/em>\u00a0part of the LBMA\u2019s traditional \u201cnext working day\u201d contract settlement promise has been nullified. Deliveries are now being delayed by 60 to 75 days.\u00a0 Their use of rehypothecated (fractionalized) contracts is running them into\u00a0serious trouble<\/em>. They now have an\u00a0extreme<\/strong>\u00a0physical gold shortage. Even with just a few more contract holders now demanding delivery instead of cash, they cannot keep up with the demand. When I last checked\u00a0their clearing data<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0vault holdings<\/a>, the LMBA had only about 37 million ounces of physical gold on hand, versus 378 million ounces in pending gold contracts. (\u201cPaper gold.\u201d) A similar situation exists for the LBMA\u2019s silver vault holdings. If there is an international monetary crisis or if a regional war breaks out anywhere in Asia, then a huge number of contract holders will demand physical metals delivery of both gold and silver.\u00a0Ipso facto<\/em>, the LBMA will surely collapse. Watch this situation closely, folks. And, more importantly,\u00a0do not<\/strong>\u00a0invest in \u201cpaper\u201d precious metals. (Such as GLD and SLV.)\u00a0 And\u00a0only<\/em>\u00a0store your physical metals\u00a0at home<\/strong>, well-hidden! \u2013 JWR<\/p>\n\n\n\n o\u00a0 o\u00a0 o<\/p> Will Gold Keep Rising Even as Stocks Go Up?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n o\u00a0 o\u00a0 o<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reader D.S.V. spotted this news:\u00a0Costco enforces strict limit on gold bar purchases as value increases<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n From the leftist\u00a0CNBC<\/em>:\u00a030-year Treasury yield jumps above 5% after Moody\u2019s downgrades U.S. credit rating<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0JWR\u2019s Comment:\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0Well, well, well\u2026 Such doses of reality from the ratings firms certainly signal that the yield curve won\u2019t be inverting again, anytime soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n o\u00a0 o\u00a0 o<\/p>\n\n\n\n Doug Casey on DOGE, Deficits, and the Coming Financial Earthquake<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n o\u00a0 o\u00a0 o<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tom Christianson flagged this\u00a0UK Telegraph<\/em>\u00a0article:\u00a0\u2018Worse than Greece\u2019: The debt crisis threatening to blow up the global economy<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0JWR\u2019s Comments:\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0In his article,\u00a0Hans van Leeuwen<\/a>\u00a0states: \u201cIn a world of Donald Trump-induced volatility and uncertainty, bond market investors could quickly lose faith in any one of the debt-dependent governments of the West.\u201d\u00a0 He seems to imply that Donald Trump (and his tariffs) are somehow the\u00a0cause<\/em>\u00a0of the debt crisis. But the crisis has been brewing for decades. The real cause is chronic and profligate government overspending.\u00a0 The credit markets have become risk-averse because of doubts about creditworthiness. That is why bond yields are rising. The only genuine solution to the government debt crisis is restoring fiscal responsibility. The Federal budget must be\u00a0slashed<\/strong>.\u00a0 The little DOGE spending cuts are mostly symbolic. Because Congress stubbornly refuses to end its drunken sailor spending binge, a debt collapse is inevitable. The real question is not \u201cif?\u201d, but \u201cwhen?\u201d\u00a0 I can see that the Powers That Be would rather have the collapse occur when Donald J. Trump is at the helm. Thus, they can prevent another Republican from getting elected, as Trump\u2019s successor.\u00a0 In effect, they are planning another post-collapse \u201cIt was Herbert Hoover\u2019s fault\u201d charade. DJT will just be in the wrong place, at the wrong time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n o\u00a0 o\u00a0 o<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jim Rogers: I Sold Almost All My Stocks \u2013 \u201cI\u2019ve Seen This Party Before\u201d<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n o\u00a0 o\u00a0 o<\/p>\n\n\n\n At\u00a0Wolf Street<\/em>:\u00a0Japan\u2019s 30-Year and 40-Year Bonds Crater, Yields Spike, Huge Mess Coming Home to Roost. Yen Carry Trade at Risk<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reported on May 19th in\u00a0The Rio Times<\/em>:\u00a0Copper Prices Under Pressure<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n o\u00a0 o\u00a0 o<\/p>\n\n\n\n Saxo<\/em>:\u00a0COT Report: Broad risk reduction seen ahead of easing trade tensions<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n o\u00a0 o\u00a0 o<\/p>\n\n\n\n OilPrice News<\/em>\u00a0reports:\u00a0Tariffs Can\u2019t Stop the U.S. LNG Boom.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Swiss Franc has become so strong versus both the U.S. Dollar and the Euro that the Swiss National\u00a0 Bank (SNB) chairman is now hinting that they may push their rates to zero or even negative, presumably to protect Swiss exports. I\u2019m glad that I took my own advice and hedged into Swiss Francs (CHF). \u2013 JWR<\/p>\n\n\n\n o\u00a0 o\u00a0 o<\/p>\n\n\n\n At\u00a0Currency Thoughts<\/em>:\u00a0Weakness of Bonds and Dollar Extends Further<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n o\u00a0 o\u00a0 o<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bitcoin jumps to new all-time high, surpassing prior record in January<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n o\u00a0 o\u00a0 o<\/p>\n\n\n\n JPMorgan Forecasts Bitcoin to Outperform Gold in Second Half of 2025<\/a>.\u00a0JWR\u2019s Comment:\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0In a full-blown crisis, investors will rush to genuine tangibles<\/em>\u00a0(like gold and silver) rather than mere\u00a0conceptuals<\/em>\u00a0like Bitcoin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reader H.L. sent us this Hawaiian news segment:\u00a0Vote recommends plan to phase out thousands of Maui short-term rentals<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n H.L.\u2019s Comment:<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cApparently in Hawaii renting out your home short term has all kinds of restrictions. The fines to the owners are\u00a0huge<\/em>. This actually means that you really do\u00a0not<\/strong>\u00a0own your home, even if you paid off the mortgage and keep up the grounds and the home. In effect, the government owns your home. In my book that certainly resembles\u00a0communism<\/em>. As long as the tenants are not making excessive noise, or making a pig pen of the exterior, and you keep up the property, why should The State care if it is a short-term or long-term rental? Again, you\u00a0do not<\/strong>\u00a0really own your property.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n JWR Adds:<\/strong>\u00a0In most Red States, folks are free to do whatever they want with their homes,\u00a0unless<\/em>\u00a0they live inside of HOA communities. Many HOAs have restrictions on running AirBNBs or other rentals. And a few have even tried to restrict political meetings at homes, or home Bible study and prayer meetings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n o\u00a0 o\u00a0 o<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our featured Pre-1899 Gun Of The Week, at Elk Creek Company:\u00a0Winchester Model 1887 12 Gauge Lever Action Shotgun<\/a>. Oh, and by the way, for anyone who wants to pay in Pre-1965 silver coinage, you may divide the price by\u00a025<\/strong>.\u00a0 That is a very generous ratio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n SurvivalBlog and its Editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our\u00a0Provisos<\/a>\u00a0page for our detailed disclaimers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Please send your economics and investing news tips to\u00a0JWR<\/a>. (Either via e-mail or via\u00a0our Contact form<\/a>.) These are often especially relevant because they come from folks who closely watch specific markets. If you spot any news that would be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers, then please send it in. News items from local news outlets that are missed by the news wire services are especially appreciated. Thanks!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Previous Post<\/em> Next Post<\/em> 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,\u00a0JWR\u00a0also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. This column emphasizes JWR\u2019s \u201ctangibles heavy\u201d investing strategy and contrarian perspective. Today, we look at the LMBA\u2019s delivery crunch. (See the\u00a0Precious Metals section.) Precious […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":261517,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12022],"tags":[7363,10906,77092],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-261516","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-activist","tag-economics","tag-investing","tag-preppers"],"yoast_head":"\nPrecious Metals:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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<\/a><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\nEconomy & Finance:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Commodities:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Forex & Cryptos:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Tangibles Investing:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Provisos:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
News Tips:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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