Geo-Politics

Former Syrian dictator is now in Russia. I would expect Russia to toss him aside and embrace the new leaders, but they have decades of cooperation from Syria, so this is hard to guess.

The US government is trying to come up with some level of ‘relations’ with the new regime, but being made up of former Al-Qaida leaders, confidence is not high.

Europe is facing several crises at the same time. Economies are in serious trouble, as many countries are already in recession. We could be on the brink of the collapse of the EU… no one knows what the best exit strategy is.

Germany, the EU’s largest economy, is in the middle of massive layoffs in the auto and appliance industries, affecting the entire EU. Some factories are unloading 40% of their workforce. And no one knows the impact of tariffs—will they help or hurt?

With what is going on in the Middle East, the Bible book of Amos foretold of specific military actions that occur right before the end times: Gaza, South Lebanon, and the King of Syria were crushed. Next on the list are Jordan and Yemen. I’ll be listening for news on this forthcoming military action from Israel.

The German government gave a “no confidence” vote for the chancellor. This forces elections on February 23rd. Germany is the largest economy in the EU and is well into their own recession. It is hard to say if this makes their situation better or worse.

The Stock Market Watch

The markets hit all-time highs last week. Don’t be fooled—this is not good. The higher the market climbs, the bigger the correction. With the ultra-rich already mostly cashed-out, this means that poor people (everyone else) are buying at the high, poised to lose 25 to 40% during the forthcoming correction. Meanwhile, the rich are waiting in the tall grass to later slither out and shop for deep discounts.

A spokesperson for the Rockefeller Foundation noted that investments in non-stock market opportunities in America are either quietly growing behind the scenes, or they are poised to go shopping. My source sarcastically asked, “What do the Rockefellers know about international investing?”

Other News

There are some rather scary rumblings (including from Trump’s camp) on how there could be a banking crisis soon. This could look like banks selling to bigger banks and bigger banks still holding their labels but actually losing their autonomy. It could lead to most banks deferring control to the Fed, even for daily transactions.

If Trump got his wish, the Fed would be dissolved and the US government would take it back. This may be even scarier still, having the federal government knowing your every transaction—even with a CBDC.

Drones in the sky are making their way to other major cities, including Portland, OR. Not really sure if anyone would miss Portland, but many are getting concerned that something very evil is afoot. No group, or groups, are taking responsibility.

Last Thursday, the White House said there was no evidence of drones, calling them “lawfully operated manned aircraft.” One drone crashed into a New Jersey homeowner’s backyard and was deemed to not be military style. For some reason, the homeowner has repeated, “No comment” once the investigators left.

Inflation is still on the rise in a few markets. None is more shocking than the 31.2% increase in a month for pre-packaged food, including fast food.

Metals Market Watch

The post-election drop of prices seems to be over. Both gold and silver are beginning to climb again. One of my sources suggested that once the truth behind the mysterious drones is revealed, metals prices could be radically affected.

National debt is already at $36.2 trillion. The higher this goes, the more valuable metals get.

The Usual Metrics

No new layoff notices to report; in fact, all seems to be quiet. This is likely due to inflation rate numbers (Consumers and Producers) and the Fed’s next rate announcement due next week. I remain very curious if Trump has the skills to navigate out of the forthcoming recession and handle tariffs.

What Would I Do About All This?

We are still buying metals for the long haul, with nearly all of our metals vaulted by insured companies. Most of our metals are in my retirement fund that I cannot legally physically possess. We use the OneGold app for these funds (because they are in my self-directed IRA and I can’t legally possess the metal).

Right now, we like 1/10-ounce gold, as it is smaller denominations and, if you watch the sales, you can buy at very low premiums. Ducats are a variation of these and commonly go on sale. Be sure to only buy from trusted sources. My local source is Micah Miller at FS Metals.

The sales during Black Friday week were insane, with zero or slight premiums. We definitely need to save up for next year, but if you can afford it now, watch the sales each and every day until Christmas. In comparing online prices, it seems that the sale prices at Hero Bullion are the best on the internet. I got on their email list and get flash sales info regularly, and with free shipping at $150, you don’t have to save up a ton to add to your stack.