Your Survival Depends on This
By Jeff Clark
April 30, 2009
"...more valuable than gold or silver in a crisis."
The radio ad got my attention. "What on Earth," I thought, "could be more valuable than gold or silver? Could it be diamonds? Or maybe bottled water? Perhaps it's ammunition..."
Nope. The commercial was talking about seeds.
"Non-hybrid seeds are the ultimate barter item in times of crisis."
Indeed, in ancient times, seeds were used as a form of currency. And if the economy really hits the skids – or if a natural disaster or a terrorist attack takes out our nation's food supply – it'll be nice to be able to grow your own food... provided, of course, you can survive the 70 days it takes to grow a tomato.
But the commercial got me thinking about two things... First, I need to throw a couple of packets of seeds into my family's "emergency preparedness" box. Of course, first I'll need to go down to the garage and dig the box out from behind a couple of file cabinets, 12 boxes of Christmas ornaments, and a dusty assortment of antique exercise equipment.
More important, though, is I realized "survivalism" is now mainstream.
That's right. All those folks hunkered down inside compounds in Montana and Texas – those folks who were once considered wackos – are now called visionaries.
Think about it... You used to be "paranoid" if you stacked bags of dried food, canned goods, or gallons of bottled water in your pantry. Or stashed a large pile of cash under your mattress. Now, however, you're nuts if you don't.
Granted, panic accelerates whenever you see the weatherman pointing to a giant red orb heading toward the country. It gets worse when the news shows people walking around with surgical masks and the President of the United States finds it necessary to remind citizens to cover their mouths when they cough and to wash their hands frequently.
But today's panic doesn't feel temporary. There's a genuine cloud of fear hanging over the country, and it doesn't look like it's going to blow away anytime soon.
I noticed it first when I unveiled my survivalist Christmas tree last December. Instead of laughing, my friends pulled me aside one by one and asked me where they could buy gold.
Folks, if you've read my articles for any length of time, then you know I'm not one to fan the flames of panic. In fact, I'm most likely to recommend taking the other side of that trade.
On the other hand, there's something to be said about being prepared for a crisis. It doesn't hurt to own a little Top Ramen and a few gallons of bottled water. Throw a few packets of seeds into the mix.
And be sure to buy gold whenever it dips below $900 per ounce.
Best regards and good trading,
Jeff Clark |
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| • |
Higher interest-rate bets starting to move... popular higher interest-rate fund TBT breaks out to new five-month high. |
| • |
Beverage giant and former stock-market darling Hansen Natural hits new 52-week high. |
| • |
Top water trade Badger Meter breaks out to a new six-month high. |
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Earnings today... Alexander & Baldwin, Annaly, Cummins, ExxonMobil, Kellogg, MetLife, Newmont, Procter & Gamble. |
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Last |
Change |
52-Wk |
| S&P 500 |
876.69 |
+2.52% |
-36.97% |
| Oil (USO) |
28.63 |
+2.80% |
-69.21% |
| Gold (GLD) |
88.44 |
+0.79% |
+3.07% |
| Silver (SLV) |
12.61 |
+2.52% |
-23.03% |
| U.S. Dollar |
87.95 |
+0.24% |
+19.30% |
| Euro |
1.33 |
+1.06% |
-14.64% |
| VIX |
35.90 |
-5.40% |
+77.37% |
| HUI |
308.75 |
+2.90% |
-20.69% |
| 10-Year Yield |
3.09% |
0.09 |
-0.60 |
|
| Company |
Sym |
Industry |
Central Garden |
CENT |
lawn & garden |
Corriente |
ETQ |
mining |
Jos. A. Bank |
JOSB |
clothing |
RRSat Global |
RRST |
broadcasting |
Williams Pipeline |
WMZ |
pipelines |
Broadpoint |
BPSG |
broker |
Dendreon |
DNDN |
biotech |
J&J Snack Foods |
JJSF |
snacks |
Quality Systems |
QSII |
health care |
Valspar |
VAL |
coatings |
BJ's Restaurants |
BJRI |
restaurants |
Danvers Bancorp |
DNBK |
bank |
ICU Medical |
ICUI |
medical supplies |
Quigley |
QGLY |
health care |
TeleComm Sys |
TSYS |
software |
APAC Cust Svc |
APAC |
customer svc |
3Com |
COMS |
networks |
Green Mountain |
GMCR |
coffee |
O'Reilly Auto |
ORLY |
auto parts |
Suburban Propane |
SPH |
propane |
Ameristar |
ASCA |
casinos |
Carter Holdings |
CRI |
baby clothes |
Hansen Natural |
HANS |
soft drinks |
Pantry |
PTRY |
grocery |
Schweitzer |
SWM |
tobacco supply |
Aaron's |
AAN |
rent-to-own |
Clarient |
CLRT |
med diagnostics |
Global Consumer |
GHC |
acquisitions |
NetEase |
NTES |
online info |
Steven Madden |
SHOO |
shoes |
Cerner |
CERN |
health care |
National Beverage |
FIZZ |
soft drinks |
Allscripts |
MDRX |
health care |
Macrovision |
MVSN |
digital distribution |
Riverbed Tech |
RVBD |
computing |
|
| Company |
Sym |
Industry |
No lows of note… |
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