guns and food stamps as economic indicator.

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The rise in gun sales and food stamp demand are indicators of a fearful public struggling financially, Nicholas Colas, chief market strategist, ConvergEx Group, told CNBC Monday. “Oddly enough, buying a gun still holds very steady, but buying ammunition not so much,” said Colas, who analyzes trends in the economy and financial markets. In addition to firearms and food stamps, ConvergEX reviewed sales of gold and silver coins and used cars. “That tells us that there are more first-time [gun] buyers coming in to buy firearms and that speaks to your worries about security. They buy a few rounds [of ammunition] first time, but they don’t buy more.” Colas said to determine firearm activity, he tracked FBI background checks and Google Trends for buying guns and ammunition. Likewise, Google indicated a high last month on those seeking information on how to get food stamps, he added. Sales of gold coins have levled off at 100,000 units a month over the last half year, said Colas, but interest in silver, much more affordable, is rising. “Just two years ago, silver coin sales were on the magnitude of 1 million units a month, now it’s 3 million units a month,” he added. Colas said that after a large bump in used-car prices earlier this year, prices are now unchanged. “The consumer is still on pretty shaky ground,” he added. “Confidence [is] still not all that strong, the intention to spend, still [is] not all that strong.”

i mean, come on now.
this is basically obvious, is it not?
in a way it's nice to see something concerning us peons though.
it's usually about how the rich are hoarding gold.
i've only had one batch of food stamps, 20 years ago. i've never asked for a thing otherwise.
sometimes i'm amazed by the number of people i know who do accept assistance.
i'd assume that most people on here are not wealthy nor dirt poor.
i'd bet most have bought firearms, and possibly a few do get assistance.
am i close?

well guns can be bartered and have their potential to be worth their weight in gold

and you are right those who are receiving assistance do own and go buy guns.

the rise in food stamps could be due to either one of these factors:

1. people are trying to stretch their money go farther and keep their cash for other things
2, people are getting into the system before they cant
3. people are going on food stamps and hoarding their cash


if anything this shows the uncertainity of the masses in this country..........pretty sad but its a good thing it means the majority of people have wised up and realized the only people that they are going to count on isnt father government but themselves

reply to post by rubbertramp


Yep, coz they all know soon enough the SWHTF!

reply to post by neo96


i just came across this and found it to be an interesting follow up.

Midnight grocery runs capture economic desperation

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. — Once a month, just after midnight, the beeping checkout scanners at a Walmart just off Interstate 95 come alive in a chorus of financial desperation. Here and at grocery stores across the country, the chimes come just after food stamps and other monthly government benefits drop into the accounts of shoppers who have been rationing things like milk, ground beef and toilet paper and can finally stock up again. Shoppers mill around the store after 11 p.m., killing time until their accounts are replenished. When midnight strikes, they rush for the checkout counter. "The kids are sleeping, so we go do what we've gotta do. Money is tight," Martin Young said as he and his wife pushed two carts piled high with ground beef, toilet paper and other items. The couple said they need food-stamp benefits, which are electronically deposited onto debit cards, because his job as a restaurant server doesn't quite cover expenses for their five children. "We try to get here between 10:30 and 11 because we know we've got a lot of stuff to get. That way by 12 o'clock we're at the line cashing out and done," he said. More than a year after the technical end of the Great Recession, millions of Americans still have a hard time stretching their dollars until the first of the month, or even the next payday. One in seven Americans lives in poverty, and more than 41 million are on food stamps, a record. Last year the figure was about 35 million.

gold and silver because they know the dollar is a joke.
i got food stamps this year for first time- stocked upon rice,beans,oats nuts,water.
the family shotgun is tucked away like always. with some extra shells.
( then i watched the road..now all spare monies go to ammo..)
theres lots of indicators i see alot of interest in gardening and farmers markets..
people raising rabbits,chickens. making their own hooch. growing pot.
going off the grid. digging in, or ready to bug out..
here's an indicator-watch all the fat rats jumping ship..

Corn has jumped from $6.99 per 50lb bag to $9.29 for 50lbs in about 2 weeks.

I posted this earlier in a thread...not for ego or self agrandizement, but as a warning that the S is starting to HTF.

All of our feeds at the store I manage have jumped,,, scratch, cracked corn, dry 12% feed, sweet feeds, are all above $9.00 from about $7.00 at the beginning of October. Premium feeds from companies like Purina were around $12-13.00 are now pushing $20.00.

What I am seeing is an increased interest in gardening and small livestock from people that have never farmed before... just yesterday, I was instructing a single mom on how to use a chainsaw so she could cut her own firewood... can't afford gas.

Look on Craigslist and you will see people selling anything they can for money. Scrap metal is being combed from the country side for whatever they can get per hundred weight. As we enter Xmas... look at pricing... see if the specials start early. Also, look at the increases in pasta, breads, basic staples... I got a feeling it's gonna get ugly.

i see all sorts of people shying away from the herd now.
if you're not a survivalist , you will be soon.
or a boy scout- be prepared.