Earlier this week, someone asked me to disclose how much physical gold and silver I own.
This was my response:
None. They are completely useless as a hedge against the apocalypse. When markets cease to function and society breaks down, no one (including me) is going to want my shiny bars and coins. If I were going to invest in something physical it would be food, guns, water, and the like. Stuff people will actually need in the event things go really, really wrong. Let’s face it, if the day comes when the physical gold to paper gold ratio actually matters, then gold will be the least of your worries. Just buy GLD and be done with it.
It’s not that I don’t see the value in owning precious metals as a hedge. I do. But I see them more as a hedge against market volatility, tail risks, and inflation than I do as some kind of insurance policy against the end of the world.
I’m reminded of a quote from Bloomberg’s Daniel Kruger:
When the zombie apocalypse comes, gold will be more useful as a weapon than as a store of wealth.
But for those of us who enjoy engaging in thought experiments about what it would be like to exist in a world like that depicted by Cormac McCarthy in The Road, it’s worth noting that outside of fuel, water, and food, just about the most useful thing one could possess in such a scenario would be a firearm.
Well, as it happens, the end of the world came for liberals on November 8. Now, fearing a new reality characterized by “swastikas and words like ‘faggot’ and ‘trannie’,” the left wing is arming itself. Here’s BBC:
Gun ownership has traditionally been associated with the right wing in America but the election of Donald Trump has prompted some left-wingers to join gun clubs – and even start preparing for the collapse of society.
“I really didn’t expect to be thinking about purchasing a gun. It was something that my father did and I rolled my eyes at him.”
Clara, a 28-year-old nursing student, grew up in the Mid-West, where “the folks that had guns were seen as hicks” or were just “culturally different”, she says.
Lara Smith, national spokesperson for the Liberal Gun Club, says her organisation has seen a “huge” rise in enquiries since November’s election and a 10% increase in paid members.
Gun sales in America hit record levels in October amid fears a Hillary Clinton election victory would lead to increased controls.
Many expected the election of Donald Trump, whose candidacy was backed by the National Rifle Association, to bring an end to the panic buying. Shares in gun manufacturers dropped by as much as 18% following his victory.
But instead FBI background checks for gun transactions soared to a new record for a single day – 185,713 – during the Black Friday sales on 25 November, according to gun control news site The Trace.
“It just feels like we are living at the end of the world and everybody expects the apocalypse to come sooner rather than later,” says Clara, the nursing student.
“So learning how to shoot a gun doesn’t seem like a bad idea. Certainly more useful than learning how to make PowerPoint slides, or whatever.”
And here’s a look at shares of gun manufacturers:
So don’t worry gunmakers. While it’s true you can no longer look forward to boosting your shares by positing a covert Hillary Clinton-sponsored plan to seize America’s guns, you may be able to count on sales to liberals who believe that the beginning of the end times started early in the morning on November 9.
Nothing like the BBC for unbiased reporting. And nothing like sticking to your principles, Clara!