A Warning for the Global Economy

The WSJ Logistics Report raises the red flag on a major warning sign for the global economy. Copper, known as Dr. Copper for having a Ph.D. in economics, has begun falling in price, even while other commodities are rising. Another early indicator of the direction of the world economy, the Baltic Dry Index, has plummeted as well. See my charts below on both. The WSJ reports:

Warning signs for the global economy are being drawn in copper. After hitting a high of nearly four years in 2017, copper prices have slumped this year even as prices for other commodities have been rising. That’s a troubling sign for economic growth, the WSJ’s Amrith Ramkumar reports, because of copper’s crucial role in a wide array of manufacturing supply chains, from airplanes to smartphones. Recent weaker economic data from China, the world’s largest commodity consumer, and Europe and Japan have compounded worries that trade tensions and other factors are taking a toll on demand. The Baltic Dry Index, measuring prices for shipping raw materials, has tumbled nearly 15% over the past week. Still, the falling copper prices may be the result of plentiful supply following a year when labor unrest and other conflicts put a cap on production.

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E.J. Smith - Your Survival Guy

E.J. Smith is Founder of YourSurvivalGuy.com, Managing Director at Richard C. Young & Co., Ltd., a Managing Editor of Richardcyoung.com, and Editor-in-Chief of Youngresearch.com. His focus at all times is on preparing clients and readers for “Times Like These.” E.J. graduated from Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts, with a B.S. in finance and investments. In 1995, E.J. began his investment career at Fidelity Investments in Boston before joining Richard C. Young & Co., Ltd. in 1998. E.J. has trained at Sig Sauer Academy in Epping, NH. His first drum set was a 5-piece Slingerland with Zildjians. He grew-up worshiping Neil Peart (RIP) of the band Rush, and loves the song Tom Sawyer—the name of his family’s boat, a Grady-White Canyon 306. He grew up in Mattapoisett, MA, an idyllic small town on the water near Cape Cod. He spends time in Newport, RI and Bartlett, NH—both as far away from Wall Street as one could mentally get. The Newport office is on a quiet, tree lined street not far from the harbor and the log cabin in Bartlett, NH, the “Live Free or Die” state, sits on the edge of the White Mountain National Forest. He enjoys spending time in Key West (RIP JB) and Paris. Please get in touch with E.J. at ejsmith@yoursurvivalguy.com To sign up for my free monthly Survive & Thrive letter, click here.