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RAGE Gauge: Booming Gun Sales Are A Sign of Trump’s Strong Economy

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President Donald J. Trump gives a thumbs-up after disembarking Marine One Friday, Feb. 7, 2020, on the South Lawn of the White House following his trip to Charlotte, N.C. (Official White House Photo by Tia Dufour)

You know I have clients in the gun business. They tell me the last couple of months were record-breakers for their business.

Typically booming gun sales are a sign gun control supporters are making another push to ban Americans’ firearms. This time though, it’s a sign that more Americans have jobs and have more money in their pockets to spend on hobbies.

The quality of jobs is getting better as well. U6 unemployment, the measure of unemployment that includes temporary and part-time workers, is near all-time lows at 6.9%. If Americans want full-time work, they are having a much easier time finding it.

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Risk awareness is showing up in the slowly rising price of gold. Gold today is selling for around $1,575 per ounce. Its price range today is the highest since about 2013. That’s troubling, but it’s possible the risk driving up gold prices is coming from overseas. Prices spiked on the death of Qassem Soleimani and have remained elevated in the face of the Wuhan coronavirus.

Overall though, risk perception is way down and my RAGE Gauge points to a neutral rating of 60.

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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.

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