Quote:
Originally Posted by freebeard
Nickels were the only USofA coin that hadn't been debased; which is now scheduled to happen.
An ammo can of nickels, by my calculation, would be worth about $40. Just sayin'.
Try smacking someone upside the head with your paper futures.
|
Sure, there are always exceptions to my comments, but generally it's wiser to trade commodities electronically than physically.
...and I'm not sure if you imply that the metal in the nickel is worth more than it's face value, but it's illegal to destroy US minted currency.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bobdbilder
How do those gas pump operators set prices in the US? I know its supposed to be an unregulated market. But what stops them from charging highest possible? Is it just 'competition'? Is there a state predetermined max ceiling on prices?
|
All markets are regulated. An "unregulated" market is just regulated by what people are willing to spend (supply and demand). Nothing stops people from charging the highest possible. We all do that. When I sell my labor to an employer, I demand the highest possible amount that they will accept. I'm regulated by the supply of people with my skill-set vs the demand for people with my skill-set. There is no max ceiling on prices just like there is no max ceiling on your income. We don't want artificial floor or ceiling limits placed on the value of things in a free economy. When you do that, unintended bad consequences occur.
... and I once heard that gas stations have an average mark-up of about $.05 per gallon. They aren't making much on the fuel; it's those 5hr energy bottles they sell for $5. Amazing how someone figured out how to market a product that normally comes in a bottle of 200 pills for $3, into a product that comes in 1 serving for $5. There is nothing special about the caffeine in 5hr energy that makes it last longer than any other caffeine source.
(as a tangent, 5hrs is the average half-life of caffeine in the body)