<p>Gold is generally the best option for expected political and economic strife as it generally reacts inversely with the markets. <a href="http://therealasset.co.uk/war-syria-gold-price/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Here</a>'s a good article on the connection between war and the value of gold. </p>

<p>Another thought would be to buy stock in companies involved in the defense industry. Raytheon, Boeing, Northorp Grumman all jump during wartime due to the anticipation for more demand for weapons production. </p>

<p>An even safer bet would be to buy stocks in metal production such as steel given that in a wartime economy demand for these goods spikes as production of ships and vehicles will increase for a period of time.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-04-19T20:14:43.770Z
2017-08-18T16:23:43.087Z
2017-08-18T16:23:43.087Z
TheSaint321
<p>If you're not looking exclusively at purchasing real assets, then taking a long position in an ETF/ETN tracking the <a href="http://www.investopedia.com/terms/v/vix.asp" rel="nofollow noreferrer">volatility index</a> could be a great move.  Symbols include UVXY or VIXY.  Remember that you are greatly exposed to <a href="http://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/counterpartyrisk.asp" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Counterparty Risk</a> on assets of this type.</p>

<p>Technical note: these assets don't track the VIX directly, rather they are based on an index of a rolling 30-day VIX futures positions.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-17T23:50:52.903Z
2017-08-17T23:50:52.903Z
Josh Bornstein
<p>With the Trump administration, Turkish dictatorship, North Korean nuclear weapons, and general tension around the world, we might think that there is a likelihood of something like a world war happening soon. If this were the case, and someone wished to profit from such a situation, which stock or commodities would be the best short (or invest in)?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-04-17T12:32:32.953Z
+1 as I think this is an interesting thought experiment. There's a real risk that you'd never be able to cash out. In that case, you'd do better to invest in bottled water and weapons.
paj28
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-04-18T13:25:40.433Z
The consequences of a nuclear conflict are very different than one involving conventional weapons. You would have a hard time describing a scenario for World War III that did not end up very badly. You would need to have a very specific scenario.
Brian Romanchuk
<stock-market><commodities>
If there was world war 3, which stocks should I short?
personjerry
# If there was world war 3, which stocks should I short?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-04-17)

With the Trump administration, Turkish dictatorship, North Korean nuclear weapons, and general tension around the world, we might think that there is a likelihood of something like a world war happening soon. If this were the case, and someone wished to profit from such a situation, which stock or commodities would be the best short (or invest in)?

**Tags:** stock-market, commodities

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: +1 as I think this is an interesting thought experiment. There's a real risk that you'd never be able to cash out. In that case, you'd do better to invest in bottled water and weapons.  
> **username_2**: The consequences of a nuclear conflict are very different than one involving conventional weapons. You would have a hard time describing a scenario for World War III that did not end up very badly. You would need to have a very specific scenario.  

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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2017-04-19. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

Gold is generally the best option for expected political and economic strife as it generally reacts inversely with the markets. [Here](http://therealasset.co.uk/war-syria-gold-price/)'s a good article on the connection between war and the value of gold.

Another thought would be to buy stock in companies involved in the defense industry. Raytheon, Boeing, Northorp Grumman all jump during wartime due to the anticipation for more demand for weapons production.

An even safer bet would be to buy stocks in metal production such as steel given that in a wartime economy demand for these goods spikes as production of ships and vehicles will increase for a period of time.


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### Answer by username_4 on 2017-08-17. Score: -1

If you're not looking exclusively at purchasing real assets, then taking a long position in an ETF/ETN tracking the [volatility index](http://www.investopedia.com/terms/v/vix.asp) could be a great move. Symbols include UVXY or VIXY. Remember that you are greatly exposed to [Counterparty Risk](http://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/counterpartyrisk.asp) on assets of this type.

Technical note: these assets don't track the VIX directly, rather they are based on an index of a rolling 30-day VIX futures positions.


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