* Gold discounts narrow in India* Activity quiet in China, Singapore, Hong Kong* Prices in Japan on par with benchmark gold for 14th weekMUMBAI/BENGALURU - Demand for physical gold was tepid across major buying centres in Asia this week as higher prices curbed purchases, with buying also impacted by the arrival of the year-end holiday season.Benchmark spot gold scaled a near six-month peak on Thur...Read More
JAKARTA - A special mining permit given to Freeport McMoRan unit PT Freeport Indonesia on Friday is valid up to 2031, and could be extended to 2041, an energy ministry official said.* Copper ore output from Freeport's Grasberg mine is expected to decline in 2019 once open pit mining ends this year, Freeport Indonesia chief executive Tony Wenas said* Output from the mine is expected to increase onc...Read More
Brazil's apparent steel consumption increased by 6.90% year on year in November, to 1.70 million tonnes, mostly due to an improved performance in the flat steel sector, according to the national steel association A??o Brasil.Apparent consumption of flat steel products grew by 11.70% in the same comparison, to 1.10 million tonnes, while long steel use declined by 0.80% year-on-year, to 606,000 tonn...Read More
ePower Metals (TSXV: EPWR) announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to buy Exploracion Auramex S.A. de C.V. and its Magenta cobalt project from Bowering Projects.The Magenta project is located in Sinaloa, northwestern Mexico, and consists of five claims totaling 2,274 hectares. The claims are on privately owned ranch land and four of them are in good standing while one, the Magenta #2,...Read More
Tasman Mining announced this week that government agency New Zealand Petroleum & Minerals granted a mining permit for the high-grade Blackwater gold deposit located near Reefton on the West Coast of the South Island.In a media statement, Tasman said that with this new permit, the company can put in motion its plans to build an underground operation at the site of the historic Blackwater mine. Gold...Read More
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the second and third largest steel consuming countries in the Middle East, have suffered mostly indirectly from the impact of Section 232, executives said during a panel at the Middle East Iron & Steel Conference in Dubai on December 10-12."We have not seen much of a direct impact [from Section 232 on the UAE]... But there is an indirect impact - th...Read More
The Critical Investor presents an analysis of Trilogy Metals by Kees Dekker, a mining investment consultant. Arctic project; exploration1. Critical Investor IntroductionThis time Kees Dekker analyzed Trilogy Metals Inc. (TMQ:NYSE.MKT; TMQ:TSX), which sports one of the highest grade copper projects worldwide (Arctic). I found Kees' report interesting enough to obtain company feedback, and after a...Read More
Key data from the Friday December 21 pricing session in London. Key drivers: - Ferro-vanadium and V2O5 prices take a beating from aggressive trader selling and weak consumer demand at the end of the calendar year, alongside concerns over increased availability of Chinese material in Rotterdam. - Slump in V2O5 brings feed prices theoretically more in line with ferro-vanadium prices, when conversion...Read More
December was a slow month for stainless steel demand in Europe, according to distributors who have also complained since October of diminishing margins. "The market was lousy this month, very quiet demand. Only the first couple days of December were ok, but even then they weren't great. Prices have been going down for months, we're not making margins, so...Read More
The Nasdaq Composite closed in bear market territory todayThe Dow once again erased intraday gains to finish lower, ultimately collecting its third straight daily loss. The blue-chip index explored a range of over 858 points today, with losses accelerating in the afternoon as the prospect of a government shutdown loomed large ahead of the weekend. The Nasdaq Composite, meanwhile, closed in officia...Read More
MET is among the worst performing stocks after the Fed tightens up on ratesShares of Metlife Inc. (NYSE:MET) are down 0.6% at $39.11, after the company on Thursday reached a settlement with the state of Massachusetts over claims that it failed to pay pensions to thousands of retirees it improperly "presumed dead." The insurance provider will have to pay $1 million fine to resolve the claim filed l...Read More
CloseGain/LossOn WeekGold $1255.50-$5.50+1.39%Silver$14.62-$0.15+0.27%XAU68.67-1.60%+1.60%HUI156.47-1.28%+2.50%GDM570.74-1.04%+1.84%JSE Gold1316.81-28.01+1.12%USD97.03+0.69-0.44%Euro113.63-0.94+0.51%Yen90.02-0.10+2.03%Oil$45.59-$0.29-10.96%10-Year2.783%-0.021-3.80%Bond144.8125+0.09375+0.96%Dow22445.37-1.81%-6.87%Nasdaq6332.99-2.99%-8.36%S&P2416.58-2.06%-7.05% The Metals: ...Read More
The price of gold cannot decline and stay below the gold production costs. Myth or fact? We invite you to read our today’s article about the mining costs and find out whether they provide a floor for gold prices. So if the central bank demand for gold is not able to boost the price, then maybe mines will help? We refer here to the popular narrative that the price of the yellow metal cannot d...Read More
Gold COT Report - FuturesLarge SpeculatorsCommercialTotalLongShortSpreadingLongShortLongShort182,168106,20853,411132,148224,823367,727384,442Change from Prior Reporting Period 12,568-2,893310-2,13713,17010,74110,587Traders17079694949247173 Small Speculators (C) GoldSeek.com LongShortOpen Interest 44,75828,043412,485 -506-35210,235 non reportable positionsChange from t...Read More
Just one request, please do not trade while drunk during the vacations. Merry Christmas. Enjoy the present and forget the past.Gold needs a close over $1260 and silver needs a close over $1490 today to zoom next week. Volumes will be there from Asia. Trading volumes will be down next week but not zero. Holiday goers will enjoy as petrol/diesel prices are low. The current market situation is that...Read More
Ireland is demanding $1.9 billion in back taxes from PerrigoPerrigo Company (NYSE:PRGO) said it has been ordered by Ireland to pay $1.9 billion in back taxes for 2013. The bill comes after it was found that intellectual property sales of Elan Pharma -- which Perrigo acquired in 2013 in a corporate tax inversion -- were taxed incorrectly. In reaction, PRGO stock is down 26.5% to trade at $38.47, ea...Read More
AAPL and BB are pacing for their lowest closes in over a yearStocks are struggling the week before Christmas. Three names taking part in the widespread weakness are iPhone maker Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), tech name BlackBerry Ltd (NYSE:BB), and e-commerce services provider Shopify Inc (NYSE:SHOP). Let's take a look at the damage shares of AAPL, BB, and SHOP have experienced today. Apple Stock Flir...Read More
Oil prices also fell to annual lows this weekIt's been a brutal December for Wall Street, and this week was no exception. The Dow and S&P 500 are all staring at their worst week s since March, while the Nasdaq is headed toward its biggest weekly loss since January 2016. Plus, all three indexes remain deep in correction territory, and sport month-to-date deficits of 11% or more. The sell-off starte...Read More
Fastmarkets MB hosted the 22nd Middle East Iron & Steel conference in Dubai last week. Here are five things we learned...1 High-grade iron ore derivative will be an important tool for Middle East DRI industry A world-first 65% iron ore derivative launched by the Singapore Exchange in early December was hailed as an important hedging tool for the Middle East direct-reduced ironmaking (DRI) industry...Read More
Congress has yet to pass a spending bill to avoid a partial government shutdown at midnightThe Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) was last seen modestly higher -- getting help from a post-earnings bull gap for Nike (NKE) -- overcoming a brief turn lower as a potential government shutdown looms. Traders are also reacting to a round of lackluster economic data, with the personal consumption expendit...Read More