The monthly European alloy steel surcharges have moved downward for January, driven by lower costs for nickel, Fastmarkets heard on Friday January 3.Fastmarkets' calculation of the stainless steel cold-rolled sheet, 2mm, grade 304, alloy surcharge, domestic, Europe, was ?,?1,418-1,437 ($1,587-1,608) per tonne for January, down by ?,?161-171 per tonne...Read More

Key data from the pricing sessions in Europe, Asia and the United States for the week ending Friday January 3. China  Seaborne prices of both grades of manganese ore in China strengthened further after some sellers successfully increased their offer prices.  Many Chinese buyers accepted higher offer prices out of fear of missing out on relatively limited availability of cargoes available...Read More

Oil prices hit nine-month highs in responseThe Dow limped into the weekend with a 233-point loss, pressured by geopolitical tensions and weaker-than-expected economic data. The blue-chip index was down over 368 points at its session low in the morning, after a U.S. airstrike killed top Iranian military commander, Qassem Soleimani. Plus, investors also digested the latest manufacturing data that f...Read More

USO calls are running four times as quick as putsOptions volume is accelerated on the United States Oil Fund (USO) this afternoon, as the exchange-traded fund (ETF) moves higher with oil prices. Specifically, escalating tensions between U.S. and Iran had February oil futures closing up 3.1% at $63.05 per barrel, and USO shares are 3% higher at $13.19 -- trading above long-term resistance near $13....Read More

LB has struggled since early August of last yearYesterday we dove into a few of the best stocks to own in the first quarter, but today, we are dipping our toes into the opposite pool. Retailer L Brands Inc (NYSE:LB) has struggled to gain momentum since its early August bear gap, and has now shed 28% over the past 12 months. This afternoon, LB is up 8% at $18.88, thanks to an upgrade to "buy" at...Read More

Iran headwinds led to selling late in the week, howeverIt was an up-and-down holiday-shortened first week of 2020 for U.S. stocks. While the major indexes managed to hit fresh record highs in the first day of trading in the new year, selling ramped up on Friday after the U.S. launched airstrikes in Iran. All the same, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI), the S&P 500 Index (SPX), and Nasdaq Comp...Read More

Plus, 24 other stocks that tend to struggle in Q1Earlier this week we covered the best stocks to own in the first quarter of 2020. For every yin there's a yang, so we decided to also break down 25 stocks to steer clear from this quarter. Surprisingly, FAANG name Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) popped up on the list, despite heading into 2020 with a 33% year-over-year gain.Data from Schaeffer's Senior...Read More

Wall Street is also watching heightened tensions between the U.S. and IranThe Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) is down more than 240 points at midday, as Wall Street weighs news a U.S. airstrike had killed top Iranian military commander, Qassem Soleimani. Iran's promise of "harsh retaliation" in response to the attack is only stoking the bearish flames, while traders are also digesting weak fact...Read More

Tesla has tacked on almost 50% over the past 12 monthsBuzz around Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) continues to swirl this morning, with the electric-car maker drawing headlines on news it will reduce the starting price of its Model 3 sedans made in its Shanghai factory by 16%. The cut in price comes after the company received electric-vehicle subsidies from China. Also triggering this morning's surge are...Read More

The year ahead promises to be an eventful one. It will, ofcourse, be dominated by political headlines leading up to the 2020 election. Itcould also be a big breakout year for precious metals. In the second part of Money Metals' 2020 Outlook, we’ll drilldown on the fundamental and technical setup for gold and silver…However, in this first part, we’ll set the stage by digging int...Read More

Both AAL and DAL options can be had for a bargain right nowOil prices are skyrocketing amid escalating tensions between the U.S and Iran. Travel stocks -- and more specifically, airline stocks -- are thusexposed to both surging oil prices and geopolitical tensions. This has American Airlines Group Inc (NASDAQ:AAL) and Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) both swimming in red ink this morning, and op...Read More

Gold miners' stocks blasted higher this past week, breaking out of their correction downtrend. Rapidly-improving psychology fueled such strong upside momentum that sector benchmarks are challenging months-old upleg highs. Most traders assume this is righteous, that gold stocks' next upleg is starting to accelerate. But key indicators argue the contrarian side, that this breakout surge is...Read More

The Gold rally we predicted to happen inlate 2018 took place, almost perfectly, based on our ADL predictive modelingsystems results.  This rally took placein May through September 2019 and pushed Gold up to levels near $1600.  Therest of the year, Gold consolidated near $1500 as a strong US Stock Marketrally took hold in Q4 of 2019.  Ouroriginal prediction was that Gold would r...Read More

Clive MaundAs we approach the end of the year, and of the decade, it is important to have something positive to look forward to. Exactly a hundred years ago, towards the end of 1919, Hitler was able to look forward to becoming the leader of the Third Reich, while our aspirations are somewhat more modest and include having a powerful bullmarket in copper to capitalize upon.There are a number of c...Read More

By: Avi GilburtOriginally published on Sat Dec 28 for members of ElliottWaveTrader.net: When I peruse the comments on our Elliottwavetrader site alone, I am seeing a myriad of "beliefs" as to what the metals are doing and will be doing. Most of such beliefs seem to be driven by feelings, and quite a number of them have been fighting this metals rally. Yet, some are even driven by various...Read More

HUM stock rallied into 2020Humana Inc (NYSE:HUM) shares were a beneficiary of the year-end rally to 2019, as the stock has jumped sharply since its October lows near $250 to Thursday's settlement of $363.24. Analysts at J.P. Morgan Securities are expecting more upside, too, this morning raising the firm's price target on HUM to $448 from $437. As a result, the security is basically flat out of the...Read More

Chances of a war with Iran has resulted in gold and silver rising today. Crude oil has also risen on supply disruptions from Iraq. Only profit taking (before the weekend) can result in a crash or correction in gold and silver. However gold and silver do not correct then chances of $1575 and $1888 will be very high today. A weaker US dollar is also aiding the rise in gold and silver. Big economic...Read More

Although oil bullsmanaged to push the futures higher and broke above the upper border of therising green trend channel during yesterday’s session, Monday’s upswing turnedout only temporary. Earlier today, crudeoil futures opened the day with the bearish pink gap, invalidating yesterday’s breakout above the channel. This bearishdevelopment triggered further deterioration in the f...Read More

The Dow is set for a triple-digit decline at the openDow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) futures are signaling a negative start to the session, as caution sets in following the U.S. airstrikes in Iran that killed top military leader Gen. Qasem Soleimani. Oil prices, on the other hand, are on the rise; February crude futures are up 3.5% to $63.34 per barrel, with major energy stocks set to outperfor...Read More

The King is dead, long live the King - 2019 is over,long live the 2020! As tumultuous as they have been, what have we learned aboutthe gold market in the past twelve months? And what can we glean from this knowledgefor the times ahead?Key LessonsFor Gold Investors from 2019Today is the last day of2019. It was a good year for the gold bulls, as one can clearly see in thechart below. The price of th...Read More