The recent economic reports show that the current coronavirus crisis will be bigger than the Great Recession. What does it imply for the gold market? US Economic Data Paints a Gloomy PictureThis week was full of new reports about the US economy. And guess what, I don’t have good news… First of all, let’s start with the update about the weekly initial unemployment benefits. In no...Read More
Continental Resources is ceasing production in North DakotaThe shares of Continental Resources (NYSE:CLR) are down 4% at $12.70, amid news that the company ceased production in North Dakota and closed off most of its wells in the state's Bakken shale field. Earlier, it was reported that CLR declared force majeure on at least one contract after crude dipped into the negative this week.Continental R...Read More
Sanofi cited a strong demand for pain and fever medications during its first quarter French pharmaceutical maker Sanofi SA (NASDAQ:SNY) is up 2.2% at $49.45 after releasing its first-quarter results and confirming its 2020 outlook. The company announced a 16.1% rise in income at constant exchange rate to 2.04 billion euros, or $2.20 billion, and a 6.6% pop in sales to 8.97 billion euros, or $9.69...Read More
Oil prices appear ready to rally for the third-straight dayDow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) futures are poised to climb this morning, propped up by an encouraging earnings report from blue chip American Express (APX). Wall Street is so far shaking off some of the latest alarming economic data, as durable goods orders for March fell 14.4%. Futures on the Nasdaq-100 Index (NDX) and S&P 500 Inde...Read More
After a long term bear market in most commodity related stocks we are starting to hear analyst talk about inflation. From a Chartology perspective the deflationary scenario is still in play but how much lower can this sector go? In tonights Weekend Report, I’m going to update some long term commodity charts we’ve been following for years to see where they are currently trading in their...Read More
Apparent steel consumption in Brazil totaled 1.61 million tonnes in March 2020, falling by 11.1% from 1.82 million tonnes in the corresponding month of 2019, the national steelmakers' association, Instituto A??o Brasil, said on Friday April 24.Aside from December, which is a traditionally weaker month for steel demand because of holidays, this was the lowest figure reported since January 2019. Som...Read More
More Italian steel producers restarted their operations in the week ended Friday April 24, but one French flat steel producer plans to temporarily idle its remaining equipment, Fastmarkets has heard.European steelmakers have been reducing output and temporarily idling equipment due to the poor demand resulting from lockdown orders and other quarantine measures implemented across the region with th...Read More
German steelmaker Salzgitter has downgraded its full-year earnings forecast for 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the company said in its preliminary report for the first quarter on April 24."We anticipate a negative pre-tax result in a significant, with a high probability, triple-digit million euro range for the financial year 2020. The scope of feasible scenarios is so extensive that precise qu...Read More
British Steel is set to restart production at its North Yorkshire special steel mill, on Monday April 27, following a three-week shutdown the company announced on April 24.In addition to the 240,000 tonnes-per year special steel mill at Skinningrove in Redcar & Cleveland, the company said it also plans to reopen its Lisburn service centre in Northern Ireland."Whi...Read More
Crude steel production in Germany fell by 10.36% year on year in March due to production cuts made to meet a drop in demand, the German steel federation, WV Stahl, said on April 23.Germany's crude steel production totaled 3.29 million tonnes in March 2020, down from 3.67 million tonnes in the corresponding period of 2019.A large number of end users, particularly automotive manufacturers, have stop...Read More
Gold COT Report - FuturesLarge SpeculatorsCommercialTotalLongShortSpreadingLongShortLongShort282,26332,69240,929116,808396,881440,000470,502Change from Prior Reporting Period -4,354-1,4247,591-31-3663,2065,801Traders19960705759287160 Small Speculators (C) GoldSeek.com LongShortOpen Interest 53,15822,656493,158 -13-2,6083,193 non reportable positionsChange from the pre...Read More
By Mike Gleason The metals complex showed relative stability this week as the oil market suffered a historic meltdown. West Texas Intermediate Crude crashed 70% at one point this week on the continuous contract, bringing prices briefly below $7 per barrel. By Thursday, prices were trading between $14 and $18 per barrel. The volatility on the May futures contract was even more extreme. On Monda...Read More
Brazil's slab export prices were stable this past week, with few volumes offered and costs continuing to pressure steelmakers' margins.Fastmarkets' weekly assessment for steel slab, export, fob main port Brazil was at $320-345 per tonne on Friday April 24, unchanged from the previous week.Prices near the lower end of the range corresponded to offers and consultations in Asian countries,...Read More
The gold miners' stocks surged to a major bull-market breakout this week! Powering decisively above their years-old secular resistance is a hugely-important technical event. It proves this gold-stock bull is alive and well, greatly improves sentiment, and puts this high-flying sector on countless more traders' radars. New bull highs fuel self-feeding bullish psychology, as speculators and...Read More
By Hubert Moolman 24 April 2020 After a more than 50-year bear market in gold stocks, things are coming together to create virtually perfect conditions for gold stocks. Gold prices are at (or near) all-time highs in most currencies, and will likely continue to rise over the coming years. Commodity prices are at lows and still falling. Deflationary pressures are enormous and will likely persis...Read More
By Richard (Rick) MillsAs the coronavirus pandemic continues to infect populations, though in some countries it is slowing, talk has shifted to re-opening economies, and to manufacturing a vaccine that drug companies hope will not only work, but can be distributed at large enough doses to provide immunity to a wide swath of the world's population. In their daily media briefings, health official...Read More
By: Gary SavageEquity markets are going to keep rallying, $ES / SP500 upside targets, see where our intermediate-top will be:Gary SavageRead More
By: Ira EpsteinYou need to take gold one step of a time. Gold $3,000 target.. Read More
A break of key technical resistances will result in another wave of rise in all metals and energies. Do not short crude oil. I expect crude oil prices to rise to $80 (nymex) next year once world gets over corona virus crisis. Crude oil producers and large speculators will more than make up for their current losses next year. Buy crude oil call options for August 2021 with a strike price of $70.0...Read More
Global markets are contracting in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the prices for flat steel products continue to retreat, with prices for coated steels down by a further 5% since late March in most of the markets that Fastmarkets tracks.The latest edition of Fastmarkets' Galvanized Steel and Tinplate Market Tracker, for April 2020, is now available to view.Further price falls are almost cer...Read More