By: Money MetalsCharleston, West Virginia (March 8th, 2019) -- Sound money advocates rejoiced today as the West Virginia legislature overwhelmingly passed Senate Bill 502 and sent it to Governor Jim Justice for his signature. First passed in the West Virginia senate unanimously last month, the measure removes state sales taxation of precious metals, specifically on gold, silver, platinum, a...Read More
By: David Chapman 20,000 jobs vs. 55,900 jobs. That was the stark difference between the U.S. nonfarm payrolls and the Canadian job numbers for February. Given Canada's population is only about 1/10th that of the U.S. it would be like Canada created 559,000 jobs in February. For the U.S. Fed it gives meaning to their "patient" approach. To the BofC it gives pause to any thoughts of lowering int...Read More
By: David HaggithLet's review this past devilishly whacky week to see if we can divine the way the world is turning and why the markets are churning. It was 2019's worst week in stocks and, well, just about everything economic all across this crazily spinning planet. Volatility lifted its head back out of the water like Loch Ness's monster while the citizenry took flight to treasury safe havens,...Read More
Social Security Is Not EnoughIs That All There Is?The Indexing Problem in Retirement AccountsDouble ProblemCleveland, Eye Surgery, New York, and More ClevelandI have long said I don't want to retire. I enjoy my work. It's not too physical, other than the travel (which is finally beginning to wear on me). Also, my savings are not yet sufficient to sustain the retirement lifestyle Shane and I want...Read More
Fastmarkets AMM attended the annual convention of the National Association of Steel Pipe Distributors (NASPD) on Thursday March 7 and Friday March 8 in New Orleans. Here are five themes gleaned in the sessions, on the sidelines and at the soirees.The US Gulf Coast is excited about China LNG import rumors. Reports that China may agree to buy an immense amount of liquefied natural gas (LNG) exp...Read More
Chinese finished steel exports decreased in February on both a yearly and a month-on-month basis amid uncompetitive prices and fewer working days as a result of the Chinese Lunar New Year holiday.The country shipped 4.51 million tonnes of finished steel out of the country last month, down 7% from the 4.85 million tonnes exported in February 2018, according to preliminary Chinese customs data...Read More
China's major mills continued to raise their daily output rates for crude steel in mid-February, while their finished steel inventories also rose.Members of the China Iron & Steel Association (Cisa) produced crude steel at an average rate of 1.95 million tonnes per day during the second 10 days of February, up 1.6% from 1.92 million tpd in early February, according to data released by the industry...Read More
Steel billet prices in the major global markets showed diverging trends during the week ended Friday March 8, with muted demand meaning that prices were stable or fell in Turkey, China and the United Arab Emirates.But prices increased in Southeast Asia, Egypt and the Commonwealth of Independent States amid higher scrap costs and increased offers.In Egypt, reports of a new regulation that effective...Read More
Mar. 8th, 2019(S14-E686)Featured GuestsDr. Stephen Leeb& Ryan Walsh Ph.D.Please Listen HereBest selling author and show Mentor, Dr. Stephen Leeb returns with an key insights on the coming precious metals bonanza. As the world searches for alternatives to the reserve currency to avoid what is sometimes perceived as unfair trade practices. The price of gold is destined to return to it's former lo...Read More
Dear Friend of GATA and Gold:Financial analysis published two weeks ago by a major Italian newspaper, Il Sole / 24 Ore (The Sun / 24 Hours), asserted frankly that central banks have been using gold futures and derivatives to suppress the monetary metal's price so they can obtain more of the metal less expensively in advance of its remonetization under new rules promulgated by the Bank for Intern...Read More
By: Money MetalsCharleston, West Virginia (March 8th, 2019) -- Sound money advocates rejoiced today as the West Virginia legislature overwhelmingly passed Senate Bill 502 and sent it to Governor Jim Justice for his signature. First passed in the West Virginia senate unanimously last month, the measure removes state sales taxation of precious metals, specifically on gold, silver, platinum, a...Read More
By: David Chapman 20,000 jobs vs. 55,900 jobs. That was the stark difference between the U.S. nonfarm payrolls and the Canadian job numbers for February. Given Canada's population is only about 1/10th that of the U.S. it would be like Canada created 559,000 jobs in February. For the U.S. Fed it gives meaning to their "patient" approach. To the BofC it gives pause to any thoughts of lowering int...Read More
By: David HaggithLet's review this past devilishly whacky week to see if we can divine the way the world is turning and why the markets are churning. It was 2019's worst week in stocks and, well, just about everything economic all across this crazily spinning planet. Volatility lifted its head back out of the water like Loch Ness's monster while the citizenry took flight to treasury safe havens,...Read More
Social Security Is Not EnoughIs That All There Is?The Indexing Problem in Retirement AccountsDouble ProblemCleveland, Eye Surgery, New York, and More ClevelandI have long said I don't want to retire. I enjoy my work. It's not too physical, other than the travel (which is finally beginning to wear on me). Also, my savings are not yet sufficient to sustain the retirement lifestyle Shane and I want...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Friday March 8 that are worth another look.It is "inevitable" that secondary lead will be listed on the Shanghai Futures Exchange in the future, given the material's rapid growth in supply and increasing market share in China's lead industry, Fastmarkets heard at the Consortium For Battery Innovation 2019 China Technical Workshop i...Read More
Ahead of Fastmarkets' Battery Materials 2019 conference in Shanghai, Fastmarkets looks at use of lithium in next-generation vehicles and other battery uses, as well as soaring prices, which have spurred interest in lithium and boosted its importance in recent years as a battery material. In June 2016, the spot price in China peaked at $27 per kg, more than three times the global contract price, ac...Read More
In contrast to the clear skies outside, a cloud hung over discussions among Indian scrap traders attending the opening session of the annual conference of the Material Recycling Association of India (MRAI) earlier this month in Kochi, southern India.Secretary-general Amar Singh praised the superior air quality in the host city, compared with the metropolises of New Delhi and Mumbai. But delegates...Read More
Section 232 tariffs on aluminium and steel raised $3.6 billion in their first nine months, and revenues for the last two months are likely to push that figure up by around another $1 billion, US government data shows.That figure would be enough to cover the shortfall in funding sought by United States President Donald Trump for border security. In other words, aluminium and steel tariffs could fun...Read More
Iron ore prices fell sharply in the second half of November after climbing through October, with prices for higher-grade material pioneering the decline.Fastmarkets MB daily benchmark for 65% Fe fines dropped by 22% by Monday November 26 after peaking on October 29. The 62% Fe iron ore index declined by 16% over the period, as some Chinese steelmakers started to seek larger volumes of cheaper ores...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Friday March 8 that are worth another look.It is "inevitable" that secondary lead will be listed on the Shanghai Futures Exchange in the future, given the material's rapid growth in supply and increasing market share in China's lead industry, Fastmarkets heard at the Consortium For Battery Innovation 2019 China Technical Workshop i...Read More