2019 is looking like one of those either/or years, where growing financial instability leads to either a 2008-style financial crash or another round of asset inflation. In Jay Taylor's latest newsletter, he concludes that both scenarios are good for gold:Which Safe Haven Markets Will Dominate in 2019?If we are, as I believe, on the precipice of a major decline in stocks, the question in my mind...Read More

By: Dave KranzlerThe stock market has gone "Roman Candle" since Fed Chairman, Jerome Powell, gave a speech that was interpreted as a precursor to the Fed softening its stance on monetary policy. Not that intermittent quarter-point Fed Funds rate nudges higher or a barely negligible decline in the Fed's balance sheet should be considered "tight" money policy.Credible measures of price inflation...Read More

By: Axel Merk, Merk InvestmentsThe quip, "if you aren't confused, you aren't paying attention" needs to be replaced: "with the Fed confused, you better pay attention." You may want to buckle up. Let me explain.It all starts with the Fed...In assessing our crystal ball for 2019, the starting point is the Federal Reserve (Fed) because they provide an anchor for the price of risk-free assets (Tre...Read More

By: George Smith I collect gold in the form of important insights, and in this article I'd like to share some of them with you. Until a few years ago I never thought of Moore's Law and a gold coin standard as having an important connection, but they do. Gary North lays it out (8/17):The gold standard was an institutional restraint on the expansion of government spending, and central banks we...Read More

By Ira EpsteinThe Fed is pausing, rallying gold - higher lows, higher highs:Read More

Gold Outlook 2019 - World Gold CouncilAs we look ahead, we expect that the interplay between market risk and economic growth in 2019 will drive gold demand. And we explore three key trends that we expect will influence its price performance: ? financial market instability ? monetary policy and the US dollar ? structural economic reforms.Against th...Read More

What the banks are doing is so freaking obvious and ridiculous, but Craig says to get ready, because it is going to be like this all year...by Craig Hemke of TF Metals ReportThis is so freaking obvious and ridiculous that I thought it deserved its own post. What's even more ridiculous is the amount of shills and charlatans who still publicly cling to the silly notion that the Comex silver market i...Read More

Ted Butler says if the DOJ asks the right questions, the ongoing silver manipulation will come to a screeching halt. Here's what the DOJ should be asking...by Ted Butler of Butler Research via Silver SeekReasonable questions should be answered reasonably. When such questions cannot be answered reasonably or at all, particularly by those with a responsibility for answering, something is wrong. A g...Read More

Sentiment improved after relatively good holiday season, butdealers and cutters concerned about low profit margins, excess supply, andselective demand. Indian bank credit tightening, with ICICI to close Antwerpbranch. Stock markets rebound, with Dow index +2% since Jan. 1, amid optimismfor US-China trade deal. Suppliers focused on Chinese New Year orders, withsteady demand for lower-color and -cla...Read More

Slow trading, with few foreign purchasers in theMumbai market. Buyers selective, but having difficulty finding the right goodsat the right price. Suppliers maintaining stable prices on fresh supply, buthave a lot of older merchandise in stock. Manufacturers keeping productionbelow capacity for now, as concerns about profitability persist. Banks raisingcollateral requirements, with liquidity crunch...Read More

RAPAPORT... Macy's noted strong sales of higher-end jewelry during theholiday season, though lower-priced items were weaker. Fine jewelry was one of seven categories the retailerhighlighted for their positive performances during November and December.However, sales of fashion jewelry and fashion watches missed expectations, itadded in the holiday-sales update Thursday. The department store l...Read More

RAPAPORT... Antwerp-headquartered diamond manufacturer IGC Group hasappointed Kim Pelletier as president of its fine-jewelry division, IGC BrandServices.The Chicago-based subsidiary manufactures diamonds, designs jewelry, and distributes the Naledi brand of engagements rings.Pelletier will oversee the company's growth by developing its contacts withretailers across North America and expanding...Read More

RAPAPORT... Michael Hill has appointed Andrea Slingsby as chiefoperating officer, it said Wednesday. "Her unique experience in people-focused, fast-growingcompanies, business-model improvement and operational excellence is a majorbenefit for Michael Hill as we implement our strategy to become a globallyrelevant leader in the premium-jewelry category," said Daniel Bracken, CEO ofMichael Hill. Slin...Read More

(IDEX Online) - IDEX Online has launched the 2019 edition of its much-anticipated annual Trade Fair Guide.   The guide provides extensive details regarding a wide range of trade fairs taking place this year, including dates, venues and contact information.   It also provides information relating to De Beers' sales dates in 2019, and ALROSA's dates for publishing details of its...Read More

(IDEX Online) - Diamond Foundry, the manufacturer of lab-grown diamonds, said it raised its prices by an average of 15% across all channels as of January 1.   "After careful monitoring of the market situation over the past months, we see demand increasingly outpacing supply," the firm said in a statement. "This is due to the increase in size and frequency that buyers in the diamond industry a...Read More

(IDEX Online) - Tiffany & Co. plans to share information on a diamond's complete journey through the supply chain - from mine to where it was cut and polished - by 2020 in what the retailer says would be an industry first.   The move is part of the firm's aim of telling customers where its diamonds come from in a bid to boost consumer confidence by increasing its business transparenc...Read More

Kyzyl ramp-up signals new growth path at buoyant PolymetalSPONSOREDpolymetal internationalIn releasing its December quarter production results yesterday, the miner said it had exceeded its updated gold guidance, while copper production was in line with forecasts.Read More

PolarX builds bigger, richer Zackly pictureSPONSOREDpolar x limitedThe wire service quoted Collahuasi CEO Jorge Gómez telling reporters at an event in Santiago that it was seeking synergies with operations in the Tarapaca area, including sharing pipe and power lines and potentially desalinated water as water shortages were becoming an issue."It does not make much sense that two companies so...Read More

Three-month base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were for the most part little changed this morning, Thursday January 10. The exceptions were nickel that was up by 0.4% and lead that was up by 0.6%. The three-month copper price was up by 0.1% at $5,972 per tonne, with the high so far on Thursday being $5,985.50 per tonne. Volume across the complex has been average with 5,342 lots traded...Read More

U.S. equity index futures were lower this morning. S&P 500 futures were down 9 points in pre-opening trade. Index futures were virtually unchanged following release of the Weekly Jobless Claims report at 8:30 AM EST. Consensus was a drop 225,000 from an upwardly revised 233,000 last week. Actual was 216,000. Twitter gained $1.06 to $33.31 after Bank of America/Merrill upgraded the stock to Buy...Read More