* GRAPHIC-2018 asset returns: (New throughout, updates prices, market activity and comments, adds second byline and NEW YORK dateline)By Renita D. Young and Jan HarveyNEW YORK/LONDON, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Gold dipped further on Wednesday, a day after its biggest daily slide in 2-1/2 months, but briefly bounced higher as the U.S. dollar slipped for a short time after the release of minutes from the U...Read More

* Treasury's auction of U.S. five-year notes saw average demand* Fed minutes show FOMC expectation of upside growth trajectory* U.S. 2-year hits 9-year high; 30-year yields touch highest since July 2015 (Recasts, changes byline, adds auction results, analyst comment, table, updates prices in text)By Gertrude Chavez-DreyfussNEW YORK, Feb 21 (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury yields rose on Wednesday in chop...Read More

(Kitco News) - It's a choppy trading afternoon for gold, in the wake ofthe FOMC minutes released earlier this afternoon. Gold prices initially sawlittle reaction to the FOMC minutes, but then rallied with the U.S. dollarindex sold off. Then the U.S. dollar index rebounded from its lows totrade higher in the day, which prompted selling pressure in gold that drove itsprices to daily lows. The U.S. s...Read More

(Kitco News) - It's a choppy trading afternoon for gold, in the wake of the FOMC minutes released earlier this afternoon. Gold prices initially saw little reaction to the FOMC minutes, but then rallied with the U.S. dollar index sold off. Then the U.S. dollar index rebounded from its lows to trade higher in the day, which prompted selling pressure in gold that drove its prices to daily lows. The U...Read More

By John O'Donnell and Gederts GelzisRIGA, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Latvia's central bank chief has been suspended pending an investigation into bribery allegations, and the Baltic country's third biggest bank has sought emergency support following U.S. accusations of money-laundering and sanctions-busting.The problems, which the government says are not connected, have dealt a blow to Latvia's reputation...Read More

Centenera Mining Corporation (TSXV:CT; OTC:CTMIF) reports that drilling has begun at the Esperanza Copper-Gold Project, San Juan Province, Argentina.Read full newsRead More

Vancouver, one of the hottest housing markets in North America, is getting a little tougher for wealthy Chinese buyers.Read full newsRead More

(Kitco News) - Gold prices saw a bit a delayed bullish reaction to the Wednesday afternoon releaseof the latest minutes from the Federal Open Market Committee meeting. However,when the U.S. dollar index started to erode shortly after the minutes’ release,gold prices proceeded to rally to their daily highs. Gold prices have sincebacked down a bit from their daily highs. Some bargain hunters i...Read More

* Industrials, materials sectors climb more than 1 pct* Fed more confident in need to raise rates - minutes* Dow up 0.88 pct, S&P 500 up 0.87 pct, Nasdaq up 1.18 pct (Updates to mid-afternoon, changes byline)By Chuck MikolajczakFeb 21 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks advanced on Wednesday, with the Dow and S&P 500 on track for their seventh gain in eight sessions, buoyed by stocks in economically s...Read More

Lindsay Dunsmuir, Jason LangeWASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Federal Reserve’s rate-setting committee showed more confidence in the need to keep raising interest rates at its last policy meeting, with most believing that inflation would perk up.The more upbeat take on inflation in the minutes of the Jan. 30-31 policy meeting released on Wednesday will likely further cement expectations that new F...Read More

(Recasts lead, adds CEO comment, background, details)By Stephen JewkesMILAN, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Italian insurer Assicurazioni Generali has pledged to raise its investments in environmentally-friendly projects and divest from the coal industry as part of a new climate-change strategy.Europe's third biggest insurer said it would raise investments in "green" sectors by 3.5 billion euros ($...Read More

(Kitco News)- In a delayed reaction, gold prices have pushed higher Wednesday despite what some are describing as slightly hawkish minutes from the January Federal Reserve monetary policy meeting.According to the minutes, Federal Reserve committee members are slightly more optimistic on U.S. economic growth, which could lead to an increase in interest rates hikes."Several others suggested tha...Read More

(Kitco News) - In a delayed reaction, gold prices have pushed higher Wednesday despite what some are describing as slightly hawkish minutes from the January Federal Reserve monetary policy meeting.According to the minutes, Federal Reserve committee members are slightly more optimistic on U.S. economic growth, which could lead to an increase in interest rates hikes."Several others suggested th...Read More

Feb 21 (Reuters) - U.S. short-term interest-rate futures pared earlier losses on Wednesday after the Federal Reserve released minutes of its January policy-setting meeting showing policymakers were increasingly confident inflation would perk up. Still, bets in the contracts continued to reflect firm expectations that the Fed will raise rates three times this year, based on a Reuters analysis of f...Read More

BUENOS AIRES, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Argentina posted a trade deficit of $986 million in January, government statistics agency Indec said on Wednesday, compared with a deficit of $847 million in December and a deficit of $51 million in January 2017. Exports grew 10.7 percent compared with the same month last year to reach $4.75 billion. But that was outweighed by a 32.1 percent year-over-year increase...Read More

(Kitco News)- The world’s largest investment firm thinks that holding evena little bit of gold will help to smooth out growing volatility in financialmarkets.In an interview Tuesday with Bloomberg New, Russ Koesterich,head of asset allocation for BlackRock Inc.’s global allocation team said thefund increased its holding in gold in recent weeks as volatility has picked up.The investment...Read More

(Kitco News) - The world’s largest investment firm thinks that holding even a little bit of gold will help to smooth out growing volatility in financial markets.In an interview Tuesday with Bloomberg New, Russ Koesterich, head of asset allocation for BlackRock Inc.’s global allocation team said the fund increased its holding in gold in recent weeks as volatility has picked up. The inve...Read More

Spearmint Resources Inc. (TSXV:SRJ) (OTCBB: SPMTF) (FSE: A2AHL5) ('SRJ' or the 'Company') is very pleased to announce that the first drill program on Spearmints Lithium Project in the world-renowned lithium basin in Clayton Valley, Nevada has now commenced.Read full newsRead More

Feb 22 (Reuters) - Stock MarketsNet ChngStock MarketsNet ChngS&P/ASX 200** 5,943.70 2.80NZX 50**8,200.27 102DJIA25,113.8 149.05NIKKEI**21,970.8145.71Nasdaq7,301.78267.47 FTSE**7,281.57 34.80S&P 500 2,733.717.44 Hang Seng** 31,431.89558.26SPI 200 Fut 5,952.00 38.00 STI** 3,516.23 39.70SSEC**3,199.48 14.52 KOSPI** 2,429.65 14.53----------------------------------------------------------------...Read More

By Luciano CostaSAO PAULO, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Brazil's largest power distribution company Eletropaulo is nearing a deal to settle a debt of 2 billion reais ($614.8 million) with Centrais El?(C)tricas Brasileiras SA , a source familiar with the negotiation told Reuters on Wednesday.Eletropaulo, in which U.S. power firm AES Corp has a stake of 16.8 percent, weighs a proposal presented by Eletrobras...Read More