There has been an increase in put buying over the past two weeksShares of Nike Inc (NYSE:NKE) are soaring, after the athletic apparel concern reported fiscal third-quarter adjusted earnings and revenue beats last night, and in response, received a fresh round of bullish brokerage notes. The most notable price-target hike came from Deutsche Bank to $76 from $75 -- an 18% premium to last night's clo...Read More

LONDON (Reuters) - A surge in U.S. short-term bank funding costs, traditionally a key gauge of stress, has grabbed the attention of investors who are trying to assess whether it has wider ramifications for international markets.The three-month London interbank offered rate (Libor) USD3MFSR= has risen rapidly, with its premium above the overnight index swap (OIS) USD3MOIS= hitting 58 basis points o...Read More

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump threatened on Friday to veto Congress’ newly passed $1.3 trillion spending bill over immigration issues, a surprise move that could force the federal government to shutdown when funding expires later in the day.On Thursday, the White House said Trump was expected to sign the bill into law.The U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate, bot...Read More

China released a list of U.S. products that could now be subject to import taxesU.S. stock futures have been bouncing between positive and negative territory, but those on the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) were last seen trading below fair value. Investors are reacting to the latest trade headlines, following President Donald Trump's announcement yesterday to hit China with $60 billion in tar...Read More

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (Reuters) - With the U.S. economy now at or near the Federal Reserve’s goals of full employment and 2-percent inflation, the U.S. central bank should continue raising interest rates gradually over the next couple of years, a Fed policymaker said on Friday.“If the economy evolves roughly as I suspect, I will likely support further increases over the course of the year,&...Read More

When Iopened my inbox on Monday, I was happy to see the news of three miner take-overdeals which could possibly be the beginning of more to come in this undervaluedsector. It is no secret to sector professionals in the mining space that gold production has peaked and global miners have beenhigh-grading, while running out of economic ore to produce. There is a dearthof quality pipeline projects at...Read More

When I opened my inbox on Monday, I was happy to see the news of three miner take-over deals which could possibly be the beginning of more to come in this undervalued sector. It is no secret to sector professionals in the mining space that gold production has peaked and global miners have been high-grading, while running out of economic ore to produce. There is a dearth of quality pipeline project...Read More

LONDON (Reuters) - A surge in U.S. short-term bank funding costs, traditionally a key gauge of stress, has grabbed the attention of investors who are trying to assess whether it has wider ramifications for international markets.The three-month London interbank offered rate (Libor) USD3MFSR= has risen rapidly, with its premium above the overnight index swap (OIS) USD3MOIS= hitting 58 basis points o...Read More

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top cop for U.S. consumer finance has decided not to sue a payday loan collector and is weighing whether to drop cases against three payday lenders, said five people with direct knowledge of the matter.The move shows how Mick Mulvaney, named interim head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) by U.S. President Donald Trump, is putting his mark on an agency co...Read More

LONDON (Reuters) - The threat of a global trade war sent stock markets sliding and investors rushing for the safety of currencies like the yen and government bonds on Friday, after U.S. President Donald Trump announced tariffs on up to $60 billion of Chinese goods.Another bruising week for stocks has left global equity markets heading for their first quarterly loss since early 2016 after a spike i...Read More

Editor's Note: Updating earlier story with more details from report.(Kitco News) - Goldretained early-day gains after a government report Friday showing that Februaryorders for durable goods in the U.S. rose by 3.1% to $247.7 billion, led by asharp jump in orders for transportation equipment.Therise in orders reversed a 3.5% decrease in January. Consensus expectationscompiled by various news organ...Read More

(Kitco News) - Gold aresolidly higher and hit a four-week high in early U.S. trading Friday, onsafe-haven demand amid concerns the world’s two largest economies are squaringoff in a trade war. April Comex gold futures were last up $19.20 an ounce at$1,346.60. May Comex silver was last up $0.213 at $16.605 an ounce.Buystop orders in the gold and silver futures markets were triggered shortly...Read More

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union leaders called on Friday for a temporary exemption from U.S. import duties on steel and aluminum to be made permanent, saying they reserved the right to respond “in a proportionate manner” to protect the bloc’s interests.The 40-day exemption granted by Washington was like U.S. President Donald Trump “putting a gun to our head”, Belg...Read More

GENEVA (Reuters) - The United States launched a complaint against China at the World Trade Organization on Friday, part of a package of trade measures announced by President Donald Trump on Thursday over China’s alleged theft of U.S. intellectual property.A presidential memorandum signed by Trump will target up to $60 billion in Chinese goods with tariffs, but only after a 30-day consultatio...Read More

YOKOHAMA, Japan (Reuters) - Nissan Motor Co (7201.T) announced plans to sell 1 million electric vehicles (EVs) annually by 2022, a six-fold jump from what it sold last year, and said it had no plans to stop testing its self-driving cars on public roads, calling them safe.Japan’s No. 2 automaker and its rivals are planning to crank up development and production of electric cars in response to...Read More

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May welcomed on Friday the approval by European Union leaders of a 21-month transition period to help business adapt after Brexit, telling the bloc to ride the “new dynamic” in looming trade talks.EU leaders also formally adopted on Friday their joint negotiating stance on a future trade relationship with Britain after it leaves the b...Read More

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Congress voted early on Friday to approve a $1.3-trillion government funding bill with large increases in military and non-defense spending, sending it to President Donald Trump, who was expected to sign it into law.With Trump’s signature, the bill will avert a threatened government shutdown and keep federal agencies funded until Sept. 30, ending for now Washi...Read More

Editor's Note: Welcome to Kitco's new Bitcoin Daily Technical Alert. Every trading day veteran Kitco technical analyst Jim Wyckoff will provide you with a concise and easy-to-understand near-term technical brief on Bitcoin. Importantly, Jim will glean the short-term charts and technical studies, and then alert you to the signals he sees regarding upcoming potential bigger price moves or price tren...Read More

A close above $1,340 an ounce on Fridaycould mean technical-chart strength that carries gold to the $1,355 area, says Lukman Otunuga, research analyst atFXTM. As of 7:54 a.m. EDT, spot metal was $13.15 higher at $1,341.75 an ounce.“Gold bulls were back inaction on Friday, with prices venturing towards $1,340 thanks to a vulnerabledollar and a sell-off in global equity markets,” Otunuga...Read More

BEIJING/SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China urged the United States on Friday to “pull back from the brink” as President Donald Trump’s plans for tariffs on up to $60 billion in Chinese goods moved the world’s two largest economies closer to a trade war.The escalating tensions sent shivers through financial markets as investors foresaw dire consequences for the global economy if tra...Read More