NEW YORK (Project Syndicate) - The financial-services industry has been undergoing a revolution. But the driving force is not overhyped blockchain applications such as bitcoin. It is a revolution built on artificial intelligence, big data, and the internet of things. Already, thousands of real businesses are using these technologies to disrupt every aspect of financial intermediation. Dozens of on...Read More

Chinese e-commerce concern Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. (NYSE:BABA) is seeing an increase of analyst attention this week, just ahead of the company's fiscal third-quarter earnings, scheduled for before Thursday's market open. Also, it was just announced that Alibaba Cloud will be used to monitor and analyze traffic patterns in Malaysia's capital, Kuala Lumpur. Plus, investors are digesting headlines...Read More

Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT) stock is buzzing this morning, after the defense company reported an impressive fourth-quarter revenue beat. The upbeat figures were fueled by higher sales from Lockheed's F-35 fighter jet program. Further, the firm forecast rising profits in 2018. In response, LMT stock is up 2.1% to trade at $352.03, and just off a new record high of $352.57.Lockheed Martin...Read More

By Daniela DesantisASUNCION, Jan 29 (Reuters) - Paraguay's opposition coalition to the conservative Colorado Party in April elections will push to increases taxes on the nation's large agricultural sector, its presidential candidate told Reuters.Efra?-n Alegre, who will face off against Colorado's Mario Abdo, said the plan would be presented in two weeks and include changes to taxes on the trade o...Read More

(Adds details, background)By Ebru TuncayISTANBUL, Jan 29 (Reuters) - The date of Turkish healthcare provider Memorial's initial public offering has not yet been set, its chief executive said on Monday, and two sources said it may be delayed to avoid clashing with another health care group IPO next month.Memorial intended to float more than a third of its capital with 30 million lira ($7.94 millio...Read More

Jan 29 (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index fell shortly after the opening bell on Monday, weighed by a decline in energy and other resource shares as the price of oil tumbled.At 9:45 a.m. EST (1445 GMT), the Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite index was down 69.65 points, or 0.43 percent, at 16,169.57. (Reporting by Leah Schnurr) Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are t...Read More

Mr. Eric Fier reports SILVERCREST EXPANDS BABICANORA HIGH-GRADE FOOTPRINT TO 1.3 KILOMETRES; MORE BONANZA GRADESSilvercrest Metals Inc. has released additional phase II drill results for the Las Chispas property located in Sonora, Mexico. Stepout drilling of the Babicanora vein continues to intersect high-grade mineralization with an increase in the reported high-grade footprint from 1,000 metres...Read More

Mr. Eric Fier reports SILVERCREST EXPANDS BABICANORA HIGH-GRADE FOOTPRINT TO 1.3 KILOMETRES; MORE BONANZA GRADESSilvercrest Metals Inc. has released additional phase II drill results for the Las Chispas property located in Sonora, Mexico. Stepout drilling of the Babicanora vein continues to intersect high-grade mineralization with an increase in the reported high-grade footprint from 1,000 metres...Read More

Mr. Marc Prefontaine reportsORLA ANNOUNCES C$25,480,000 BOUGHT DEAL FINANCINGOrla Mining Ltd. has entered into an agreement with a syndicate of underwriters led by GMP Securities LP, pursuant to which the underwriters will purchase, on a bought deal basis, 14.56 million units of the company at a price of $1.75 per unit for aggregate gross proceeds to the company of $25.48-million.Each unit will co...Read More

Mr. Marc Prefontaine reportsORLA ANNOUNCES C$25,480,000 BOUGHT DEAL FINANCINGOrla Mining Ltd. has entered into an agreement with a syndicate of underwriters led by GMP Securities LP, pursuant to which the underwriters will purchase, on a bought deal basis, 14.56 million units of the company at a price of $1.75 per unit for aggregate gross proceeds to the company of $25.48-million.Each unit will co...Read More

Stock futures are trading below fair value ahead of a busy week on Wall Street, with Apple earnings, President Donald Trump's first State of the Union address, and the last Fed meeting for Chair Janet Yellen on tap. Today, though, traders are digesting a tepid rise in consumer spending last month, along with a 12-year low in the saving rate. Separately, the core personal consumption expenditures (...Read More

Andre Boj?(C), chief executive of Minergy Limited, talks Proactive's Andrew Scott through the latest at their 100% owned, 390Mt Masama Coal Project in the Mmambula Coalfield, in south west Botswana.Minergy's currently listed on the Main Board of the Botswana Stock Exchange and Boj?(C) says they're keen to bring the company to London's AIM Market later on in the year.The company expects that follow...Read More

"One of the world's largest money managers says you should fear the lack of fear in markets. ...Pacific Investment Management Co. says now is the time for caution." (Jan. 17)"Recent 'Odd' Market Moves May Be a Warning Sign for Stocks" (Jan. 21)"Slowing Cash Flow Could Mean a 'Nasty Surprise' for U.S. Stocks" (Jan. 23)"U.S. stocks are set for a correction of 5% or more this year after the longest s...Read More

Preciousmetals and commodities generally are moving lower, pressured mainly by a modestreversal higher in the U.s. dollar, says INTL FCStone. The approach of aFederal Reserve meeting this week may be leading to some dollar short covering,especially considering that bets against the dollar hit record highs, based onthe most recent data from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, INTLFCStone says...Read More

Precious metals and commodities generally are moving lower, pressured mainly by a modest reversal higher in the U.s. dollar, says INTL FCStone. The approach of a Federal Reserve meeting this week may be leading to some dollar short covering, especially considering that bets against the dollar hit record highs, based on the most recent data from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, INTL FCSton...Read More

Jason Hill, sales director at appScatter Group PLC (LON:APPS), discusses the huge growth in apps and our reliance on them.Hill says where once apps were restricted to just smart phones and tablets, they're now being used to power computers, smart TVs and wearable devices plus not to mention their increasing role in the Internet of Things (IoT)  Meet Reward Minerals Ltd, Recce Ltd, Rimfire Pac...Read More

(Kitco News)- Gold pricesremain under pressure, seeing little reaction to muted inflation pressuresthrough 2017.Monday, TheU.S. Department of Commerce said that Personal Consumption Expenditures Index,0.1% in December, in line with expectations. However, for the year, the datashowed that inflation increased by 1.7%, down from November's reading of 1.8%.Coreinflation, which strips out volatile food...Read More

We expect the US Dollar Index to rally backup to 92.00 levels.-Gold is overbought and due for a correction.A time for a consolidation is at hand. Dollar Rally? One the highlights in the news last week was the world economic forum in Davos. On Wednesday, the US dollar struck a weaker note on the basis of comments by the US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. He said, ahead of the central bank's poli...Read More

(Kitco News) - Gold remains under pressure as dollar buyers emerge. Lastweek, we suggested going flat near the 2016 double top at $1,365, with an expectation of a move to the $1,345 area.Recent jawboning by the President that the U.S. wants a stronger dollar and thereversal by Treasury Secretary Mnuchin, that he was not advocating a weakerdollar policy has encouraged dollar bears to cover. Th...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