The European Union has taken over the chairmanship of the Kimberley Process for 2018, a decade after it last directed the initiative. Federica Mogherini, who is an Italian politician and the High Representative of the bloc for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, will be heading the operation. Kimberley is a process started in 2003 following the United Nations General Assembly's Resolution 55/56....Read More

The European Union has taken over the chairmanship of the Kimberley Process for 2018, a decade after it last directed the initiative. Federica Mogherini, who is an Italian politician and the High Representative of the bloc for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, will be heading the operation. Kimberley is a process started in 2003 following the United Nations General Assembly's Resolution 55/56....Read More

Editor's Note: View Kitco News' full 2018 outlook coverage(Kitco News) - It was a tale of two markets for gold in 2017, as prices made their biggest gains since 2010, but U.S. Mint coin sales were the weakest in a decade.The U.S. Mint said that sales of American Eagle gold and silver coins were the lowest since 2007 and American Buffalo coins had the worst year on record.The majority of analysts b...Read More

Editor's Note: View Kitco News' full 2018 outlook coverage(Kitco News) - It was a tale of two markets for gold in 2017, as prices made their biggest gains since 2010, but U.S. Mint coin sales were the weakest in a decade.The U.S. Mint said that sales of American Eagle gold and silver coins were the lowest since 2007 and American Buffalo coins had the worst year on record.The majority of analysts b...Read More

LONDON, Jan 2 (Reuters) - Yields on benchmark British gilts rose by the most in over six months on Tuesday as investors sold European government bonds after an ECB official said its bond-buying might not be extended and data showed strong economic growth in the euro zone.The yield on 10-year British gilts touched a high of 1.290 percent, their highest since Dec. 8, before closing at 1.289 percent,...Read More

U.S. equity futures are higher in the first trading session of 2018 offsetting Friday's last hour sharp drop, as Asian stocks roar to new all time highs, while a surging euro which has rallied near to a 3 year high pressured European stocks across the board.Read full newsRead More

* LME/ShFE arb: * LME zinc stocks down 70 percent since Sept. 2015* Cash to threes zinc backwardation highest since Nov. 30 (Adds closing prices)By Pratima DesaiLONDON, Jan 2 (Reuters) - Zinc scaled 10-year peaks on Tuesday as the market focused on looming deficits due to falling supplies, but gains were capped as prices are at levels which are likely to encourage investment in new output.Benchmar...Read More

The initial price of bitcoin, set in 2010, was less than 1 cent. Now it's crossed $16,000. Once seen as the province of nerds, libertarians and drug dealers, bitcoin today is drawing millions of dollars from hedge funds. The recent price surge may be a bubble. Or it could be a belated recognition by the broader financial community that so-called cryptocurrencies -- digital forms of money -- are go...Read More

A second Sino-Russian oil pipeline began operations on New Year's Day, doubling China's capacity to import crude from the East Siberia-Pacific Ocean system.Read full newsRead More

U.S. stocks are broadly higher halfway through the first trading day of 2018. While the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) has pared much of its triple-digit lead, the S&P 500 Index (SPX) and Nasdaq Composite (IXIC) are holding their early gains as tech and energy stocks outperform. Adding to the risk-on bias is the Markit purchasing managers manufacturing index (PMI) for December, which revealed...Read More

The corporate agenda tends to be mercifully light at the start of January, save for the retailers' Christmas updates, starting with Next Plc (LON:NXT).The fashion firm releases a trading update on Wednesday covering the important Christmas trading period, and shareholders have every right to be a tad nervous after reports that the Boxing Day sales were not the crowd-pullers they once used to be, p...Read More

BEIRUT, LEBANON (6:45 A.M.) - Concerned military, intelligence and diplomatic figures within the United States have reportedly given Israel permission to aRead full newsRead More

(Updates prices)By Jemima KellyLONDON, Jan 2 (Reuters) - Sterling kicked off the first trading day of 2018 by climbing to a three-month high close to $1.36 on Tuesday, with investors brushing off weaker-than-expected manufacturing data to focus on upcoming Brexit talks. The pound, which in 2017 recorded its best annual performance against the dollar since 2009 with an almost 10 percent rise, adde...Read More

NEW YORK, Jan 2 (Reuters) - The U.S. Treasury Department on Tuesday sold a record $48 billion of three-month bills at an interest rate of 1.435 percent, which was not far below the highest since Sept. 2008 set the previous week, Treasury data showed.The ratio of bids to the amount of three-month T-bills offered was 3.08, the highest in a month. This gauge of overall auction demand was 2.71 at the...Read More

* U.S. stocks open higher, boosting global shares* Euro, sterling gain while dollar drops* Asia shares ex-Japan cheered by upbeat China data (Updates to U.S. trading open; changes byline, dateline, previously LONDON)By Stephanie KellyNEW YORK, Jan 2 (Reuters) - Global share markets received a boost from strong gains in U.S. equities and surprisingly upbeat Chinese manufacturing data on Tuesday, th...Read More

BRASILIA, Jan 2 (Reuters) - Brazil posted a record $67 billion trade surplus in 2017, a 41 percent increase from the year before, data from the trade ministry showed on Tuesday.The December trade surplus came in at $4.998 billion, higher than the $4.061 billion median estimate in a Reuters poll of economists. (Reporting by Bruno Federowski) Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are tho...Read More

(In fifth paragraph, corrects reference to "this year" to "last year")* New rules aim to apply lessons from financial crisis* Regulators aim to spot risks, boost investor protection* S&P sees more losers than winners from profound change By Huw JonesLONDON, Jan 2 (Reuters) - Bankers will work through the night to iron out last minute hitches before Wednesday's launch of a...Read More

Editor's Note: View Kitco News' full 2018 outlook coverage(Kitco News) - SPDR Gold Shares (NYSE Arca: GLD), the world’s largestgold-backed exchange-traded fund, posted a modest inflow of roughly 15 metrictons during 2017.The figure might look better than it is since the inflow camefrom a low level of overall holdings, pointed out Ryan McKay, commoditystrategist with TD Securities. However, h...Read More

Editor's Note: View Kitco News' full 2018 outlook coverage(Kitco News) - SPDR Gold Shares (NYSE Arca: GLD), the world’s largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, posted a modest inflow of roughly 15 metric tons during 2017.The figure might look better than it is since the inflow came from a low level of overall holdings, pointed out Ryan McKay, commodity strategist with TD Securities. Howeve...Read More

* Oil trades near strongest levels since mid-2015* Casino stocks hit by downbeat Dec. gambling revenue* Walt Disney, Netflix gain after upgrade* Indexes up: Dow 0.25 pct, S&P 0.63 pct, Nasdaq 1.16 pct (Changes comment, updates prices, adds details)By Sruthi ShankarJan 2 (Reuters) - Wall Street's major indexes were higher on the first trading session of the year on Tuesday, driven by technology...Read More