By Clint SiegnerInvestment demand for physical gold and silver is unrelenting. Buying activity actually picked up slightly last week as paper gold and silver prices drifted sideways to lower.Once again, anyone simply watching the gold price on CNBC would be shocked to know just how many people are buying gold.The Fed, and the cabal of Wall Street Banks it represents, are undoubtedly relieved to...Read More

Strengths? The best performing metal this week was platinum, up 3.45 percent despite hedge funds cutting their net-long positions to an eight-month low. However, platinum mines in South Africa are to remain closed for time being. ETFs added 73,044 troy ounces of gold to their holdings in the trading session ended Thursday - marking the 19th straight day of inflows. Gold rose towa...Read More

By RambusAfter a long term bear market in most commodity related stocks we are starting to hear analyst talk about inflation. From a Chartology perspective the deflationary scenario is still in play but how much lower can this sector go? In tonights Weekend Report, I'm going to update some long term commodity charts we've been following for years to see where they are currently trading in their...Read More

By: Avi GilburtI know the title may sound unusual and almost unrealistic to those following the media cycle. With unemployment skyrocketing, GDP projections in the tank, bankruptcy expectations running sky high, and the average person on Main Street struggling terribly, how is this action even possible?So, before I outline my analysis, which is actually rather simple right now, I want to re-post...Read More

The news media and the pundits flailed around over the weekend trying to come up with reasons why the broad averages have rallied to within 10%-20% of record highs even though the global economy could be headed into a depression. ZeroHedge is usually able to provide plausible answers to such questions, but here's an attempt that fell short. It places commodity trading advisors at the center of...Read More

The catastrophic psychological damage wreaked by stock panics makes silver look way more attractive for diversifying stock-heavy portfolios... by Adam Hamilton of Zeal LLCSilver is blasting higher after mid-March's stock-panic-spawned near-crash. This normal oversold mean reversion looks like the start of something much bigger though. Speculators' positioning in silver futures utterly collapse...Read More

RAPAPORT... The World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB) has named Yoram Dvash as acting president following Ernie Blom's decision to stand down temporarily.The WFDB's executive committee elected the Israel Diamond Exchange president in a Zoom meeting Sunday, it said in a statement. He had already been named president designate at a previous WFDB congress."The diamond industry, like all oth...Read More

RAPAPORT... The number of jewelry stores operating in the US fell 4.2% year on year to 24,280 in the first quarter as exits from the industry more than doubled, according to data from the Jewelers Board of Trade (JBT).The number of companies leaving the sector rose to 323 for the quarter, from 125 in the same period of 2019, the JBT's figures showed. The number of new businesses declined 19%...Read More

RAPAPORT... LVMH has withdrawn its four watch and jewelry brands from the 2021 Baselworld show after several of its heavyweight competitors quit the event.Bulgari, TAG Heuer, Hublot and Zenith will instead take part in a new exhibition in Geneva next April, LVMH said in a statement Friday. They will join Rolex, Tudor, Patek Philippe, Chanel and Chopard, which pulled out of Baselworld last wee...Read More

RAPAPORT... Michael Hill's sales fell 12% in the third fiscal quarter as stores closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.Group revenue dropped to AUD 105.1 million ($66.8 million) in the three months ending March 31, the jeweler reported last week. The company was forced to close all its retail locations in Canada on March 20, and shut stores in Australia and New Zealand a few days later. Same-...Read More

RAPAPORT... Lucapa Diamond Company has put its Mothae mine in Lesotho on care and maintenance until the global market recovers.The miner temporarily closed the asset last month after the government placed the country on lockdown. Lesotho is also dependent on neighboring South Africa - which is also on lockdown - for its essential mining supplies. While the initial closure was only supposed to...Read More

RAPAPORT... Earlier this month, the Jewelers Board of Trade (JBT) said it would issue two parallel ratings in its company credit reports to show the effect of COVID-19 on liquidity. In an April 6 interview with Rapaport News, Erich Jacobs, president of the Rhode Island-based credit agency, explained the impact of the crisis, how the ratings work, and why some businesses might not survive.Rapa...Read More

(IDEX Online) - Canadian miner Mountain Province Diamonds has drawn $25m from its credit facility and halted sales indefinitely in response to coronavirus. It is still operating its Gahcho Ku?? (C) mine, in Northwest Territories, albeit with COVID-19 distancing protocols and four-week rather than two-week crew rotations to minimize movement in and out. And the company's third sale of the year...Read More

(IDEX Online) - Baselworld, the world's largest watch and jewelry event, has been dealt another blow with the departure of four more luxury brands. Bulgari, TAG Heuer, Hublot and Zenith, all part of the LVMH Group, say they won't exhibit at the event, rescheduled to January 2021 because of coronavirus. Instead they will be joining the new rival event in Geneva, in April 2021, along with...Read More

JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) –  Anglo American and De Beers on Monday announced additional donations of $2-million to South Africa’s Solidarity Fund, which addresses the impacts of Covid-19, and $1-million to the Oppenheimer family’s South African Future Trust, established to support small and medium-sized businesses through the crisis.These additional donations were...Read More

The base metals on the London Metal Exchange and on the Shanghai Futures Exchange were mainly firmer this morning, Monday April 20, but broader markets were mixed with equities braced for the release of corporate earnings. With some countries and regions looking to lift restrictions, while others are extending restrictions and with uncertainty about whether reopening will lead to second waves of t...Read More

U.S equity indices lower in pre-opening trade. S&P 500 futures were down 56 points in pre-opening trade. May Crude Oil futures plunged $6.58 to a 21 year low at $11.59 per barrel. Energy equity prices are leading U.S. equity index futures to the downside. Dupont added $1.64 to $39.95 after noted that first quarter earnings will exceed consensus estimates. Boeing dropped $6.01 to $147.99 after...Read More

South American countries have taken varying approaches to containing the spread of COVID-19, ranging from leaving it to states and cities to handle the virus to implementing aggressive lockdowns and curfews that have forced mining companies to reduce or shutter their operations.While all have moved in recent weeks to deal with the disease, some countries are seeing more success than others.Argenti...Read More

As existing deposits and mines are advanced, companies are looking for new frontiers to secure their long-term production and growth. The northern portion of this continent, with favourable geology, relative under-exploration and mining-friendly policies is an attractive destination for those willing to venture outside of more established mining camps. Below, we present eight companies with assets...Read More

Cardinal heading down familiar gold roadSPONSOREDcardinal resourcesSarama right in the middle of big exploration, corporate build-upSPONSOREDsarama resources Exore excels in Cote d'IvoireSPONSOREDexore resourcesHow mining companies can reduce equipment purchasing cost and improve qualitySPONSOREDtechnical auditBut the share-price bounce enjoyed by the big two of global mining reinforced a crit...Read More