By: David StockmanThe Donald was at it again in Wisconsin this weekend, reiterating his patented boast that the US economy is booming like never before.We're now the No. 1 economy anywhere in the world and it's not even close," he said on Saturday night at a rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin."At the end of six years, you're going to be left with the strongest country you've ever had," he said.We be...Read More

Interest rates outlook was expected to be kept unchanged by the Federal Reserve. Fed also lowered interest rates paid on reserves. Chairman Powell's statement that that inflation risk appears to have been moderated resulted in fall in gold prices. What next for gold: Wider trading range is at $1249.60-$1263.20-$1280-$1297.10. Overall trend is down as long as gold trades below $1291. Gold needs t...Read More

The cryptocurrency company Grayscale has launched a multi-million dollar marketing campaign imploring investors to drop gold and buy bitcoin. It is a slick video and the campaign is getting plenty of attention, but does it make any sense?The "Drop Gold" campaign kicked off Wednesday and features a 39-second commercial that shows a man and woman who race frantically around a financial district whil...Read More

A week after finalization of the Newmont-Goldcorp merger, operations were suspended at its largest gold-silver mine in Mexico. Here's why it matters...by Steve St. Angelo of SRSrocco ReportIn just a little more than a week after the mighty Newmont-Goldcorp merger was finalized, the company suspended operations of its largest gold-silver mine in Mexico. The Penasquito Mine, which produced more th...Read More

Not only was yesterday's volume almost half of annual production, but we're continuing to see attacks on the COMEX for physical silver. Harvey explains...by Harvey Organ of Harvey Organ BlogMAY 1//GOLD DOWN $1.20 TO $1282.80 AT COMEX CLOSE//SILVER DOWN 23 CENTS//IN ACCESS MARKET: GOLD DOWN TO $1276//SILVER DOWN TO $14.67//FOMC: DANGEROUS: THE FEDS' LOWER IOER AS COLLATERAL AROUND THE WORLD DISAPPE...Read More

RAPAPORT... The major diamond miners have weighed in on the debateover which diamonds are more ethical, claiming their production uses less than one-thirdof the energy it takes to create a diamond in a lab. The operations of companies that make up theDiamond Producers Association (DPA) emitted an average of 160 kilograms ofcarbon dioxide (CO2) per 1-carat of polished diamonds produced in 2016...Read More

Reduced trading due to shorter Labor Day week andongoing general elections. Volatile rupee making traders cautious. Feweroverseas buyers in Mumbai due to recent Passover and Easter holidays.Manufacturers cutting production instead of diamonds. Liquidity tight, inventoryinflated. Jewelers preparing for May 7 Akshaya Tritiya Hindu festival, apopular time to buy gold. RoundRead More

Polished market quiet, with dealers doingbetter than manufacturers. Steady US demand for 1.00 to 1.50 ct. goodssupporting the trade, but prices continue to soften. 1 ct. RAPI -0.5% in April.Suppliers preparing for Vegas shows, hoping new JCK venue will help boostsentiment and sales. Far East buyers selective. High expectations for Mother'sDay as NRF predicts jewelry sales will be strongest growth...Read More

RAPAPORT... US retail sales showed their largest gain since September asthe economic and financial outlook stabilized, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF). Total purchase value grew 3.6% year on year in March, with salesrising in nearly every retail sector on a month-to-month basis, the trade organization reported earlier this week. TheConference Board's Leading Economic Index -...Read More

RAPAPORT... Global demand for gold jewelry rose 1% year on year to 530.3tonnes in the first quarter, buoyed by strong demand from the Indian market,the World Gold Council (WGC) reported Thursday. The market for gold jewelry in the country grew 5% to125.4 tonnes in the three months ending March 31, as local prices for the metal droppedsharply in the first week of March. Consumers took advantag...Read More

The Diamond Producers Association (DPA), released a research report, entitled The Socioeconomic and Environmental Impact of Large-Scale Diamond Mining, on the socioeconomic and environmental benefits and impacts on local communities, employees and the environment by the mining activities of its own members.DPA Members generate more than US$16 billion in net socioeconomic and environmenta...Read More

RAPAPORT... Provenance and lab-grown diamonds have dominated the industry's conversation for some time, but developments in 2019 have made them the year's strongest news themes. In the 13th edition of the Rapaport Diamond Podcast, the team discusses these developments - which are being driven by the majors such as De Beers and the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) - and their implications for...Read More

RAPAPORT... The US polished-diamond trade was sluggish in the firsttwo months of the year, with imports declining and exports stable. Bothcategories recorded a weaker February than January. The drops in import valuereflected a lower average price in both months, outweighing higher volumes.US Diamond Trade Data for February 2019 Millions unless stated otherwiseRead More

RAPAPORT... The original manuscript that paved the way for the cuttingof the 3,106-carat Cullinan diamond to create the British Crown Jewels fetchedmore than seven times its high estimate at Bonhams. The sale included the documents representatives of KingEdward VII and London diamond brokers M.J. Levy & Nephew signed in 1908, aswell as a paste replica of the Cullinan diamond in its origin...Read More

TORONTO – Lucara Diamond Corp, which has recovered two of the largest diamonds in recent history, is turning to technology to ensure growth in an industry where new mine acquisitions remain elusive.For the Vancouver-based junior miner, that means using advanced technology like sorting based on atomic density to boost value from its Karowe mine in Botswana, and also diversifying away from min...Read More

Equity indices moved lowerBond prices moved lowerU.S. Dollar Index moved higherThe VIX Index spiked. ObservationsRough day for base metal and base metal stock prices on a breakdown by copper! Also, breakdowns by Freeport McMoran Copper & Gold and First Quantum. Cramer on Mad MoneyHe noted after the close last night that equity traders should "take money off the table" Following is a...Read More

Imagine you're selling your family home this year. All your kids have grown up and moved out - it's finally time to downsize to something more manageable. If you sell in the spring or summer, what are you going to do with the profits from your big transaction? Come April, the tax man is going to be after you for any capital gains you made. So, what do you do with that money? My suggestion is calcu...Read More

A dozen Colorado School of Mines graduate students visited state legislators to advocate for nuclear energy as a continued option for the state.Jarrod Gogolski, a PhD student in the nuclear science and engineering program and president of the American Nuclear Society chapter, organized the trip after learning that constituents can always visit with lawmakers, time permitting. "The main goal I envi...Read More

Colorado School of Mines played host to nearly 300 students for the Rocky Mountain Regional Student Conference of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChe) April 5 and 6.The annual gathering included workshops, research poster and paper competitions, a Jeopardy-style quiz show and the Chem-E-Car competition, which challenges teams to use chemical reactions to power a car a certain dista...Read More

A self-sustaining eco-village that would help generate sustainable income for the Maya-Itz?? community in Guatemala was named the winner of the Spring 2019 Capstone Design Showcase. The Bio-Itz?? Eco Cottages team worked directly with the local community and Bio-Itz?? "Preserve the Source" Fund to design and model the eco-village, traveling to Guatemala to meet with community stakeholders and ens...Read More