Unusually large shipments of copper to the United States are unlikely to abate as long as the threat of tariffs hangs over the market and price premiums for the metal on U.S.-based COMEX make deals profitable for traders and producers, analysts said.
COMEX copper hit a record high at $11,633 a metric ton on March 26, creating a premium of more than $1,570 a ton against the benchmark contract on the London Metal Exchange.
“We expect 250,000-300,000 tons of extra copper will be shipped to the U.S. over March-May because of the spread and amid the uncertainties regarding the tariff,” said Sharon Ding, head of China basic materials at UBS Investment Research.
“It’s possible we’ll see more atypical cargos in the second half of May,” Kpler analyst Ben Ayre said. “While the COMEX price continues to run at a premium to the LME there’s a strong incentive to land refined copper in the United States.”
Source – Reuters
GOLD
In case gold settles below the $2830 level, it will head towards the nearest support, which is located in the $2780 – $2790 range.
Silver
Silver made an attempt to settle back below the $32.00 level but lost momentum and rebounded towards the $32.20 level.
Platinum
If platinum settles above the $1015 level, it will move towards the resistance at $1025 – $1030.
Source – FXEMPIRE
Spot gold was up 0.6% to $3,325.20 an ounce at 1134 GMT. The metal has gained 2.5% so far this week. U.S. gold futures were up 0.8% to $3,334.30.
The dollar index slipped 0.3%, making gold more attractive for holders of other currencies.
“The exaggerated moves (in gold) suggest there is strong buying on the one hand on economic uncertainty, while strong selling is in evidence as some see the higher prices as an opportunity to take profit,” said Ross Norman, an independent analyst.
Elsewhere, spot silver eased 0.2% to $32.44 an ounce, platinum rose 0.6% to $981.94 and palladium climbed 0.4% to $980.15.
Source – Reuters
“Gold has again moved to yet another record, with its safe-haven reputation shining bright,” said analysts at RBC Capital Markets. “With the uncertainty related to Fed independence, gold continues to benefit as a safe-haven, and one not tied to the U.S. dollar.”
Gold has been soaring since early April when investors, alarmed by Mr. Trump’s tariffs, starting selling Treasury bonds. On Tuesday, the spot price of a troy ounce of gold briefly reached above $3,500 before slipping lower.
Source – New York Times
Kiyosaki said, “Trump tariffs begin: gold, silver, Bitcoin may crash.” He indicated his plan to purchase more Bitcoin if prices plummet, seeing it as an opportunity to grow his wealth. However, he also pointed out the U.S. national debt as a major problem that Bitcoin might not be able to address.
Source – Benzinga
Fluor president of mining & metals Harish Jammula said: “We are excited to support BHP on their growth plans to increase production of refined copper cathode in south Australia.
“Accelerated expansion of the downstream processing sector is increasingly important to secure local supply of mined materials, become independent of overseas supply and drive sustainable production technologies.”
Source – Global Data
“In our bull case, we see gold prices reaching $3,500 per ounce by year-end, underpinned by much higher hedging/investment demand on fears of US hard landing/stagflation,” analysts at Citi said in a note.
Source – Reuters