The closely watched final number had not previously been reported but Chairman Maximo Pacheco said earlier this week that 2024 output was “slightly higher” than the 1.325 million tons produced in 2023.
Source – Reuters
“American industries depend on copper, and it should be made in America, no exemptions, no exceptions,” Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said. “It’s time for copper to come home.”
But while the tariffs could be positive for the domestic metals sector, implemented copper tariffs could amplify costs across several segments of the economy. Copper has a broad range of uses, and its cost is an input in the price of everything from electronics to construction materials.
Trump’s tariff probe sparked a surge in copper futures, which rose 1.76% Wednesday morning.
Source – Markets Insider
The white metal now seems poised to advance further towards last Friday’s swing high, around the $33.35-$33.40 zone before aiming to reclaim the $34.00 round-figure mark.
Source – FXStreet
Korea Zinc’s ambitious 10-year growth plan has stalled in its first year, derailed by an eight-month control battle with private equity firm MBK Partners, raising concerns about the company’s financial health and strategic direction.
The world’s top non-ferrous metal smelter laid out its long-term vision in December 2023 during its first-ever investor day in Seoul, pledging to invest 11.9 trillion won ($8.8 billion) over the next decade in battery materials and other new businesses, with a target of 10% annual growth.
The dispute has overshadowed hopes that Korea Zinc could benefit from U.S. President Donald Trump’s renewed tariff push and global supply chain realignment. “They’ve already wasted eight months,” said an industry source. “If this continues, the company may miss its window of opportunity.”
Source – The Chosunilbo
Gold prices rose on Friday and were on track for a seventh consecutive weekly gain as worries over a potential global trade war intensified after U.S. President Donald Trump’s push for reciprocal tariffs.
Spot gold was up 0.3% at $2,936.99 an ounce by 1104 GMT, taking its weekly advance to 2.6%. Bullion hit a record peak of $2,942.70 on Tuesday.
U.S. gold futures rose 0.6% to $2,961.30.
In other precious metals, spot silver gained nearly 3% to $33.30 an ounce and platinum added 1% to $1,004.57 while palladium dipped by 0.2% to $992.00.
Source – Reuters
“We have found hundreds of billions of dollars of fraud so far. And we’ve just started. We’re actually going to Fort Knox to see if the gold is there, because maybe somebody stole the gold. Tons of gold,” Trump said.
“I think the gold is probably there. It’s probably almost certainly there,” David Sacks, Trump’s crypto czar, told Fox News last week, though he still agreed with the president’s calls to investigate the matter.
“Nobody thinks this is a crazy idea to go check because we don’t know,” Sacks added, arguing that “we cannot fully trust that our gold is still in Fort Knox” because of the “corruption” in Washington.
Source – ABC News
In 1979, a couple using a metal detector in the Kalgoorlie Goldfields of Western Australia located a massive gold nugget. Known today as the “Golden Beauty,” the nugget weighs in at nearly 10 pounds.
It is currently on the auction block. According to Heritage Auctions, the opening bid was $400,000.
At the current spot price, the gold is worth around $481,800.
“Gold always has been enormously popular, in part because of its pure value and beauty, but also because it is exceedingly rare,” Heritage Auctions vice president of nature and science Craig Kissick said.
Source – Money Metals