News

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Franco – Nevada acquire 7.5% gross on gold mine

Franco-Nevada said Tuesday it agreed to acquire a royalty package consisting of a 7.5% gross margin royalty on the Côté gold mine in Ontario from a unnamed third party for $1.05B in cash.

The company said the royalty package applies to mineral production from the Chester 1, 2 and 3 claims, which cover all of the mineral reserves and over 99.9% of current mineral resources on the Côté mine.

Source – Seeking Alpha

Franco-Nevada Corporation is a Canada based, gold-focused royalty, and streaming company with the most diversified portfolio of cashflow producing assests

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Switzerland gold imports at highest

Gold imports to Switzerland from the United States jumped to the highest monthly level since at least 2012 in April after the exclusion of precious metals from U.S. import tariffs, Swiss customs data showed on Tuesday.

The Swiss data showed that gold imports from the U.S. rose to 63.0 metric tons in April from 25.5 tons in March. It was the highest in monthly data going back to early 2012.

Switzerland’s total gold exports fell by 31% month on month in April with gold deliveries to the U.S. dropping to 12.7 tons from 103.3 tons in March.

Source – Reuters

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Singapore being used by the “ultra-wealthy”

The ultra-wealthy are increasingly moving their gold offshore as economic and geopolitical uncertainty roils markets — and Singapore is emerging as a favored destination.

Not far from the city-state’s airport sits a six-story facility covered in onyx and fortified by tight security. Tucked behind its steel doors are gold and silver bars amounting to about $1.5 billion.

“A lot of very high net worth clients are looking at tariffs, looking at the world changing, looking at the potential of geopolitical instabilities,” Gregersen told CNBC. 

“The idea of putting physical metal in a safe jurisdiction like Singapore with parties they can trust is becoming a big trend nowadays,” he said, adding that 90% of the new orders are coming from outside of Singapore.

Source – CNBC

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Poland copper mining tax to end in 2026

Poland’s copper mining tax will fall from next year under a new system that will provide deductions related to investment spending, Polish finance minister Andrzej Domanski said on Friday.

The tax on mineral extraction, including copper, was introduced in 2012. Poland’s biggest copper miner KGHM paid 3.87 billion zlotys in tax in 2024, according to its annual report.

“By taking care of investments in Poland, by taking care of the development of KGHM, we also take care of the collective security of the West and the European Union.”

Source – Reuters

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Gold up 1.7%

Futures are up 1.7% at $3,350.60 a troy ounce and on track for weekly gains of nearly 4%.

“Without a fundamental shift in U.S. fiscal policy, the implications of rising borrowing costs and widening fiscal deficits means the U.S. is on an unstable fiscal policy path, which could lead to heightened market volatility,” says Fawad Razaqzada, analyst at Forex.com.

Source – The Washington Street Journal

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South African rand strengthens

South Africa’s rand, stocks and government bonds strengthened on Friday, boosted by higher gold prices as worries over the United States’ worsening fiscal health sent investors into the safe-haven asset.

At 0929 GMT, the rand traded at 17.9150 against the dollar, 0.5% stronger than Thursday’s closing level.

Gold prices rose on Friday and were poised for their biggest weekly gain in more than a month, as a softer U.S. dollar and concerns over the country’s fiscal outlook boosted bullion’s safe-haven appeal.

Source – Reuters

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Silver jewelry demand increasing

Industrial silver demand set a record last year, but despite the increase in offtake, overall silver offtake declined by 3 percent to 1.16 billion ounces, primarily due to weak investment demand.

Silver jewelry demand grew by 3 percent to 208.7 million ounces in 2024.

The Silver Institute reported that improving exports to key Western countries also lifted silver jewelry demand.

Growth in demand for silver jewelry will likely contribute to increasing overall demand, putting further pressure on already limited silver supplies.

Source – Money Metals

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Gold and Silver up, weak dollar

Spot gold gained 0.8% to $3,340.53 an ounce as of 0300 GMT, after hitting its highest level since May 9.

U.S. gold futures rose 0.9% to $3,341.90.

“Gold’s bullish reversal is supported by a weaker U.S. dollar and lingering stagflation risks in the U.S. economy,” said Kelvin Wong, senior market analyst, Asia Pacific at OANDA.

Spot silver rose 0.5% to $33.54 an ounce, platinum gained 0.1% to $1,077.33 and palladium lost 0.6% to $1,031.46.

Source – Reuters

Trump Gold card will be launching in soon

U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Wednesday that the Trump Gold Card, which makes it possible for any foreigner to buy a visa for $5 million, will be available online within weeks.

“The details of that will come soon after, but people can start to register. And all that will come over a matter of the next weeks — not month, weeks,” Lutnick said.

Source – FOX News

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Copper at record high $11,633 a ton

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