China’s unwrought copper imports declined by 7.2% year-on-year to 837,000 metric tons in the first two months of 2025, customs data on Friday showed, due to increased domestic smelting capacity that reduced the need for additional imports.
Deliverable copper stocks on the Shanghai Futures Exchange stood at 268,337 tons on February 28, more than double the 83,174 tons recorded on January 3.
Source – Reuters
Gold
Gold remains stuck near the resistance at $2930 – $2940 as traders continue to take profits off the table near historic highs.
Silver
Silver declined below the $32.50 level as gold/silver ratio climbed above the 91 level.
Platinum
Platinum tests new lows as traders react to the strong sell-off in palladium markets, which are down by 3.4%.
Source – FXEMPIRE
The silver market was rather quiet during the early hours on Wednesday as we continue to see a lot of choppiness.
I think this is a scenario where you have to be somewhat hesitant to buy silver, and I think really what we are looking at is a situation where we are just simply consolidating overall. I believe that the $28.75 level is significant support, just as the $31 level is significant resistance.
Source – FXEMPIRE
Source – APMEX
They have been working flat out to do what the Bank describes as “digging out” gold bars for delivery to traders who’ve seized on a rare arbitrage opportunity thrown up by speculation that Donald Trump will impose tariffs on the precious metal, alongside a raft of other imported goods.
The Bank’s vault keepers are busier than they’ve been in years, logistics companies are working overtime, and refineries are booked out for months with orders to recast gold bars from London into a form that can be delivered into the US futures market.
“What’s happening in the London market is a short term logistical thing, but it’s having real consequences,” said John Reade, senior market strategist at the World Gold Council, the industry lobby group. “There’s not as much gold in London as normal, but again, there’s still lots there. And once it can get out from behind the Bank of England, then everything should calm down.”
Source – Bloomberg
On Wednesday, ahead of the North American equity market open, Barrick Gold (NYSE: GOLD, TSX: ABX) reported a 69% increase in net earnings to $2.14 billion and a 51% rise in adjusted net earnings to $2.21 billion, significantly beating analyst expectations. The company also noted that its annual operating cash flow in 2024 increased by 20% to $4.49 billion, while free cash flow more than doubled to $1.32 billion.
Source – KITCO News
“Silver’s been a laggard, and some would refer to it as the Cinderella metal, because it always misses the ball. Having said that, silver has finally woken up and broken above some key technical resistance,” independent analyst Ross Norman said. If current momentum continued, silver could challenge the $35 level, he added.
“Silver has a long history of higher volatility than gold, and that when gold makes a decisive move, silver’s amplitude is usually 2.0-2.5 times that of gold,” StoneX analyst Rhona O’Connell said in a recent note.
Source – Reuters
