China gold falls 5.96%
China’s gold consumption fell 5.96% year-on-year to 290.492 tonnes in the first quarter of 2025 as high gold prices continued to curb demand for gold jewellery, the China Gold Association said on Monday.
Source – Reuters
Gold prices experienced a modest uptick on Monday, rising 0.1 percent to $3,040.57 per ounce. Spot gold rose 0.1 percent to $3,040.57 an ounce as of 7:39 a.m. ET, rebounding after dipping to a session low of $2,971.09 earlier, when some investors sold off bullion to offset losses elsewhere, Reutersreported.
The imposition of the tariffs has intensified fears of a global recession. Investors are increasingly seeking safe-haven assets like gold to hedge against potential economic downturns. However, the recent sell-off in gold suggests that investors may be liquidating positions to cover losses in other markets, reflecting concerns over the widespread impact of a trade war.
“Once the dust settles, the rising recession risks, a weaker dollar, lower real yields and bigger rate cut expectations will all play their part in supporting a rebound….
“Gold’s correction remains a relatively shallow one with key support levels holding.” said Ole Hansen, head of commodity strategy at Saxo Bank
Source – Reuters
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
Although gold and silver saw disappointing price action on Friday, experiencing their worst daily loss since mid-December, some analysts note that the damage to the broad rallies has been limited.
The gold market started the week holding initial support around $2,880 an ounce. Spot gold last traded at $2,896.50 an ounce, up 0.50% on the day. Silver is also finding solid support, as it has bounced off its overnight lows just below $32 an ounce. Spot silver last traded at $32.20 an ounce, up 0.20% on the day.
Alex Kuptsikevich, Chief Market Analyst at FxPro, said in a note that gold’s price action has become a little more complicated following Friday’s selloff, as buyers have become more cautious.
Source – KITCO News
“The uncertainty surrounding Trump’s first measures as U.S. president fuelled demand for gold as a safe haven. This can be seen, among other things, in the strong inflow of more than 10 tons into the world’s largest and most liquid gold ETF on Friday,” Commerzbank Research said.
“The uncertainty as to whether tariffs will be introduced on gold and silver has already left visible traces on the Comex in recent weeks. In addition, the price premium for gold on the Comex has widened significantly compared to the spot price in London.”
Source – Seeking Alpha
The spread between the cash LME copper contract and benchmark three-month futures spiked to a premium for the first time in 19 months on Friday.
It rocketed to $249 a metric ton, the highest since November 2021, compared to a discount, or contango, of $119 two days ago.
Copper prices on COMEX have surged as investors seek to price in potential tariffs, with the premium of COMEX over LME at $1,050 a ton on Friday, down from a record peak of $1,153 a day earlier.
Source – Mining.com
“This we hope will be reality in a three to five year period,” PolyMet’s Warren Hudelson told MPR News in 2004.
Now, 20 years later, the controversial mine in northeast Minnesota still hasn’t opened. It hasn’t even begun construction, because three key permits it needs to advance — approvals state and federal agencies granted more than five years ago — have since been revoked or suspended.
Source – MPRnews