Chilean state miner Codelco, the world’s largest copper producer, is targeting production of 1.391 million metric tons of the red metal this year, according to an unpublished government decree approving its 2025 budget reviewed by Reuters.
In calculating its budget, Codelco forecast a copper price of $4.30 per pound and expects a cash cost of $1.98 per pound, the document showed.
Source – Reuters
Spot gold fell 0.7% to $2,894.55 an ounce as of 09:44 a.m. ET (1444 GMT). Bullion, a preferred hedge against uncertainty and inflation, hit a record high of $2,956.15 on Monday amid trade war concerns emerging from tariff threats.
“Bullish trend is still in place… We are not surprised by a period of consolidation ahead of some piece of important data,” said David Meger, director of metals trading at High Ridge Futures.
Spot silver was down 0.5% to $31.57, platinum eased 0.4% to $963 and palladium dropped 0.4% to $924.01.
Source – Reuters
A flurry of legislative activity in both chambers of Congress in February includes more than a half dozen bills, one of which seeks an extension of production of Presidential dollars and First Spouse gold coins.
S. 633, introduced Feb. 19 by Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nevada, seeks to extend the Presidential dollar and First Spouse gold coin series to include deceased presidents and their spouses not yet honored.
Jimmy Carter Presidential dollars would be authorized to be struck with a circulation finish in bags and rolls offered for sale from the Denver and Philadelphia Mints, and Uncirculated finish versions from both production facilities and Proof coins from the San Francisco Mint.
For the First Spouse gold coins, Proof and Uncirculated versions would be produced as numismatic products at the West Point Mint bearing the facility’s W Mint mark.
Source – Coin World
In a report released today, Cosmos Chiu from CIBC maintained a Buy rating on Vizsla Silver (VZLA – Research Report), with a price target of C$5.00. The company’s shares opened today at $2.28.
The word on The Street in general, suggests a Strong Buy analyst consensus rating for Vizsla Silver with a $3.26 average price target.
Source – Markets Insider
Although the high gold-silver ratio might suggest that silver has been a laggard, that is far from the case. Silver has rallied 43% in the past year, and gold has been just a bit better with a 44% gain. This year, using popular exchange traded funds as a gauge, iShares Silver Trust (SLV) is up 10% and SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) is up 11%.
Source – Barron’s
AngloGold Ashanti (AU.N), is boosting payouts to investors, it said on Wednesday, after its profit surged to $954 million last year from a loss of $46 million in the prior year, buoyed by the precious metal’s rally to record highs.
Shares in the company however fell as much as 7.4% in early trading in New York.
CEO Alberto Calderon said the gold price rally had given AngloGold the strongest balance sheet position in more than a decade, and it is “able to pass on those benefits to shareholders in a more generous dividend policy”.
Source – Reuters
Chile’s state copper commission Cochilco on Monday said that prices for the red metal have likely already peaked this year amid an escalating trade war, as U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to further increase tariffs on China.
“Base metals, including copper, are likely to have peaked in 2025 as they will be negatively impacted by the trade dynamics between the U.S. and China,” Cochilco said in a statement.
Cochilco said that if current economic and geopolitical conditions continue, its forecast would weaken.
Source – Reuters
