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copper producer, is targeting production of 1.391 million metric tons of the red metal this year, according to an unpublished government decree approving its 2025 budget reviewed by Reuters.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
Benchmark LME copper futures are more than 9% higher so far this year, and Comex copper is 16% higher YTD, with the Comex now trading at a 10%-12% premium over LME, and Morgan Stanley analysts see more room for growth.
“We stay constructive on copper, our preferred base metal,” Morgan Stanley wrote. “Fundamentals and price signals are positive, and inventories are tightening as metal gets pulled to the U.S. Tariffs may bring demand concerns in the future, but for now physical markets continue to tighten.”
Source – Seeking Alpha
Gold prices firmed on Wednesday as weaker-than-expected jobs data fueled hopes of the U.S. Federal Reserve cutting rates sooner than anticipated, while investors also awaited the upcoming non-farm payrolls report for further cues on monetary policy
Spot gold was up 0.3% at $3,348.60 per ounce, as of 0151 p.m. EDT (1751 GMT). U.S. gold futures settled 0.3% higher at $3,359.7.
Spot silver rose 1.2% to $36.49 per ounce, platinum was up 4.6% at $1,413.40, while palladium gained nearly 5.2% to $1,157.09.
Source – Reuters
Sales by the United States Mint of the Proof 2025-W American Eagle silver dollar, priced at $95 each, are scheduled to begin at noon Eastern Time Jan. 9.
Source – Coin World / written by Paul Gilkes
Glencore’s steelmaking coal production in the first half soared following the integration of Elk Valley Resources, but copper and gold output fell.
Elk’s contribution pushed first-half production expressed in copper equivalents up 5%. This is despite copper production falling 26% to 343,900 tons and gold output dropping 18% to 301,000 ounces.
The FTSE 100-listed company said it was confident that it can deliver its full-year production guidance but tightened the ranges of some of its commodities to reflect its performance to date.
Source – The Wall Street Journal
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill on Tuesday that would recognize gold and silver as legal tender in the state, paving a path for Floridians to use the commodities in payment transactions.
The bill, HB 999, starts the process of allowing government or private entities, such as businesses, to voluntarily accept gold and silver as a form of debt payment. The bill also outlines sales tax exemptions on the purchase of the precious metals if they meet the purity requirements or if the sale of the gold or silver exceeds $500.
HB 999 is set to go into effect on July 1, 2026, if the Florida Legislature ratifies the rules to implement the bill before then.
“Florida stands firmly for freedom, economic self-determination, and resistance to government overreach,” the governor said. “But for too long, outdated regulations and unnecessary sales taxes have made it impractical for Floridians to enter the gold and silver market.”
Source – Business Insider
President Donald Trump is taking a step toward granting the U.S. mining industry’s biggest wishes by singling out one metal as a focus of his domestic minerals policy: copper.
From talk of acquiring Greenland and its vast mineral wealth to prodding Ukraine for minerals in exchange for help fending off Russia’s invasion, Trump has made the raw materials of modern life a pillar of his foreign policy.
“Copper is, I think, the metal that is really the most critical because it is the electricity metal,” said Debra Struhsacker, a mining industry policy consultant. “The electricity demand is, I think, going to stay. And copper is indispensable for that.”
“Made in America, America first, starts with American mining and American miners that supported this president across the country,” National Mining Association president and CEO Rich Nolan said.
Source – The Associated Press
