Chilean miner Antofagasta said on Wednesday its copper production rose 11% to 314,900 metric tons in the first half of 2025, on higher production from its two concentrators.
The London-listed company left guidance for full-year copper output unchanged between 660,000 and 700,000 tons.
Source – Reuters
“Trying to guess what happens next is a serious challenge.” CEO John McCluskey of Alamos Gold
Source – CNBC / Video
Proposed designs for the obverses of the Proof 2027 and 2028 American Eagle platinum $100 coins — for the second and third years in the three-coin Charters of Freedom series — were recommended Feb. 18 by the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee.
Source – Coin World
“While traditionally inflation and real yields have been the main drivers of gold prices, recently central bank buying has emerged as the primary catalyst behind the current gold price increase,” according to a recent research note by Bank of America’s Global Commodity Research’s Franciso Blanch and Irina Shaorshadze.
George Milling-Stanley, chief gold strategist at State Street Global Advisors, also believes central-bank buying will keep gold humming this year, but he also sees two additional drivers.
Source – Fox Business
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
Spot gold eased 0.2% to $2,758.49 per ounce by 09:55 a.m. ET (1455 GMT), while U.S. gold futures rose 0.3% to $2,775.60, widening the premium over spot gold rates.
“However, the Fed’s commentary in regards to the potential for an interest rate cut in the March meeting is going to be in focus,” said David Meger, director of metals trading at High Ridge Futures.
Elsewhere, spot silver gained 1.7% to $30.92 per ounce, platinum also added 0.5% to $946.45. Palladium was up 0.8% to $962.50.
Source – Reuters
Some finance experts in Simpsonville said they’ve seen a surge in people investing in gold. They said it follows fears over the economy slowing.
Co-owner of JEHM Wealth and Retirement Eric Lahaie told 7NEWS the value of gold has increased by more than 30 percent in the last six months. He emphasized that it is largely because of panic buying.
“The appreciation is all that you’re going to get out of it. It doesn’t produce a dividend. It doesn’t generate interest like a stock, or a bond will do. So, you don’t get that advantage. And then, as I said earlier, it kind of moves in big jumps, and then flattens out for a long time,” said Lahaie.
“If you buy it in a brokerage account, when you sell gold, your gains are taxed at your ordinary income up to 28 percent,” Lahaie also said. “Versus, if you sell stock, as long-term capital gain, you’re going to be taxed somewhere between 15 and 20 percent on the high end. So, that’s kind of a disadvantage for gold.”
Source – KOLR Springfield
