The threat of U.S. trade measures against China has weighed on industrial raw materials since the November election, with prices pressured earlier this week when Trump said he could impose a 10% levy on Chinese goods.
Source – Seeking Alpha
Spot gold was down 1.2% at $2,882.49 an ounce as of 09:42 a.m. ET (1442 GMT), after hitting its lowest level since February 12 earlier in the session. Prices hit a record high of $2,956.15 on Monday, driven by safe-haven flows.
“The direction of gold is very evident, and these short-term bumps and some profit taking is just a normal part of the cycle,” said Alex Ebkarian, chief operating officer at Allegiance Gold.
Spot silver retreated 0.5% to $31.67 an ounce, platinum fell 0.9% to $957.10 and palladium dropped 0.9% to $917.96.
Source – Reuters
A contested mine in Central Idaho that will produce gold and antimony earned the U.S. Forest Service’s final approval following a lengthy environmental review and objections from the Nez Perce Tribe, which will lose access for decades to federal lands guaranteed by a U.S. treaty.
“This approval elevates the Stibnite Gold Project to an elite class of projects in America that have cleared NEPA,” Jon Cherry, Pepetua’s president and CEO, said in a statement.
“The tribe’s treaties with the United States are the supreme law of the land and remain binding,”
Source – Idaho Statesman
Pan American Silver’s shares slumped Monday in the wake of the Canadian miner’s move to buy smaller producer MAG Silver in a cash-and-stock deal valued at about $2.1 billion.
In morning trading, the shares were 14% lower at C$32.61 in Toronto and down 15% at $23.17 on the New York Stock Exchange. MAG Silver in contrast jumped 8.1% to C$25.49, widening its advance so far this year to 30%.
The deal between the Vancouver, British Columbia, companies will bolster Pan American’s position as a silver-and-gold producer in the Americas and add a stake in a big producing silver mine in Mexico. The agreement comes after precious-metals prices have rallied this year, encouraging a number of mergers and acquisitions among mining companies.
Source – Market Watch
Silver is more volatile than gold. Monthly historical volatility in the COMEX silver futures market is at 19.88%, while gold’s monthly price variance metric is 10.45%. Silver’s penchant for high price volatility attracts more speculative market participants than gold. While gold is an investment asset, silver tends to be a trading vehicle.
Source – Seeking Alpha / Analysis
SILJ – is Amplify Junior Silver Miners
Gold fell 2% on Thursday, hitting a near one-month low, after a U.S.-China trade agreement boosted risk appetite and diminished bullion’s appeal as a safe-haven asset.
Spot gold fell 2% to $3,261.28 per ounce by 0934 a.m. EDT (1334 GMT), its lowest level since May 29. Bullion was down for a second straight week, slipping 3.2% so far
U.S. gold futures dropped 2.2% to $3,272.90.
Spot silver slipped 2% to $35.88 and was set to fall for the week.
Palladium fell 0.8% to $1,122.77, but was headed for weekly gains. Platinum eased 6.5% to $1,325.48, and headed for a fourth consecutive weekly rise.
Source – Reuters
Gold prices are higher in midday trading Thursday despite another U.S. inflation report that came in warmer than expected. Silver prices are slightly down. April gold was up $16.20 at $2,944.00. March silver prices were last down $0.095 at $32.69.
Source – KITCO News
