Indonesia has restricted raw material exports to pressure companies to refine minerals locally and add value to its exports. Freeport has local refining capacity, but is seeking to keep exporting concentrate due to a fire last October at its Manyar smelterin East Java.
Should exports resume, it will relieve, although not reverse, a shortage of copper concentrate that has hit the profits of smelters.
Source – Reuters
NGD’s gold production reached 298,303 ounces in 2024, whereas its guidance was 300,000-310,000 ounces.
New Gold’s copper production was at 14.5 million pounds for the fourth quarter, up 20% year over year. The annual copper production totaled 54 million pounds, within the company’s guidance of 50-60 million pounds.
The New Afton mine produced 19,652 ounces of gold and 14.5 million pounds of copper in the fourth quarter. Gold production increased 19% and copper production rose 15% from the third quarter of 2024. The B3 cave performed per expectations.
Source – Zacks
The Silver price (XAG/USD) attracts some sellers to around $39.00 during the early European session on Friday. Optimism surrounding the US trade deal allayed trade war concerns and dampened demand for safe-haven assets.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on Friday that US President Donald Trump is now pursuing dealmaking with China. Trump might shift from a strategy of pressure to negotiation, with the goal of securing an economic agreement that will increase US access to Chinese markets, particularly in business and technology.
Source – FX Street
In 1979, a couple using a metal detector in the Kalgoorlie Goldfields of Western Australia located a massive gold nugget. Known today as the “Golden Beauty,” the nugget weighs in at nearly 10 pounds.
It is currently on the auction block. According to Heritage Auctions, the opening bid was $400,000.
At the current spot price, the gold is worth around $481,800.
“Gold always has been enormously popular, in part because of its pure value and beauty, but also because it is exceedingly rare,” Heritage Auctions vice president of nature and science Craig Kissick said.
Source – Money Metals
The most active futures on gold are currently trading at $2745.10, up $27.30 or 1% from a day earlier. That level is just about 2% shy of its all-time settlement high of $2800.80 marked on Oct. 30. If the contract closes at current levels, it would be the highest close since last month, according to the Dow Jones Market Data.
“Gold remains the consummate hedge for investors worried about inflation or growth,” wrote Jared Woodard and the team from BofA securities on Tuesday. Gold was labeled as BofA’s “highest conviction investment ideas for 2025.”
Source – BARRON’S
BofA securities – Bank of America Inc., previously Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BAML) is an American multinational investment banking division under the auspices of Bank of America.
Copper prices in the U.S. have surged ahead of those in the rest of world and hit a record last week, a sign the mere threat of tariffs is lifting costs for domestic manufacturers.
Benchmark U.S. copper futures ended Monday at $5.02 a pound, up 26% this year. That compares with an 11% gain to $9,673 a metric ton, or about $4.39 a pound, on the London Metal Exchange, which is the global trading hub.
U.S. copper futures have been the top performer among major commodities in the first quarter. Prices for the industrial metal last week topped the record set in May but have since pulled back. Copper’s gains have outpaced the 21% rise in lumber futures, which was also fueled by uncertainty over tariffs.
Source – Wall Street Journal
The London Metal Exchange three-month price has risen every day in January and is now up 4.0% from the start of the month, making copper the early outperformer of the LME base metals pack.
Dwindling stocks and China’s rising import appetite have rekindled optimism that the country is finally turning an economic corner.
Fund managers are unconvinced, with investors’ long positions only marginally ahead of bearish bets on both the CME and LME copper contracts.
The Yangshan copper premium , a closely-watched gauge of China’s import demand, is currently at a one-year high of $75 per ton, indicating China is still hungry for metal.
Source – Reuters