Paul Williams, managing director of Solomon Global, said about the rise in gold prices that it was a “direct response to escalating trade tensions and the growing economic uncertainty that this brings.”
Source – Reuters
Futures – are contracts to buy or sell a specific underlying asset at a future date. In this case we are talking about gold.
Source – Money Metals
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
Spot gold was at $3,026.85 an ounce at 1131 GMT. U.S. gold futures edged 0.4% higher to $3,032.40.
“A modestly weaker dollar is probably giving gold a little bit of a tailwind at present,” said Ross Norman, an independent analyst.
“A worse-than-feared tariff announcement on April 2 could give bullion bulls a shot in the arm towards striving for the $3,100 mark,” said Han Tan, Exinity Group’s chief market analyst.
“Should risk-on sentiment make a comeback, assuming the U.S. tariff threats prove to be more bark than bite, that could see fleeting forays below $3,000,”
Spot silver firmed 0.4% to $33.16 an ounce, platinum steadied at $975.55, and palladium was flat at $957.95
Source – Reuters
Gold inventories in New York are on a path to levels last seen at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, with stockpiles in the city hitting $82 billion.
“People can’t get their hands on gold because so much has been shipped to New York, and the rest is stuck in the queue,” an unnamed industry executive told the FT. “Liquidity in the London market has been diminished.”
“London remains the major gold market in the world. If you are involved in that market and want to trade or use your gold, you really need to have it in London,” BoE governor Andrew Bailey told the U.K.’s Treasury Committee.
Source – Fortune
Australia’s Gold Road Resources rejected a $2.1 billion takeover proposal from Gold Fields, calling the offer opportunistic following a drop in quarterly production.
The all-cash proposal was made earlier this month against a backdrop of surging gold prices, which recently surpassed $3,000 a troy ounce for the first time as economic uncertainty fuels demand for the metal as a perceived safe haven.
“Gold Fields will continue to seek the engagement of the Gold Road board to consider the merits of the proposed acquisition and to advance the proposal,” said Mike Fraser, chief executive of Gold Fields.
Source – Wall Street Journal
“Until we see clarity on the US policies, both trade-related and economic, it will create an environment for increased levels of gold volatility,” said Joseph Cavatoni, senior market strategist for North America at industry lobby the World Gold Council. “So, while we might see a $3,000 gold price, we expect there could be ongoing movements that bring us back below.”
Spot gold was down 0.1% at $2,905.73 an ounce at 10:28 a.m. in London, after rising to as high as $2,942.68. Silver, platinum and palladium were all lower. The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index was steady after climbing on Monday.
Source – Bloomberg
