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
India’s central bank plans to ask lenders to follow stricter underwriting processes for gold loans and monitor the end-use of funds as it tries to cool growth in the fast-growing segment, seven people, including industry sources and those aware of the regulator’s thinking, said.
“The RBI wants to ensure that the entities are following a standard protocol and any growth in the gold loan sector is not out of bounds,” one of the sources aware of the central bank’s thinking, said.
Source – Reuters
The spread between the cash LME copper contract and benchmark three-month futures spiked to a premium for the first time in 19 months on Friday.
It rocketed to $249 a metric ton, the highest since November 2021, compared to a discount, or contango, of $119 two days ago.
Copper prices on COMEX have surged as investors seek to price in potential tariffs, with the premium of COMEX over LME at $1,050 a ton on Friday, down from a record peak of $1,153 a day earlier.
Source – Mining.com
Copper can sustain current levels around $9 400 a ton until early April, after which the implementation of US tariffs could see prices drop to $8 500 within three months, Citigroup analysts including Tom Mulqueen said in a research note.
Copper fell 0.4% to $9,438.50 a ton on the LME as of 10:14 a.m. in Shanghai, while other base metals were mixed.
Source – Mining Weekly
On Wednesday, TD Securities shifted its stance on ERO Copper Corp (ERO:CN) (OTC: ERRPF), raising the stock rating from Hold to Buy, while adjusting the price target to Cdn$23.00, down from the previous Cdn$26.00. The upgrade reflects a change in sentiment based on the company’s current share price and its future growth prospects.
The analysts at TD Securities anticipate a significant turnaround in free cash flow (FCF) starting in the second quarter of 2025. They project a 95% year-over-year improvement in copper production for the current year, with expectations for continued growth into 2026.
Source – Investing.com
The silver market continues to threaten the same barrier, which starts at the $32.35 level, and then reaches the $32.50 level before it is all said and done. Because of that, the market, I believe, is just simply grinding away or even pecking away, if you will, at the barrier that has been one of the biggest factors here in the silver market.
Source – FXEMPIRE / Opinion
Spot gold fell 0.6% to $2,934.99 an ounce as of 09:55 a.m. (1455 GMT), after reaching $2,956.15 on Monday.
U.S. gold futures declined 0.5% to $2,948.60.
Trump said on Monday that tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports were “on time and on schedule”
“I still think that there’s enough uncertainty out there associated with tariffs (and) trade more generally… dips are going to continue to be viewed as buying opportunities,” said Peter Grant, vice president and senior metals strategist at Zaner Metals.
Spot silver shed 1.2% to $31.96 an ounce, platinum dropped 0.8% to $959.35 and palladium lost 0.8% to $932.50.
Source – Reuters