Bullion surged as much as 1.4% to $2,798.59 an ounce, surpassing its previous all-time high set in October. A weaker dollar makes bullion more appealing for investors holding other currencies as it’s priced in the US currency.
“When you get rising inflation and you get declining growth, you get stagflation, then gold is one of the best-performing commodities in that environment.”
Source – Bloomberg
Source – Gold Eagle
Korea Zinc’s ambitious 10-year growth plan has stalled in its first year, derailed by an eight-month control battle with private equity firm MBK Partners, raising concerns about the company’s financial health and strategic direction.
The world’s top non-ferrous metal smelter laid out its long-term vision in December 2023 during its first-ever investor day in Seoul, pledging to invest 11.9 trillion won ($8.8 billion) over the next decade in battery materials and other new businesses, with a target of 10% annual growth.
The dispute has overshadowed hopes that Korea Zinc could benefit from U.S. President Donald Trump’s renewed tariff push and global supply chain realignment. “They’ve already wasted eight months,” said an industry source. “If this continues, the company may miss its window of opportunity.”
Source – The Chosunilbo
Peruvian copper production is expected to remain flat in 2025 for the third straight year, according to the country’s top mining association and industry analysts, as declining ore grades and a lack of new projects cap output.
Peru’s top mining association SNMPE expects the country’s 2025 copper output to hit around 2.8 million metric tons, matching 2023 and what is expected for 2024, as miners contend with poorer-quality resources and development bottlenecks for new projects.
“By 2025, Peruvian copper production is expected to be similar to this year’s expected 2.8 million tons,” said Victor Gobitz, SNMPE’s head, in an interview last week.
Source – Reuters
Source – MSN
In a complaint filed in Boone Circuit Court on March 27, the same day the legislation was delivered to the secretary of state’s office, an online bullion exchange and three Northern Kentucky residents said they and others are owed refunds on taxes improperly collected for their precious metals in the past eight months, naming Gov. Andy Beshear and several state offices as defendants.
The state representative, a frequent foil to Beshear who told colleagues in the House he sponsored the bill to ensure Kentuckians do not “pay taxes that were never lawful in the first place.”
HB 2 ensures the sale, use, storage or other consumption of “bullion currency” — gold, silver, platinum and other precious metals — cannot be taxed, overriding a line-item veto by Beshear that was included in a separate bill passed in 2024.
HB 2, which was filed in January and approved on party-line votes in the House and Senate, allows anyone who paid taxes on gold and silver after that Aug. 1 deadline to seek a refund in court.
Source – Courier Journal
As the threat of a trade war grows, Canadian investors are seeking protection in gold and in shares of companies producing goods with few substitutes, such as uranium, while looking to take advantage of a weaker loonie and expected volatility.
“Tariffs are going to hurt all parties quite a bit but if you’re going to spare some industries, you probably spare industries that you don’t have a substitute for and are currently reliant on,” said Ben Jang, a portfolio manager at Nicola Wealth, noting U.S. dependence on Canadian oil, critical minerals and uranium.
Major producers of uranium include TSX-listed Cameco Corp (CCO.TO)shares of which Nicola Wealth owns. Cameco has pulled back from an all-time high in December but has still managed to advance roughly 46% since early September.
Source – Reuters