Gold inched higher on Thursday in holiday-thinned trade, as investors focused on the U.S. Federal Reserve’s interest rate strategy and anticipated tariff policies under President-elect Donald Trump, both of which could influence the metal’s direction in the coming year.
Source – Daksh Grover / Reuters
Texans are to be allowed to pay with with gold and silver for everyday transactions after Governor Greg Abbott signed House Bill 1056 into law. The law, which was championed by Republican state representative Mark Dorazio, designates the precious metals as legal tender in the state.
Texans will be able to use their gold and silver holdings, stored in the state’s bullion depository, for payments through electronic systems such as mobile apps or debit cards.
The provision comes after legislative debate, and takes effect on May 1, 2027, enabling transactions based on the state comptroller’s valuation of the metals at the time of sale.
Source – Newsweek
Legal Tender – officially recognized money
Experts have confirmed that dozens of gold coins scattered across the ocean floor off the coast of Colombia belonged to the San José, an ill-fated Spanish treasure galleon that sank over 300 years ago during a battle with British warships. The findings were published on June 10 in the journal Antiquity.
The 64-gun, three-masted Spanish flagship alone carried as much as 200 tons of treasure with a modern value estimated as high as $17 billion by today’s standards.
The key pieces of evidence were dozens of rough gold coins sitting on the ocean floor. The treasure had an average diameter of 1.3 inches and each weighed around one ounce.
“Hand-struck, irregularly shaped coins—known as cobs in English and macuquinas in Spanish—served as the primary currency in the Americas for more than two centuries,” Daniela Vargas Ariza, a maritime archeologist and the study’s lead author said in a statement.
Source – Popular Science
Newmont, the Colorado-based gold miner, was one of the worst-performing stocks in the S&P 500SPX+0.52% Friday as the price of gold slumped from its June record high.
Newmont stock, meanwhile, has risen 59% this year as of Thursday’s close, and competitors like Barrick Mining and Agnico Eagle Mines have also seen their share prices soar.
Source – Barron’s
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
Citi anticipates an eventual implementation of a 25% copper-specific tariff by the fourth quarter of 2025, following U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order initiating an investigation into U.S. copper imports, the bank said in a note on Wednesday.
Source – Reuters
Should uncertainty over economic policy persist, including on tariffs, bullion could hit $3,300 an ounce on higher speculative positioning
Rising fears of inflation and fiscal risks “may push central banks — especially those holding large US Treasury reserves — to buy more gold
Source – Bloomberg