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
Glencore’s steelmaking coal production in the first half soared following the integration of Elk Valley Resources, but copper and gold output fell.
Elk’s contribution pushed first-half production expressed in copper equivalents up 5%. This is despite copper production falling 26% to 343,900 tons and gold output dropping 18% to 301,000 ounces.
The FTSE 100-listed company said it was confident that it can deliver its full-year production guidance but tightened the ranges of some of its commodities to reflect its performance to date.
Source – The Wall Street Journal
Futures are up 1.7% at $3,350.60 a troy ounce and on track for weekly gains of nearly 4%.
“Without a fundamental shift in U.S. fiscal policy, the implications of rising borrowing costs and widening fiscal deficits means the U.S. is on an unstable fiscal policy path, which could lead to heightened market volatility,” says Fawad Razaqzada, analyst at Forex.com.
Source – The Washington Street Journal
Source – Money Metals
“I’m basing this whole forecast on the fact that the Fed is going to be wrong,” Hemke stated, emphasizing his belief that the current economic strength is overstated.
Craig Hemke is a precious metals analyst.
Source – The Jerusalem Post
A Malian court has adjourned to Thursday a hearing on whether to put Barrick Mining’s Loulo-Gounkoto gold complex under provisional administration, the court’s registry office and one of the lawyers involved told Reuters on Monday.
Granting the request would represent a major escalation of a dispute between the West African country and the Canadian miner after operations at the complex were suspended in January in a dispute over taxes and ownership.
Barrick has said it can only resume operations when the Malian government removes restrictions on gold exports.
The government has renegotiated agreements with other multinational miners under the new mining law. Four Barrick employees have been detained since November 2024 and an arrest warrant was issued for Chief Executive Mark Bristow in December 2024.
Source – Reuters
Mali said on Wednesday it was suspending licenses for foreign artisanal gold mining companies after a series of fatal accidents in the West African country, one of Africa’s top three gold producers.
Gen. Assimi Goita, president of Mali’s transitional government, ordered “the suspension of artisanal mining permits granted to foreigners,” according to a statement issued following a Council of Ministers meeting.
“These measures are designed to further strengthen the state authorities and protect our fellow citizens. These measures give us the power to seize materials (mining equipment), which will be confiscated and placed in the domain of national heritage,” Gen. Daoud Ali Mohammedine, the minister of security and civil protection, said on ORTM.
Source – The Associated Press – Business News
