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
News is from 1/14/2025
This is a follow up on Barrick Gold and it’s current mining situation.
Barrick Gold Corporation (NYSE:GOLD)(TSX:ABX) today confirmed that the company remains restricted from shipping gold from the Loulo-Gounkoto mining complex in Mali. Additionally, the interim attachment order on the gold has now been executed by the Malian government by moving the existing gold stock from the site to a custodial bank, further preventing the shipment and sale of the gold.
As a result, Barrick has regrettably initiated the temporary suspension of operations while it continues to work towards a resolution.
Barrick remains committed to constructive engagement with the Malian government and all stakeholders to find an amicable solution that ensures the long-term sustainability of the Loulo-Gounkoto mining complex and its vital contribution to Mali’s economy and communities.
Source – Barrick
Although the high gold-silver ratio might suggest that silver has been a laggard, that is far from the case. Silver has rallied 43% in the past year, and gold has been just a bit better with a 44% gain. This year, using popular exchange traded funds as a gauge, iShares Silver Trust (SLV) is up 10% and SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) is up 11%.
Source – Barron’s
Sub-Saharan African central banks that have added gold to their reserves in recent years could face price and liquidity crises if the value of the precious metal slides, BMI, a unit of Fitch Group, said on Wednesday.
Ghana, Tanzania and Nigeria have been buying gold domestically to beef up their reserves, BMI said, a move accelerated by this year’s broader market volatility stoked by U.S. trade tariffs and other geopolitical risks.
Policymakers in Kenya and Uganda are exploring a move into gold, Rwanda and Namibia have taken active steps towards adding the metal into their reserves.
Governments could also struggle to convert their gold holdings into liquid assets like hard currencies, Gard said, pointing to India and Argentina when they faced acute balance of payments challenges in the 1990s and 2000s, respectively.
Source – Reuters
Zinc, the biggest loser in the LME complex, is currently trading 4.8% lower than at the start of the year.
Meanwhile, tin prices have increased by 13.5% in the first few weeks of the year, making it the biggest winner.
Copper refining grew as expected at 4.2%, but mine production surprised at 2.3%, 0.5% higher than the ICSG September forecast.
The supply of refined copper is under threat due to mine production, which has put downward pressure on processing fees in copper smelters, according to Commerzbank.
The lead market experienced a minor oversupply due to a substantial increase in mine production.
This increase, just under 2%, was fueled by significantly higher supply in the US, Australia, Peru, and Mexico.
Source – Invezz
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
The ultra-wealthy are increasingly moving their gold offshore as economic and geopolitical uncertainty roils markets — and Singapore is emerging as a favored destination.
Not far from the city-state’s airport sits a six-story facility covered in onyx and fortified by tight security. Tucked behind its steel doors are gold and silver bars amounting to about $1.5 billion.
“A lot of very high net worth clients are looking at tariffs, looking at the world changing, looking at the potential of geopolitical instabilities,” Gregersen told CNBC.
“The idea of putting physical metal in a safe jurisdiction like Singapore with parties they can trust is becoming a big trend nowadays,” he said, adding that 90% of the new orders are coming from outside of Singapore.
Source – CNBC