Looking for another sign of how nervous investors are about tariffs? Copper prices plummeted 7% Friday to about $4.50 a pound in New York. Copper has plunged nearly 15% since hitting a 2025 peak price of about $5.25 in late March. But copper is still up about 13% this year. That may not last much longer.
Source – Barrons
Pataz has become Peru’s largest gold-producing region, in no small part due to artisan or informal mines, which operate under temporary REINFO permits.
“Gold is a curse for Pataz,” the mayor of Pataz, Aldo Mariño, told Reuters.
He said that despite the area’s great mineral wealth, his community lives in poverty, without basic services and on deteriorating or unpaved roads.
“This has been going on for several years, with the difference that now everything has collapsed. It’s due to the absence of the State,” he said. “People continue to die.”
Poderosa has reported the deaths of 39 workers in recent years in attacks on its facilities or small mines that supply it with gold. And in the last four years, 15 of the company’s high-voltage towers have been destroyed with explosives.
Source – Reuters
Gold prices dipped on Monday as thin holiday trading kept momentum in check. After last week’s sharp decline, gold is attempting to recover but faces resistance between $2607.25 and $2607.35. A breakout above $2629.13 is possible, but traders will need stronger volumes to drive further gains—something unlikely until after the New Year.
Treasury yields edged slightly higher to start the week, with the 10-year yield rising to 4.536% and the 2-year yield ticking up to 4.325%. Yields jumped last week following the Fed’s policy update but eased on Friday after softer-than-expected inflation data. The dollar held steady as markets processed the Fed’s outlook for 2025.
Gold prices experienced a modest uptick on Monday, rising 0.1 percent to $3,040.57 per ounce. Spot gold rose 0.1 percent to $3,040.57 an ounce as of 7:39 a.m. ET, rebounding after dipping to a session low of $2,971.09 earlier, when some investors sold off bullion to offset losses elsewhere, Reutersreported.
The imposition of the tariffs has intensified fears of a global recession. Investors are increasingly seeking safe-haven assets like gold to hedge against potential economic downturns. However, the recent sell-off in gold suggests that investors may be liquidating positions to cover losses in other markets, reflecting concerns over the widespread impact of a trade war.
“Once the dust settles, the rising recession risks, a weaker dollar, lower real yields and bigger rate cut expectations will all play their part in supporting a rebound….
“Gold’s correction remains a relatively shallow one with key support levels holding.” said Ole Hansen, head of commodity strategy at Saxo Bank
Source – Reuters
Barrick Gold (NYSE:GOLD) +3.2% in Wednesday’s trading to its highest in more than two months following a Reuters report that the miner has signed a new agreement with Mali’s government, which would end the dispute over the company’s mining assets in the country.
As part of the new deal, Barrick (GOLD) reportedly will pay 275B CFA francs, or $438M, to the government in return for the release of detained employees and seized gold, allowing for the restart of operations at the Loulo-Gounkoto mine.
Source – Seeking Alpha / Reuters
Medalcraft Mint in Green Bay, Wisconsin, is now marketing 2.75-inch (69.85-millimeter) Proof bronze versions and Proof silver versions of the official Donald J. Trump presidential inaugural medal, along with a six-piece process set that illustrates the progression of the striking process for the bronze medals.
According to Medalcraft sales representative Branden Beyer, the bronze medals are being offered at $75 each, the silver medal at more than $900 depending on the fluctuating daily spot price of silver, and the six-piece process set at $650.
Source – Coin World
Gold edged higher on Friday, after hitting a two-week low in the previous session, but easing trade tensions and a strong jobs report kept prices on track for a second consecutive weekly loss.
Spot gold was up 0.5% at $3,255.01 an ounce as of 9:41 a.m. ET (1341 GMT), after hitting its lowest since April 14 on Thursday. Prices were down 2.1% for the week, after hitting a record high of $3,500.05 on April 22.
“Gold looks like $3,500 may be a top for a little while, especially if some trade deals start to come through and some risk on appetite starts to break through the kind of negative euphoria that we’ve been seeing since the tariff talks,” said Daniel Pavilonis, senior market strategist at RJO Futures.
Spot silver edged 0.1% lower to $32.35 an ounce, platinum rose 1% to $967.70, and palladium gained 0.9% to $949.00.
Source – Reuters
