Platinum demand outpaced supply by 995,000 ounces last year. That was 46 percent higher than forecast.
Meanwhile, platinum jewelry sales grew by 8 percent in 2024, and investment demand took off, rising by 77 percent.
The WPIC forecasts that jewelry demand will reach 2 million ounces this year, an increase of 2 percent year-on-year.
Source – Money Metals
A California man was sentenced to 6½ years in prison Tuesday for his role in ongoing “government impostor” gold-bar scams that are costing Americans millions every year.
“This is a national epidemic,” prosecutor Hannah Gleason said in a courtroom in Montgomery County, Maryland, which has been hit hard by the complex frauds. “These are highly organized criminal organizations.”
The case at hand cost a 64-year-old woman, living in Montgomery’s Leisure World community, $789,000. She had counted on the savings to fund the medical needs of herself and other family members and now fears she may lose her home, Gleason said.
“She worries about her financial security and financial health,” Gleason said. “This has caused great emotional distress and impact to her, and has led her to believe she can’t trust people.”
Source – The Washington Post
Please be careful out there everyone. People are getting scammed everyday and our older community are the targets…usually. It’s really unfortunate for this lady who knows how many others have had this happen to them too. Be safe! – V.
Gold eased on Wednesday as the dollar ticked up, while investors awaited U.S. inflation data to gauge the Federal Reserve’s rate cut path amid trade tensions and economic slowdown fears and market focussed on news of a potential Ukraine-Russia ceasefire.
Spot gold fell 0.2% to $2,908.93 an ounce as of 0720 GMT, while U.S. gold futures lost 0.2% to $2,908.93.
“Gold is operating in ‘consolidation mode’ ahead of the next batch of U.S. inflation data,” KCM Trade chief market analyst Tim Waterer said.
“I expect gold to remain a favoured asset whilst investors are concerned about tariff wars and growth slowdowns. So, the bias for gold remains to the upside due to ongoing tariff dramas,” Waterer said.
Spot silver shed 0.7% to $32.70 an ounce, platinum rose 0.7% to $981.29 and palladium slipped 0.8% to $938.00.
Source – Reuters
Gold prices rallied on Tuesday, regaining ground after a slight pullback at the start of March. Spot gold was up 0.4%, reaching $2,900.78 an ounce as of 7:30 AM UTC. The rally was supported by a weakening US dollar spot index that has dropped to 103.5, a 24-hour 0.2% downtick.
Gold’s more “resilient” performance against the dollar is giving investors more incentives to turn against Bitcoin, with its price falling by more than $15,400 over the past month.
“Now that Bitcoin fell below $77K, it’s down 30% from its January record high,” Schiff posted on X. “It’s hard to see the rationale for the U.S. government holding Bitcoin as a reserve asset when it can lose that much market value so quickly. The rationale will be even harder to see when it’s down 50%.”
Source – Cryptopolitan
Benchmark LME copper futures are more than 9% higher so far this year, and Comex copper is 16% higher YTD, with the Comex now trading at a 10%-12% premium over LME, and Morgan Stanley analysts see more room for growth.
“We stay constructive on copper, our preferred base metal,” Morgan Stanley wrote. “Fundamentals and price signals are positive, and inventories are tightening as metal gets pulled to the U.S. Tariffs may bring demand concerns in the future, but for now physical markets continue to tighten.”
Source – Seeking Alpha
Freeport-McMoRan (FCX.N), opens new tab hopes U.S. President Donald Trump declares copper a critical mineral, a move that would unlock tax credits needed to boost American production of the red metal and offset global rivals, CEO Kathleen Quirk said on Monday.
“Having the incentives and clarity around those would be a big plus for the domestic copper industry,” said Quirk, who became CEO of Phoenix-based Freeport last year.
“People are understanding more what copper is used for and its importance in our economy. It’s just a matter of time before it’s classified as a critical mineral.”
“We’re not looking for handouts, but if the government is trying to incentivize domestic production, it’s important to recognize that the U.S. doesn’t have the same grades that we have internationally,” said Quirk.
Source – Reuters
Source – MSN
Endeavour Silver shares rose after the company reported an adjusted profit, despite lower production and revenue in the fourth quarter.
Shares rose over 18% to 6.18 Canadian dollars ($4.28)
Source – Market Watch
“U.S. dollar and Treasury yields are lower, which is helping gold catch a bit of support… The overall uptrend remains intact and the path of least resistance favours the upside,” said Ilya Spivak, head of global macro at Tastylive.
“Prices have been stable in a range between about 2,830 and 2,960 for the past four weeks… We would need to see a convincing break above or below these boundaries to conclude that some sort of lasting directional move is resuming.”
Spot silver added 0.3% to $32.19 an ounce, platinum was steady at $957.89 and palladium lost 0.3% to $940.47.
Source – Reuters
Gold prices ticked higher on Tuesday as focus turned to U.S. jobs and inflation data, that could influence the Federal Reserve’s policy decision in the face of rising economic growth concerns.
Spot gold (XAUUSD:CUR) +0.93% to $2,911.21 an ounce after hitting its lowest since March 3 in the previous session.
Meanwhile, worries over Trump’s tariff policies have also pushed safe-haven gold to a record high of $2,956.15 on February 24, as the metal is seen as a hedge against political risks and inflation.
Source – Seeking Alpha