Sales of gold coins and minted bars rose to 25,103 ounces in February, up 35% from January. On a year-on-year basis, they were down 47%.
Silver product sales increased to 482,451 ounces in February.
“It is heartening to see the increase in sales on January levels given precious metals prices remain at record highs,” said Neil Vance, Perth Mint’s general manager of minted products.
Source – Reuters
“This was an audacious raid which had been carefully planned and executed,” prosecutor Shan Saunders said. “But those responsible were not careful enough, leaving a trail of evidence in the form of forensics, CCTV footage and phone data.”
The purloined potty was stolen just days after its installation. It has never been recovered but is believed to have been cut up and sold.
Jones, 39, was convicted of burglary in Oxford Crown Court.
The theft was planned by James Sheen, 40, who previously pleaded guilty to burglary, conspiracy and transferring criminal property.
Doe, 36, also known as Frederick Sines, was convicted of conspiracy to transfer criminal property.
A fourth man charged in the conspiracy, Bora Guccuk, 41, was acquitted by jurors.
Source – CBS News
WOW! Looks like justice was served. I will continue to follow up on jail time. Stealing a gold toilet from Winston Churchills house is bold to say the least. I wonder if the art will be made again after this. We’ll see! – V.
President Donald Trump said he will put a 50% tariff on copper imports effective Aug. 1.
“I am announcing a 50% tariff on copper, effective Aug. 1, 2025, after receiving a robust national security assessment,” Trump posted to his Truth Social account Wednesday evening.
Copper prices rose 2.62% after Trump’s comments, then extended its gains before leaping 13.12% upwards and hitting its best one-day gain since 1989.
Source – UPI News
“We have found hundreds of billions of dollars of fraud so far. And we’ve just started. We’re actually going to Fort Knox to see if the gold is there, because maybe somebody stole the gold. Tons of gold,” Trump said.
“I think the gold is probably there. It’s probably almost certainly there,” David Sacks, Trump’s crypto czar, told Fox News last week, though he still agreed with the president’s calls to investigate the matter.
“Nobody thinks this is a crazy idea to go check because we don’t know,” Sacks added, arguing that “we cannot fully trust that our gold is still in Fort Knox” because of the “corruption” in Washington.
Source – ABC News
The Missouri legislature has passed a bill that would allow the state government to accept gold and silver as payment for taxes and other transactions
The legislation, led by Republicans, would require state government entities to accept electronic versions of gold and silver, called “electronic specie currency,” as payment for taxes and public debts. The bill doesn’t require businesses to accept gold and silver as payment for private uses, but it would allow them to do so.
“The goal is about restoring economic and political freedom back to everyday Missourians,” state Rep. Bill Hardwick (R) said.
Source – Just The News
Gold prices dipped on Wednesday after U.S. President Donald Trump hinted at lower tariffs for China and said he has no plans to fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.
Spot gold fell 2.1% to $3,310.29 an ounce, as of 0811 GMT, after hitting a record high of $3,500.05 in the previous session.
Spot silver rose 1% to $32.85 an ounce.
Platinum was up 0.6% at $964.35 and palladium was steady at $935.48.
Source – Reuters
Trump announced 25% tariffs on all vehicles and foreign-made auto parts imported into the United States late on Wednesday, prompting heavy losses in Japanese and South Korean stocks in Asian trading overnight.
General Motors slumped 6%, while shares in Ford fell almost 5%, reflecting concerns about the impact on their supply chains.
“Uncertainty on the tariff front remains high, which is really tough for both businesses but also investors to plan into the future, and of course it’s making it really difficult for investors to price risk,” said Baylee Wakefield, a multi-asset portfolio manager at Aviva Investors.
Gold prices rose, up 0.7% on the day at $3,040 an ounce. Goldman Sachs raised its gold price forecast on Wednesday, citing stronger-than-expected ETF inflows and sustained central bank demand.
Source – Reuters
