South Africa’s rand strengthened on Monday, as gold hit a fresh high and optimism grew over the prospect of an agreement between the two biggest government partners on the budget.
At 0728 GMT, the rand traded at 18.2375 against the dollar, about 1.1% stronger than its previous close.
Gold prices touched an all-time high on Monday as investors stressing over a global trade war and economic slowdown from the world’s biggest economy turned towards the safe-haven asset. South Africa is a major producer of the precious metal.
Source – Reuters
Another day, another record for gold. Gold is a go-to safe haven in times of economic uncertainty, geopolitical tensions, and loss of faith in governments. The result was a 3.0% gain for gold this past week and a close at the magical $3,000.
Other precious metals rose this past week. Silver was up 4.9%, while platinum gained 4.8% and is back over $1,000. Near precious metals saw palladium up 1.9% and copper gaining 4.0% as it marches towards $5.00.
Source – Silver Seek
The trade war stirred by U.S. tariffs raises a risk for metal demand, the head of Chile’s Antofagasta said, although he predicted AI and other technology could offset any loss of traditional consumption caused by economic weakness.
He also said President Donald Trump’s policies could lead to a more favourable environment for investment in mining
Antofagasta CEO Ivan Arriagada said he expected supplies of copper, needed for construction and the transition to a lower carbon economy, would remain in limited supply.
“In the current environment, where there is a lot more support for mining investment, it should be easier and should happen,” Arriagada said
Source – Reuters
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
Freeport McMoRan (NYSE:FCX) trades little changed Thursday as Jefferies upgrades shares to Buy from Hold with a $48 price target, raised from $40, just one month after downgrading due to risks in Indonesia, a cautious view on copper, and the company’s near-term lack of free cash flow.
If tariffs are implemented, Comex copper price premiums to the LME, which have been high already because of potential tariffs, likely will rise further, Jefferies analyst Christopher LaFemina says, noting Freeport (FCX) sells 1.35B lbs/year of copper at Comex prices and the current Comex premium to LME is ~$0.30/lb, and tariff-impacted imports would effectively set the Comex price since the U.S. cannot be self-sufficient in copper.
Source – Seeking Alpha
Jefferies – Jefferies Financial Group Inc. is an American multinational independent investment bank and financial services company headquartered in New York City.
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