Gold

As the threat of a trade war grows, Canadian investors are seeking protection in gold and in shares of companies producing goods with few substitutes, such as uranium, while looking to take advantage of a weaker loonie and expected volatility.

“Tariffs are going to hurt all parties quite a bit but if you’re going to spare some industries, you probably spare industries that you don’t have a substitute for and are currently reliant on,” said Ben Jang, a portfolio manager at Nicola Wealth, noting U.S. dependence on Canadian oil, critical minerals and uranium.

Major producers of uranium include TSX-listed Cameco Corp (CCO.TO)shares of which Nicola Wealth owns. Cameco has pulled back from an all-time high in December but has still managed to advance roughly 46% since early September.

Source – Reuters

Barrick Gold will resume operations at its shuttered Loulo-Gounkoto mine in Mali once authorities in the country allow it to resume gold shipments, CEO Mark Bristow said on Wednesday.

“We will start the operations as soon as we get approval to ship the gold and we need to ship the gold to pay anything to the government,” Bristow said, adding that Barrick paid $460 million to the Mali government last year.

“So if you calculate that to per week… and every week we don’t do this it hurts everyone,” he added.

Source – Reuters

Gold has benefited from geopolitical uncertainty and central bank demand, but a prolonged period of restrictive Fed policy presents risks.

Source – FXEMPIRE

On Wednesday, ahead of the North American equity market open, Barrick Gold (NYSE: GOLD, TSX: ABX) reported a 69% increase in net earnings to $2.14 billion and a 51% rise in adjusted net earnings to $2.21 billion, significantly beating analyst expectations. The company also noted that its annual operating cash flow in 2024 increased by 20% to $4.49 billion, while free cash flow more than doubled to $1.32 billion.

Source – KITCO News

“What we have seen is the change in the motive for safe-haven buying – from being driven by the Middle East uncertainty to the threat and realisation of tariffs,” said Philip Newman, managing director at consultancy Metals Focus.

“Strikingly, gold was rallying as inflation eased, and it looked as though all of our understanding of how gold prices behaved was being challenged,” said independent analyst Ross Norman.

Nicky Shiels, head of metals strategy at MKS PAMP SA, said that while prices could break out towards $3,200, resolution of physical gold dislocations attributed to tariffs and potential structural changes including reduced risk appetite, reduced participation and reduced liquidity are increasingly bearish.

Source – Reuters

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Bear (in finance) – is an investor who believes that a particular security or the broader market is headed downward and my attempt to profit from a decline in stock prices. Bears are typically pessimistic towards a state of any given market or underlying economy.

Gold has surged to a new all-time high, breaking through $2,911.72 per ounce on a thick mix of domestic and foreign uncertainty, inflation concerns, and a shifting macroeconomic landscape. While bullion has historically served as a safe-haven asset, the latest rally is not merely a reaction to market turbulence, but instead to a confluence of economic and financial factors that reinforce its role in global portfolios.

Source – Seeking Alpha / American Institute for Economic Research / Written by Peter C. Earle