Gold holding above $1,450 despite stumbling on strong economic data released this morning. Three new pre-holiday reports show positive signs including a drop of 15,000 in U.S. weekly jobless claims, better-than-expected growth in the U.S. third quarter GDP (up an annual rate of 2.1% versus the forecast 1.9%), and the U.S. Commerce Department report showed an increase of .6% in U.S. durable-goods orders for October, that’s up from September’s revised 1.4% drop. Continue reading →

Gold slipped earlier Monday to a one-week low amid signs that the U.S. and China were edging closer to a trade deal.

Equities and the dollar rallied, making gold less attractive as an alternative investment. Gold prices skyrocketed earlier this year as a hedge against uncertainty as the U.S.-China trade standoff worsened. Continue reading →

Gold firmed up early Friday amid doubts over whether the U.S. and China will manage to sign a trade deal this year.

Reuters reporting that Chinese President Xi Jinping said his country wants to work out an initial trade pact with the United States, but is not afraid to retaliate if necessary. Continue reading →

Gold rose on trade-deal fears early Wednesday and have now leveled off in anticipation of the FOMC minutes which will be released this afternoon.

U.S. President Donald Trump renewed a threat of tariffs on Chinese imports on Tuesday. “If we don’t make a deal with China, I’ll just raise the tariffs even higher,” Trump said during yesterday’s Cabinet meeting, according to Reuters. Continue reading →

Gold climbing on Chinese pessimism this morning, after an overnight dip that was driven by renewed optimism.

The reversal is reported this morning by CNBC.com. Continue reading →

Gold slips on U.S. Retail Data released this morning for October that showed a rebound.

While October shopping was up, consumers cut back on big ticket items. Commerce Department reports retail sales increased 0.3%, primarily on motor vehicle purchases and higher gas prices. This reversed September’s 0.3% drop and topped a forecast rise of 0.2%.

Gold dipped yesterday after White House Economic Adviser Larry Kudlow said trade talks between the U.S. and China for phase one of a trade agreement were near the final stages. “We are coming down to the short strokes,” he told reporters late Thursday, according to Bloomberg. Continue reading →

Gold shrugs off inflation data this morning as the U.S. Consumer Price Index shows a 0.4% rise for October according to the U.S. Labor Department. Consensus forecasts were calling for a rise of 0.3% following September’s flat number. The October number marks the highest monthly increase since March. Continue reading →

Gold enjoyed a a bump up this morning on continued trade uncertainty over the U.S.-China trade accord and disappointing Chinese producer price data over the weekend.

The yellow metal settle at $1,462.90 an ounce Friday on Comex. It rose to $1,467.90 earlier this morning, but is back to $1,461.30. Continue reading →

Gold regains a bit this morning on trade doubts that lingered over the U.S.-China deal, but the yellow metal is poised for an overall down week. Continue reading →

Gold rebounded this morning, regaining part of a nearly 2% decline in the previous session, as sentiment about a U.S.-China trade pact wobbled.

U.S. and Chinese officials are actively considering rolling back some tariffs to reach the partial trade deal that they’re currently negotiating, Continue reading →

Gold is steady near a five-week high this morning on a weaker dollar and signs of a possible U.S.-China trade accord. It’s basically shrugging off overnight world stock market rallies which are giving the U.S. Stocks a big boost, heading for new all-time highs at the opening bell. Continue reading →

Jobs report dulls gold as the data released this morning shows U.S. jobs growth slowed less than expected in October and China’s factory activity expanded at its fastest pace in more than two years.

The non-farm payrolls data released by the Labor Department showed jobs growth in October came in at 128,000. Economists polled by Reuters had predicted just 89,000 jobs. However, growth still slowed from September.
Continue reading →

Gold dinged by hopeful U.S. GDP data released this morning, in addition to a jump in private payroll numbers, as investors await a monetary policy decision from the U.S. Federal Reserve this afternoon.

This morning’s report shows that 3rd quarter U.S. economic Continue reading →

Gold slips on record stocks this morning. Any other major shifts in gold likely await the monetary policy decision this week from the Federal Reserve and further signs the U.S.-China trade dispute may be resolved in the coming weeks.

The S&P 500 hit a record high this morning. CNBC reporting a break above the all-time high set over the summer. The S&P rose 0.6% to trade above 3,027.98, the record set on July 26, prompted by investors’ positive view of the U.S. China trade talks. Continue reading →

Gold rises to two-week high earlier this morning after settling above the key $1,500-an-ounce threshold for the first time since Oct. 10. After gaining 1.1% this week, gold looks headed to its best week in five.

Investors fled to safety in the yellow metal amid weak economic data from the U.S. that also made it more likely that the Federal Reserve will boost interest rates for a third consecutive time next week. Meanwhile, the BBC reported that European Union ambassadors will meet to discuss how long a Brexit extension to offer the U.K. and Parliament considers Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s call for an early election in December. Continue reading →

Gold rises on flight to safety. Gold and silver rose this morning as investors fled to safe-haven assets after the U.K. Parliament blocked Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s timetable to exit the European Union by the end of this month.

An election in the U.K. looked more likely after the House of Commons — within minutes — voted to back the government’s new withdrawal bill and then rejected the timetable. European Council President Donald Tusk said after the vote that he would recommend that EU leaders agree to an extension. Johnson will seek an election if a delay is granted, the BBC reported, citing an unidentified person in Johnson’s office. Continue reading →

Overnight, the U.S. dollar index dropped to a nine-week low giving gold and its precious metals family a boost.

Investors are still looking for signals on Brexit, the U.S.-China trade talks and whether the Federal Reserve will cut interests rates for a third time at the end of the month. Continue reading →

Gold hopes for weekly advance. After climbing over $1,500 yesterday on mixed economic data from the U.S. in the morning and decidedly bleak Chinese economic data, the yellow metal dipped again closer to $1,490 this morning as the U.S. stock market regained some ground. Continue reading →

Low retail numbers boosting gold this morning. U.S. retail sales fell in September for the first time in seven months. Sales dropped 0.3% as households slashed spending on building materials, online purchases and especially automobiles according to the latest data from the U.S. Commerce Department. A 0.2% rise had been forecast. These unexpected numbers are raising concerns that the slowdown in the American manufacturing sector could be bleeding into the consumer side of the economy.
Continue reading →

Gold rebounds on renewed trade doubts after taking a hit on Friday’s optimistic headlines of a trade deal between U.S. and China. After surging on Friday, stock markets are heading down as investors grow pessimistic on the “handshake” deal.

On Friday, gold fell after it was reported that China had agreed to more than double its annual purchases of U.S. agricultural products to as much as $50 billion, while U.S. President Donald Trump agreed to hold off on another round of tariff increases set for this week.
Continue reading →

Part 3: A Look Ahead

In this three-part series, we looked at how new demand drivers combined with shrinking supply surplus and low pricing is evidence that platinum is fighting back from recent struggles – and still has a place to shine in every bullion portfolio. Continue reading →

Gold eases on renewed trade hopes as the standoff between the U.S. and China NOW appears to be on a positive track. Precious metals are now awaiting reaction to the next potential market mover, the release of this afternoon’s FOMC minutes.

Late yesterday, gold got a headwind when tariff talks had seemed to worsen in the leadup to talks between the two nations Thursday and Friday in Washington. But now, Bloomberg is reporting that China is still open to agreeing to a partial trade deal, citing an official with direct knowledge of the talks. The headline boosted U.S and Eurozone stock markets and took a bit of shine off the yellow metal. Continue reading →

Gold steady ahead of trade talks, remaining little changed early Monday as investors looked for signs about the direction of the negotiations between the U.S. and China, which are scheduled to resume this week in Washington.

Investors have turned to bullion as a hedge against uncertainty when the talks appear to be stalling. The next round of discussions is scheduled for Oct. 10 and Oct. 11. Continue reading →

Part 2: Pricing and Supply

In the first installment of our three-part platinum series, we outlined how significant changes are being made in the platinum market as the metal moves away from outdated sources of demand, finds new avenues of demand in technology, and once again begins to appeal to investors. Today we’ll look at how the factors affecting supply and price are showing further signs that 2019 may finally start to bring a reversal of fortune for platinum. Continue reading →

Gold eyeing $1,500 again this morning on safe haven investing. The yellow metal had rebounded Tuesday when weak U.S. manufacturing data for September spurred fears of a global economic slowdown. Gold received a further boost from this morning’s ADP U.S. new jobs report which fell shy of expectations furthering economic growth concerns.

Private sector employment increased by 135,000 jobs in September, but the August number was 157,000. According to ADP: “The average monthly job growth for the past three months is 145,000, down from 214,000 for the same time period last year.” Continue reading →

Gold slipped early Monday as the U.S. dollar traded near a three-week high, making the yellow metal less attractive as investor risk appetite grows.

Gold’s direction today is likely to be determined by the latest twists in the trade standoff between the U.S. and China. Bloomberg reported that the Trump administration is considering ways to limit U.S. money going into Chinese, but the U.S. Treasury said it has no plans to stop Chinese companies from listing on U.S. exchanges. Continue reading →

Gold fighting this morning against a stronger dollar. Late Thursday, investors turned to the dollar as an alternate safe-haven asset amid political uncertainty in the U.S.

The dollar Index hit a new high for 2019 in the early hours today responding to a weakened euro as well as domestic concerns. Continue reading →

Part 1: Shifting demand

Gold and Silver’s rebound may be catching the headlines lately, but behind the scenes, platinum has also been showing new signs of life.

For decades, platinum’s winning combination of scarcity and demand boosted prices to levels far exceeding gold. But demand drivers have shifted in recent years, forcing the once-shining star to fall behind its other industrial metal peers. In this three-part series, we’ll look at how platinum is adapting to the latest technology and signs that 2019 may finally start to bring a reversal of fortune for this battered metal. Continue reading →

Gold holding steady this morning after climbing to a three-week high in Tuesday’s session as investors flocked to the yellow metal as a hedge against uncertainty after the U.S. House of Representatives launched an impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump.
Palladium climbed to a new record.

The December gold contract rose 0.6% Tuesday to settle at $1,540.20 an ounce on Comex, the highest closing level since Sept. 4. Bullion gained 1.7% in the first two days of the week. Silver slipped 0.4% Tuesday but has outpaced gold this week, with the most-active December up 4.4% in the first two days. Continue reading →

Gold rose on geopolitical fears and uncertainty early Monday as its attractiveness as a hedge grew on rising tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Palladium climbed to a new record.

The U.S. announced late last week that it was sending troops to Saudi Arabia after drone attacks on key oil facilities in the kingdom. Both the U.S. and Saudi Arabia have blamed Iran for the attacks. The Iranian president warned Sunday that foreign forces are threatening the security of the region. He pledged to unveil a peace initiative at the United Nations General Assembly later this week in New York. Continue reading →

Gold holding on as dollar rises this morning. The dollar had slumped late yesterday boosting the yellow metal in the early hours. So far, gold is holding above $1,500 and is striving for its first weekly rally in a month. Palladium climbed to a new record.

The U.S. dollar had slipped after the Fed’s rate cut on Wednesday, dropping .3% on Thursday, but concerns over geopolitical tensions and a slowing global economy have boosted the dollar’s attractiveness. Continue reading →

Gold ticked up ever so slightly this morning as tensions between the U.S. and Iran sparked headlines after President Trump threatened increased sanctions via Twitter. Meanwhile, investors await this afternoon’s monetary-policy decision from the U.S. Federal Reserve.

The yellow metal shrugged off happy numbers from the Commerce Department as U.S. housing starts rose 12.3% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.36 million units last month. Industry forecasts had expected around 1.25 million to 1.26 million units. Also this morning, the Commerce Department reported 1.42 million building permits, beating the 1.31 million forecast. This report is important as an indicator of future construction activity. Continue reading →

Gold climbs on Saudi drone strike, rising early Monday on its attraction as a safe-haven asset following the drone attack on Saudi Arabian oil facilities over the weekend.

Houthi rebels battling Saudi Arabia in Yemen took credit for the strike, but the Trump administration has blamed Iran, setting the stage for a possible geopolitical standoff. Continue reading →

Gold back over $1,500 this morning, but could still be headed for its third consecutive weekly loss Friday as optimism about U.S.-China trade relations grew, reducing the yellow metal’s appeal as a hedge against uncertainty. However, the indications that world central banks are leaning towards monetary policy easing is keeping gold over the psychological $1,500 mark.

This morning’s economic news, including up U.S. Retail sales for August (up 0.4% – the expected rise was 0.2%) and a positive Consumer Sentiment for September (coming in at 92.0, rather than the forecast 91.4) took a little shine off gold, but not a significant hit. Continue reading →

Gold is little changed this morning after the most-active futures contract settled below $1,500 an ounce for the first time in more than a month on Tuesday. This morning, the August Producer Price Index (PPI) rose a stronger-than-expected 0.3%. Even though this jump in producer prices could lead to inflation pressure, gold saw little to no reaction.

The December gold contract fell 0.8% Tuesday to $1,499.20 an ounce on Comex as bond yields rose for a fifth day and the dollar strengthened. The December contract ticked down a touch this morning, currently at $1,498.00. Futures fell 1.1% in the first two days of the week, adding to losses last week on weak economic data, uncertainty over the U.S.-China trade war, fears of an economic recession and heightened speculation of monetary easing from central banks around the world. Continue reading →

Gold ticks up this morning, as bulls push through any signs of lessening risk aversion. The yellow metal also getting support from the weak economic data from both the U.S. and China that is heightening speculation of monetary easing from central banks around the world.

China’s exports unexpectedly contracted in August, with sales to the U.S. tumbling amid the escalating trade war between the two nations, Bloomberg reported. Exports decreased 1% in dollar terms from a year earlier, while imports declined 5.6%, leaving a trade surplus of $34.84 billion, according to data Sunday from the customs administration. Economists had forecast that exports would grow 2.2%, while imports would shrink by 6.4%. Continue reading →

Gold modestly rebounds on Jobs report this morning that shows lackluster growth. The bounce back follows biggest one-day drop in dollar terms in almost three years on Thursday.

The Labor Department’s just-released U.S. employment data for August showed the “non-farm” payrolls rose 130,000, which significantly misses the market forecast of 150,000. This could indicate a cooling economy which is music to the ears of monetary policy doves, who are looking for a rate cut when the FOMC meets in less than two weeks. Continue reading →

Gold slipped early Wednesday after touching a new high Tuesday as weak U.S. manufacturing data for August drove a flight to precious metals as safe-haven assets.

The most-active December gold contract climbed to $1,555.90 an ounce Tuesday on Comex, a 1.7% rally from Friday. U.S. financial markets were closed Monday for the Labor Day holiday. This morning finds the December contract at $1,547.80.

U.S. manufacturing contracted for the first time in three years last month, spurring fears of an economic slowdown. U.S. President Donald on Tuesday also threatened to be “tougher” on Beijing if he’s reelected in 2020. More U.S. tariffs took effect over the weekend, and the U.S. rejected China’s request to delay them. Continue reading →

Gold unmoved by this morning’s inflation data. Inflation, as measured by the Fed’s preferred PCE price index, rose 0.2% in July. While this new number nudged the yearly rate up to 1.4% from 1.3%, Fed watchers feel inflation remained low enough to give the Federal Reserve room to cut rates in September.

In other economic data released this morning, Consumer spending jumped 0.6% last month, while U.S. incomes rose just 0.1%, the smallest gain in nearly a year. Americans had to dip into their savings to cover their expenses. Continue reading →

Gold hangs near six-year high after dipping a bit due to a stronger dollar and some profit taking in early morning trading. Silver continues its upward trend, hitting a more-than-two-year high in early morning hours. Continue reading →

1953 – 2019

The precious metals industry has lost an amazing veteran and friend.

Michael was a fixture in the precious metals industry for over 40 years, most recently as executive trader at Dillon Gage, where his passion was evident in every trade. He couldn’t wait for the next deal. Continue reading →

Gold’s roller coaster ride continued this morning, as the yellow metal shed some of the early, early morning gains that had hit six-year highs.

December futures touched $1,565 an ounce early Monday on Comex, the highest level for a most-active contract since 2013, driven by investors seeking a safe haven from the escalating trade war between the U.S. and China. Putting gold up more than 20% so far this year. Silver also rallied. Continue reading →

Gold up on Chinese tariff news after falling earlier this morning. Before the tariff news, it had appeared gold was headed for the first weekly decline in four weeks.

The Chinese State Council announced a decision to impose tariffs ranging from 5% to 10% on $75 billion U.S. goods. Continue reading →

Gold slips in early morning trading after Tuesday’s advance as investors awaited the release of the minutes of the Federal Open Market Committee’s July meeting. U.S. equity futures rose and Treasury yields jumped, reducing a bit of gold’s luster as a hedge against uncertainty.

December futures increased 0.3% Tuesday to settle at $1,515.70 an ounce on Comex. But prices remain down for the week after a 0.8% drop on Monday. Currently, the December contracts are at $1510.80, down $4.90.

Speculation is increasing over whether the Fed will follow July’s first interest-rate reduction in a decade with another in September – and how large it may be. The CME FedWatch Tool put the odds of a Sept. 18 rate cut at 98.1% early Wednesday, with the same percentage projecting a 25-basis-point reduction. Expectations of a rate cut had been at 100% since the meeting last month. The tool put the likelihood of no rate reduction at 1.9%. Continue reading →

Gold slipped early Monday as the U.S. Dollar Index traded near a two-week high and as Asian stocks and equity markets around the world rallied after wild swings last week.

The yellow metal had climbed to a new six-year high last week as investors fled to safety amid turmoil in equity markets, fears that the global economy is heading for a recession and negative bond yields.

This morning, benchmark U.S. Treasury yields rose gaining distance from last week’s record lows which led to the market disrupting inverted yield curve (the two- and 10-year bonds inverted for the first time since 2007 on Wednesday).

Also up are global Equity markets. The signs of moves by Germany and China to counter slowing growth cheered investors helping European markets rise for a second session. Continue reading →

Gold is in an unsurprising pull back this morning after ending yesterday strong. The yellow metal closed the December contract on Comex at a record high for 2019 as investors continued their flight to safety, capping a week that included wild swings in equity markets, fears that the global economy is heading for a recession and negative bond yields.

December gold futures settled at $1,531.20 Thursday on Comex and gained 1.5% in the first four days of the week. Currently, the December contract is at $1,518.80, off by $12.40. Continue reading →

Gold ticked up this morning on continued concerns over the civil unrest in Hong Kong and worries about global economic growth.

Gold futures had slipped yesterday and equities soared when the U.S. delayed some tariffs on Chinese goods until December. The stock markets promptly rallied, but at the opening bell this morning, the Dow was down $370, Nasdaq down $132 and the S&P was down $41.

This morning the yellow metal recovered its position solidly above $1,500 an ounce. Investors continued to seek a safe haven to protect against the U.S.-China trade standoff, economic uncertainty, the unrest in Hong Kong and the devaluation of the Argentine peso. Continue reading →

Gold futures are once again above the $1,500 psychological mark this morning as investors sought a safe haven in the yellow metal to protect against economic uncertainty, the U.S.-China trade standoff and the continued unrest in Hong Kong.

Goldman Sachs cut its fourth-quarter U.S. growth forecast by 20 basis points to 1.8% on Sunday, citing the trade war. In a note to clients, Chief Economist Jan Hatzius said Goldman expects a new round of tariffs to go through in September and doesn’t think a trade deal will happen before the 2020 presidential election. “Fears that the trade war will trigger a recession are growing,” the report said. Continue reading →

Gold a tad below $1,500 after the release of U.S. Producer Price Index for July shows flat inflation after spending a big chunk of the week over that psychological line.

The PPI rose .2% for July as economists had forecast. The important Core inflation number, which does not reflect highly dynamic food and energy prices, was down .1%, the first decrease in almost five years.

December futures this week rose to the highest level for a most-active contract on Comex since 2013. Gold has strengthened in recent months trade tensions, slowing global growth and easing monetary policy. Continue reading →

Gold topped $1,500 an ounce on Comex early Wednesday and then rose another $10/ounce over the last two hours as global economic concerns continue to grow. The Dow dropped over 400 points at the opening bell.

“Yields are collapsing, and gold is soaring,” said Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at Spartan Capital Securities to CNBC. “That’s raising concern about the impact of the trade war on the economy.” Continue reading →

Gold hits six year high and eyes $1,500 as trade tensions between the U.S. and China intensify and unrest in Hong Kong continues. The yellow metal’s safe haven glow shone brightly sending gold futures ever higher. Currently, the December Comex Contract is up $14.00 an ounce at 1,471.50.

Gold gained strength as a hedge against uncertainty as Asian stocks headed for their biggest selloff since October and the yuan fell past 7 per dollar, a level that investors had considered a line in the sand for China’s policy makers. The dollar tumbled against the yen. U.S. stocks are set to open solidly lower when the New York day session begins shortly. Continue reading →

Gold indifferent to this morning’s job report after climbing yesterday when comments by President Donald Trump fanned the flames of the trade war with China.

This morning’s Jobs report, which was inline with expectations, had scant impact on the yellow metal. The Bureau of Labor Statistics said 164,000 jobs were created in July with unemployment at 3.7%.

Meanwhile, new U.S. tariffs against Chinese goods could be more than 25%, Trump said after U.S. financial markets closed Thursday. Remarks earlier in the day – that U.S. will levy a 10% tariff on $300 billion in Chinese goods starting Sept. 1 – partly spurred the biggest two-day drop in the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index since May. Continue reading →

The gold market has been charting a fairly stable course the last few days as traders eagerly await the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy decision, which will be released later this afternoon.

That stability was unshaken by this morning’s positive private sector employment report for July. The private payrolls company ADP said that the past month slightly beat the job growth forecast of 150,000 by 6,000 new jobs. Continue reading →

Gold futures are a bit up, but basically holding steady this morning, as the markets hold their breath ahead of an anticipated interest-rate cut by the U.S. Federal Reserve on Wednesday. Fed speculation, the U.S.-China trade standoff and geopolitical tensions in the Middle East sent gold to a six-year high this month by making the yellow metal more attractive as a hedge.

The CME FedWatch Tool has kept the odds of a July 31 rate cut at 100% since the Federal Open Market Committee’s last meeting in June. The tool shows the odds of a 50-basis-point cut have inched back up to 23.5% this morning with the likelihood of a 25-basis-point reduction at 76.5%. Continue reading →

Gold had reclaimed a bit of turf this morning after yesterday’s positive U.S. economic reports, but then the yellow metal dipped upon new U.S. GDP Q2 growth number. Gold futures headed for their first weekly drop since early June on Comex, while silver is poised for another advance.

The just release GDP data shows 2.1% growth, beating the expected 2% rise. This is the last major economic report before Federal Reserve policy makers meet next week. Continue reading →

Gold futures are slightly up this morning after touching a one-week low in the previous session. Meanwhile, silver futures climbed to a new one-year high on Tuesday.

Expectations of an interest-rate cut by the U.S. Federal Reserve next week and geopolitical tensions in the Middle East are making precious metals more attractive as a hedge against uncertainty. But gold came under pressure as the U.S. Dollar Index reached a five-week high on Wednesday. The U.S. currency was supported by a deal to extend the U.S. government’s debt limit, which was announced late Monday in a tweet by U.S. President Donald Trump. Continue reading →