Johnson & Johnson has held steady during the COVID-19 pandemicThe shares of blue-chip Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) are up 0.6% to trade at $149.93, after the company pulled its controversial talc-based baby powder --the subject of lawsuits the last two years -- from U.S. and Canadian markets. Credit Suisse is unfazed by the news, chiming in that it only makes up 0.2% of its North American sales...Read More

By: Ira EpsteinSilver has spent 5 days above its Bollinger band on the daily chart. I give it at 1% chance..Read More

Target and Lowe's reported earnings today, and the results are encouraging Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) futures are thriving this morning, almost 300 points above fair value, after the latest earnings reports overshadow uncertainty surrounding a possible COVID-19 vaccine. Investors are encouraged by corporate reports from retail giants Lowe's (LOW) and Target (TGT), with both companies sco...Read More

In my previousarticle, I’ve written about how important US dollar movements arefor future Silver prices. The chances of a significant Silver rally during US dollarstrength is very low; and it is very high during US dollar decline.The structure of the Silver bull marketsince 2001 has a lot in common with that of the 70s bull market. However, oneof the important differences pertains to US doll...Read More

Lowe's first-quarter earnings and revenue exceeded analyst's estimatesLowe's Companies, Inc (NYSE:LOW) followed its sector peer Home Depot (HD) into the earnings confessional this morning, but with much better results. The shares of the retailer are up 6% at $123.90 after the retailer posted a first-quarter profit and revenue beat, and an 11.2% rise in quarterly same-store sales, as stay-at-home o...Read More

Price action before Memorial Day tends to set the tone for the rest of the yearMemorial Day is next week, a time we remember those who have given their lives while serving in the armed forces. For many, it means parades and cookouts over the weekend -- with social distancing of course -- and the unofficial start of summer. For the stock market, it means a shortened four-day trading week. This week...Read More

Nervous investors have been pouring into the goldand silver markets over the past two months. Money Metals Exchange is proud to have helped almost 20,000 newcustomers with a precious metals purchase in recent weeks, many of whom cameover from other dealers struggling with inventory shortages and ridiculousdelivery delays.A new wave of investors is getting the message; the FederalReserve will never...Read More

Whenever one hears the words precious metals, goldand silver spring to mind. But this world is much richer, and preciousmetals don’t end with the yellow or white metal. The less well knowncousins, platinum and palladium, can and do send valuable signals too. Beforewe examine silver, let’s take a look at something interesting in palladium. The interesting detail is palladium’s wea...Read More

Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Wednesday May 20 that are worth another look.China will maintain anti-dumping duties on some alloy steel seamless steel pipe imported from the United States and European Union for the next five years, according to the country's Ministry of Commerce.The Beer Institute has opposed a proposal by S&P Platts to impose a floor for the implied du...Read More

Just like the precious metals market, black gold ended the previous week with a sizable upswing. The rally continued in the early Monday trading, as crude oil moved decisively above its previous April highs. The breakout above the April highs is a sign of strength, but it’s not been confirmed so far. Crude oil did close the previous week above the highest daily close of April, but it was jus...Read More

By Dave KranzlerThe chart above speaks for itself. You could not find a more bullish chart set-up in the stock market. Note that the HUI/Dow ration bottomed out in late 2019 at the same level where it bottomed in late 2000. Most investors in this sector were not around for the beginning of the precious metals bull market in late 2000. But you can see the big move that started in 2008 - for which...Read More

By Keith Weiner Suppose you wanted to run an enterprise the right way (we know, we know, this is pretty far-out fiction, but bear with us). And, your enterprise has a $1 million dollar piece of equipment that wears out after 10 years. You must set aside $100,000 a year, so that you have $1 million at the end of 10 years when the equipment needs replacing. There's a word, now archaic, to describ...Read More

Craig Hemke, TF MetalsBack in March and April, a chasm opened between the dollar price of spot gold (XAU) and the front month COMEX futures contract. So-called experts reassured us that this was simply due to "logistics" and "gold being in the wrong place". Was this true, or might it have been just another set of apologies from the usual shills?We first wrote about this issue on April 7, and it...Read More

By: Ira EpsteinSilver has spent 5 days above its Bollinger band on the daily chart. I give it at 1% chance..Read More

Swedish steelmaker SSAB plans to extend temporary layoffs for its Finnish sites until September at least in a response to a downturn in the European steel market, the company said in a release on Wednesday May 20. In April, SSAB agreed temporary layoffs at its Finnish sites averaging three weeks in April-June with its employees and announced steelmaking output cuts. With economic conditions a...Read More

Dilip Oommen, chief executive officer of ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India (AMNS), has been appointed as president of the Indian Steel Association (ISA).The decision was made in an extraordinary board meeting held on Tuesday May 19, the ISA said. Oommen takes the position from TV Narendran, CEO and MD of Tata Steel. He starts the role after more than 37 years of experience in the international stee...Read More

Production at Bosnian steelmaker ArcelorMittal Zenica has been interrupted by a strike, with unions protesting against temporary layoffs, sources told Fastmarkets on Tuesday May 19.The strikes were called on May 19 and affected all operations at the Zenica site except for the coking plant, sources said. The unions did not disclose how long the strikes will last....Read More

Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Wednesday May 20 that are worth another look.China will maintain anti-dumping duties on some alloy steel seamless steel pipe imported from the United States and European Union for the next five years, according to the country's Ministry of Commerce.The Beer Institute has opposed a proposal by S&P Platts to impose a floor for the implied du...Read More

Cobalt has continued to trade on either side of $15 per lb so far this week, with thin spot demand, lockdowns and economic uncertainty created by the Covid-19 pandemic limiting scope for gains despite some sellers holding back from the spot market. Fastmarkets' daily price assessment for cobalt standard grade, in-whs Rotterdam held at $14.80-15.20 per lb on Wednesday May 20; the price has remained...Read More

The zinc premium in the United States moved for the first time in nine months, hitting a more than three-year low amid slack demand stemming from the Covid-19 pandemic. Zinc premiums in northern Italy, meanwhile, rose after lockdown restrictions eased.Battery giant Exide Technologies is seeking Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection under US Bankruptcy Code, announcing plans to sale of its North America...Read More