Smartinvestors are preparing to profit from a supply squeeze in an $18-billionmarket.So,what’s a supply squeeze?Simple:When the supply of something goes DOWN at the same time demand for it goesUP... Asupply squeeze triggers.Whenthat happens, you can potentially make more in a short time than you wouldnormally make over a lifetime.Forexample, it just happened with lumber.Thecoronavirus shut d...Read More

Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Wednesday July 21 that are worth another look.Flat steel sales from Brazilian distributors increased by 3.3% year on year in June; volumes began to stabilize after strong growth in the first half of 2021, flat steel distributors...Read More

Major commodity shortages all over the globe arewreaking havoc in the markets...and driving up prices of goods for consumers. Most recently, a widespread shortage in the lumbermarket has generated a great deal of attention due to the impact this shortageis having on the price of home renovations and new home construction. A global shortage of microchips is having a dramaticimpact on the electronic...Read More

Gold’s days in a glamorous apartmentat the top of the PMs’ building are numbered. We’d better prepare for a rapidelevator ride to the first floor.TheGold Miners With the gold miners essentially runninglaps on the treadmill, the HUIIndex, the GDX ETF, and the GDXJ ETF are working extremely hard but makinglittle progress. And with the gambit resulting in ‘one step forward,&nb...Read More

The Northern European market for steel wire rod was quiet in the week to Wednesday July 21, with prices being broadly flat, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel wire rod (mesh-quality), domestic, delivered Northern Europe, was ?,?890-915 ($1,049-1,078) per tonne on Wednesday, the same as last week.The assessment was based on deals, offers and market participants'...Read More

Domestic prices for heavy steel plate in Italy declined slightly in the week to Wednesday July 21 due to lower slab costs and mills' needs to book more orders, sources told Fastmarkets.Competitive import offers have also contributed to the softening of domestic prices.Southern EuropeOfficial offers for plate from Italian re-rollers have been heard at ?,?980-1,000 ($1,155-1,178) per tonne ex-works....Read More

The U.S. Dollar recently corrected upward but now appears ready to continue its move downward and this should light a fire under the price of Silver and see it undergo a 30-day run to around $38 per troy ounce as illustrated in the chart below.  ConclusionThere is a regular cycle for Silver to rise that starts now and extends until August 11th. The last time that Silver entered that cycle was...Read More

The latest FOMC minutes were… mixed. The discussion between hawks and doves continues giving gold no comfort. Who will gain the upper hand?Yesterday, the FOMC published the minutes from its last meeting in June. Investors who counted on some clear clues are probably disappointed, as the minutes can please both hawks and doves. Indeed, the report showed that the Fed officials are divided on...Read More

With the FED increasingly hawkish andthe USDX rising from the ashes, don’t be fooled by the recent upswing in gold.The bears are getting ready.With the reflation trade getting cut offat the knees, the only asset class not feeling the pain is U.S. equities.However, while shorts capitulate and send the U.S. 10-Year Treasury higher (andthe yield lower), the flattening of the U.S. yield curve sc...Read More

Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were broadly stable on Wednesday July 21, with minimal reaction to China's announcement to sell more state reserve metal during the day. The three-month zinc price closed 1.1% lower than the previous day at $2,929 per tonne, while the three-month aluminium price was down 0.5% to close at $2,453.5 per tonne from a day ago,...Read More

Peter Krauth of Silver Stock Investor delves into the silver market and discusses why it "looks primed to rally strongly on the back of multiple drivers."Transitory. That's something we've been hearing a lot lately.At its latest FOMC meeting the Fed naturally decided to keep the fed funds rate target at 0.25%. It also decided not to mess with the $120 billion monthly bond buying program...Read More

Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Wednesday July 21 that are worth another look.Flat steel sales from Brazilian distributors increased by 3.3% year on year in June; volumes began to stabilize after strong growth in the first half of 2021, flat steel distributors...Read More

S&P 500 closed Friday on a strong note, and as theholiday-shortened week is usually accompanied by positive seasonality, it wouldbe reasonable to expect extension of gains. Is therre any show stopper at themoment? Credit markets are strong and in a risk-on mode – but what about theodd strength in long-dated Treasuries? Are the stock traders getting it right –or the bond ones? Remem...Read More

The gold miners’ 2021 gains prompted astanding ovation among investors. However, they didn’t notice a magic trickuntil everything vanished.TheGold Miners After the HUI Index plunged by more than 10% and made all of its 2021 gainsdisappear, the magic trick left investors in a state of shock. But while Mr.Market still hasn’t sawed the HUI Index in half, the illusionist is likelygea...Read More

Gold and silver bulls attempted to start a rally last week, but prices were capped by astrengthening U.S. Dollar Index. The buck has been advancing strongly against foreigncurrencies over the past month. Currency traders are encouraged by the FederalReserve’s apparent plans to taper asset purchases and begin raising interestrates way out in 2023. Dollar buyers also seem convinced that the re...Read More

Gold, silver, and theirminers’ stocks suffer their weakest seasonals of the year in early summers.  With traders’ attention normally diverted to vacationsand summer fun, interest in and demand for precious metals usually wane.  Without outsized investment demand, goldtends to drift sideways dragging silver and miners’ stocks with it.  Long feared as the summer dold...Read More

Gold in the age of inflationThe star investment of the fifty-year era and the most reliable store of valueThere has been considerable, and some would say tedious, discussion on the subject of inflation over the past several weeks. The Fed wants it. The markets await it. Investors and consumers worry about it. If it does come, the Fed thinks it will be transitory. Others believe it will persist. T...Read More

While we might see a small uptick ingold prices soon, it’s not likely to last long. We should be prepared to openour parachutes any time now.The decline in gold continues, and whilewe might see a small pop-up higher here, it’s unlikely to last. And why couldgold move slightly higher and correct the recent declines? Because it has just reached the risingsupport line based on its previou...Read More

Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were broadly stable on Wednesday July 21, with minimal reaction to China's announcement to sell more state reserve metal during the day. The three-month zinc price closed 1.1% lower than the previous day at $2,929 per tonne, while the three-month aluminium price was down 0.5% to close at $2,453.5 per tonne from a day ago,...Read More

Iron ore prices fell on Wednesday July 21 due to steel production cuts in some Chinese provinces for the second half of 2021, sources said.Fastmarkets iron ore indices 62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $214.79 per tonne,down $6.25 per tonne62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $216.17 per tonne,down $6.85 per tonne58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cfr Qingdao: $176.44 per tonne,down $5.83 per tonne65% Fe...Read More