(Kitco News)- Labor Department data Thursday showed that initial weekly U.S.jobless claims rose by 9,000 to a higher-than-expected seasonally adjusted227,000 in the week to Saturday. Consensus forecasts compiled by various news organizations hadcalled for initial claims to be around 220,000. The government left the priorweek's tally unrevised at the previously reported 218,000. Meanwhile, th...Read More

Oil and gas conglomerate BP plc is to buy Chargemaster, the UK's largest electric vehicles (EVs) charging company, and plans to deploy the network across its forecourts in the country over the next 12 months. The charging company, to be rebranded BP Chargemaster, has over 6,500 charging points across the UK through its Polar network. The company also designs, builds, sells and maintains EV chargin...Read More

HONG KONG (Reuters) - China's government announced on Thursday a long-awaited list detailing the reduction or removal of foreign ownership restrictions across a wide range of industries spanning from financials to grains.The National Development and Reform Commission, which is China's state planner, said the new measures will take effect on July 28, according to the list posted on its website.Othe...Read More

(Reuters) - The flood of requests from U.S. manufacturers with the Commerce Department to exempt them from the Trump administration’s hefty tariffs on steel and aluminum imports is exposing competitive information to rivals, customers and U.S. metal producers.The tariff exemptions process is a new front in a battle between U.S. steel and aluminum consumers, fighting to keep prices for those...Read More

CloseGain/LossGold $1248.20-$3.60Silver$16.00-$0.05XAU79.83-0.13%HUI170.52+0.04%GDM609.88+0.24%JSE Gold1023.95-8.92USD95.32-0.02Euro115.66+0.10Yen90.49-0.30Oil$73.45+$0.6910-Year2.840%+0.012T-Bond145.09375-0.1875Dow24216.05+0.41%Nasdaq7503.68+0.79%S&P2716.31+0.62% The Metals: Gold gained $2.40 to $1254.20 at about 9AM EST, but it then drifted back lower for most of the rest of trade and en...Read More

Russia and Turkey's moves out of U.S. debt and into the precious metal could be precursors of a bigger global shift.by Leonid Bershidsky of BloombergU.S. government debt and the world's foreign exchange and gold reserves. Source: BloombergSince December 2017, Russia has cut its holdings of U.S. foreign debt by more than half.Instead, it's been increasing the share of gold in its international re...Read More

Turkish steel producers continued their deep-sea scrap purchases for August deliveries on Thursday June 28.A steel mill in northern Turkey booked a Canadian cargo, comprising 30,000 tonnes of shredded and 20,000 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (90:10) at an average price of $368 per tonne cfr.And a steel mill...Read More

The Thursday Market Minute Global hit lowest level in three months as China pulls Asia to 11-month low amid trade war pullback.Copper slides to three-month, U.S. yield curve continues to flatten as investors watch signals of a broader economic slowdown.Oil prices ease from near-four year highs as dollar tests near year-to-date peak, but falling U.S. crude stocks and OPEC supply questions ke...Read More

An explorer that received good drill results last year is one of the first out of the gate to follow up this summer.Industry watchers are keeping their eyes on summer drilling in British Columbia's Golden Triangle for signs of the next GT Gold or Garibaldi Resources, both of whose shares leaped last year after the announcement of significant discoveries.One company on the radar screen is Aben Reso...Read More

EconomicsWhy Russia and Turkey Are Such Gold BugsTheir moves out of U.S. debt and into the precious metal could be precursors of a bigger global shift.by Leonid Bershidsky@BershidskyMore stories by Leonid BershidskyRead More

BRASILIA (Reuters) - Far-right lawmaker Jair Bolsonaro leads the field for Brazil's October presidential election, ahead of environmentalist Marina Silva, a new poll showed on Thursday.Bolsonaro, a federal congressman, won 17 percent of voters' support in a simulated first-round ballot, pollster Ibope said, putting him ahead of Silva's 13 percent in a scenario excluding jailed former president Lui...Read More

MOSCOW (Reuters) - A summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump will take place in Helsinki, the capital of Finland, on July 16, the Kremlin said in a statement on Thursday.The Kremlin said the two leaders would discuss the current state and outlook for U.S.-Russia relations as well as international issues.Moscow and Washington struck a deal on Wednesday to hol...Read More

Sampling at Shamrock's Topley Project in the Bulkley Valley, 100 km southeast of Smithers, BC. Left to right: Mike Middleton, Lorne Warren and Clayton Gush. Photo courtesy Shamrock Enterprises Inc.Shamrock Enterprises Inc. [SRS-CSE] is currently raising exploration funds for its projects in northern British Columbia, including a $250,000 private placement and a $400,000 flow-through unit offering....Read More

BEIJING (Reuters) - China’s commerce ministry said on Thursday it would carefully monitor U.S. policies on inbound investments, stressing that the country opposes using national security as grounds to restrict foreign investments.U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he will use a strengthened national security review process to thwart Chinese acquisitions of sensitive American techn...Read More

Comex copper prices tumbled to the lowest price since August 2017 this morning in the US, with bearish investors capturing the market due to threats of an impending trade war.Copper for September settlement on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange crashed 4.45 cents or 1.5% to $2.9400 per lb. The contract is now trading at the lowest point since mid-August and has fallen in 10 of...Read More

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - EU leaders meet in Brussels for two days of talks on migration that German Chancellor Angela Merkel described as “make or break” for the union.They will also discuss security, trans-Atlantic trade and their troubled ties with U.S. President Donald Trump, economic sanctions on Russia, the bloc’s next long-term budget from 2021, the euro zone reform and Brexit,...Read More

Gold nuggets recovered from the Mt. Roe Project in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Source: NxGold Ltd.NxGold Ltd. [NXN-TSXV] rallied Thursday June 28 after the company said initial trenching work at its Mt. Roe Project in the Pilbara region of Western Australia has confirmed the source of gold nuggets found on the property.The company has previously said that gold nuggets found at Mt. Roe...Read More

Three-month base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were marginally higher during morning trading on Thursday June 28, with the complex up by an average of 0.2%. Nickel led the gains with a 0.7% increase to hover near $15,000 per tonne, followed by aluminium that was up by 0.3%, while lead and tin edged up by 0.1% and copper and zinc were little changed.Volume has been quite light with 3,7...Read More

LONDON (Reuters) - The dollar turned lower on Thursday, giving up early gains as rising inflation in some German regions prompted some traders to buy the euro, though rebalancing flows for the half year checked sharp losses.With concerns about trade dominating global market sentiment, pushing stock markets and other risky assets into the red, perceived safe-haven currencies including the Japanese...Read More

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - The outlook for global growth has weakened in recent weeks and risks are skewed to the downside, due in part to increased protectionism, the European Central Bank said on Thursday.“The near-term prospects of greater trade protectionism have increased, which could have a significant impact on global activity and trade,” the ECB said in its regular economic bulletin...Read More