(Reuters) - Morgan Stanley (MS.N) posted a better-than-expected first-quarter profit on Wednesday, as its trading business drew strength from increased market volatility in line with other major banks.Sales and trading revenue at the United States’ sixth biggest bank rose 26 percent in the quarter, driven by strong gains in equities trading.Strength in wealth management also helped overall p...Read More

(Reuters) - Regional lender U.S. Bancorp (USB.N) reported a 13.7 percent rise in quarterly profit on Wednesday, driven by higher interest income and lower taxes.Net income attributable to the bank rose to $1.68 billion, or 96 cents per share, in the first quarter ended March 31, from $1.47 billion, or 82 cents per share, a year earlier.“We delivered solid growth in net interest income and hi...Read More

PARIS (Reuters) - European car registrations fell 5.2 percent in March, led by Nissan (7201.T), Ford (F.N) and Fiat Chrysler (FCHA.MI), according to data published on Wednesday by auto industry association ACEA.Sales fell to 1.84 million cars last month across the European Union and European Free Trade Area, paring first-quarter growth to 0.6 percent, the Brussels-based group said.“Momentum...Read More

* US/German 2-yr yield gap at 298 bps* Fed rate-hike bets, softer euro zone data push out spread* Peripheral bond yields fall again* Euro zone periphery govt bond yields tmsnrt.rs/2ii2Bqr (Updates throughout)By Dhara RanasingheLONDON, April 18 (Reuters) - The gap between short-dated U.S. and German borrowing costs stood at its widest for almost three decades on Wednesday, reflecting a growing di...Read More

(Kitco News) - Gold andsilver prices are higher in early U.S. trading Wednesday. Silver prices havehit a 2.5-month high and are trading above $17.00. The chart postures for bothmetals are tilted in favor of the bulls, which is inspiring technically basedbuying interest at mid-week. June Comex gold futures were last up $6.10 anounce at $1,355.50. May Comex silver was last up $0.283 at $17.08 an o...Read More

Editor's Note: Welcome to Kitco's new Bitcoin Daily Technical Alert. Every trading day veteran Kitco technical analyst Jim Wyckoff will provide you with a concise and easy-to-understand near-term technical brief on Bitcoin. Importantly, Jim will glean the short-term charts and technical studies, and then alert you to the signals he sees regarding upcoming potential bigger price moves or price tren...Read More

LONDON (Reuters) - Financial markets should start accelerating efforts to ditch Libor in favor of the Bank of England’s revamped interest rate benchmark being launched next week, a senior BoE official said.Banks have been fined around $9 billion for trying to rig Libor, or London Interbank Offered Rate, prompting the BoE and other central banks to come up with their own “risk free&rdqu...Read More

(Adds background)LONDON, April 18 (Reuters) - Iranian government institutions will start reporting foreign currency amounts in euros rather than U.S. dollars, state media said on Wednesday as part of the country’s effort to reduce its reliance on the American currency.The decision was made at a cabinet meeting, state broadcaster IRIB said.Central bank governor Valiollah Seif said last week t...Read More

April 18 (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index looked set to extend its gains on Wednesday as investors awaited Bank of Canada's interest rate decision.The central bank is widely expected to hold the rate steady at 1.25 percent when it announces its decision at 10:00 a.m. ET.June futures on the S&P TSX index were up 0.38 percent at 7:15 a.m. ET.Canada's main stock index rose to a 12-day high o...Read More

Gold remains in a wide range on the daily technicalcharts, with a directional catalyst needed for the next major move, says Lukman Otunuga, research analyst atFXTM. “Whilegeopolitical tensions and U.S political uncertainty have inspired bulls, bearsremain heavily supported by Fed rate-hike expectations,” the analyst says.“There is clearly a fierce tug-of-war between bulls and bea...Read More

Gold remains in a wide range on the daily technical charts, with a directional catalyst needed for the next major move, says Lukman Otunuga, research analyst at FXTM. “While geopolitical tensions and U.S political uncertainty have inspired bulls, bears remain heavily supported by Fed rate-hike expectations,” the analyst says. “There is clearly a fierce tug-of-war between bulls an...Read More

(Reuters) - International Business Machines Corp (IBM.N) posted profit margins that fell short of Wall Street expectations on Tuesday, a sign that its reinvention was taking time.Shares of the technology company fell 6 percent in after-hours trade even as it reported the second quarter of revenue growth after a near six-year streak of declines.IBM has in recent years shifted its focus to higher-ma...Read More

THE HAGUE (Reuters) - The arrival of international chemical weapons inspectors at the location of a suspected poison gas attack in the Syrian town of Douma has been delayed after gunfire at the site during a visit by a U.N. security team on Tuesday, sources told Reuters.The U.N. security team entered Douma to assess the situation ahead of the planned visit by inspectors from the Organisation for t...Read More

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican leaders in the U.S. Congress are moving forward with a plan to vote before the 2018 midterm elections on a bill to make permanent the temporary individual tax cuts in their recent tax overhaul.It is not yet clear, however, if the plan would pick up support from Democrats, whose votes would be needed to pass legislation in the Senate.The Republican tax law, approve...Read More

For the last 10 days, gold hasbeen in an uptrend inside of a consolidation pattern. The question is: Willgold finally break out to the upside or will it just be more disappointment?There is no obvious answer. Throughall of the high volatility in the equity markets, gold has been unable to breakout to the upside, as buying has failed on a couple of attempts to do so. Thepattern being formed right n...Read More

For the last 10 days, gold has been in an uptrend inside of a consolidation pattern. The question is: Will gold finally break out to the upside or will it just be more disappointment? There is no obvious answer. Through all of the high volatility in the equity markets, gold has been unable to break out to the upside, as buying has failed on a couple of attempts to do so. The pattern being formed r...Read More

Mr. Derek White reportsASCOT RESOURCES ANNOUNCES 2018 DRILL PROGRAM AT PREMIER-DILWORTHAscot Resources Ltd.'s 2018 drill program commenced on April 17. The 2018 drill program will comprise approximately 45,000 metres in 200 drill holes, targeting infill and expansion in various areas on the Premier-Dilworth property. The company has been working with RPA Inc. on completing the updated resources es...Read More

Mr. Derek White reportsASCOT RESOURCES ANNOUNCES 2018 DRILL PROGRAM AT PREMIER-DILWORTHAscot Resources Ltd.'s 2018 drill program commenced on April 17. The 2018 drill program will comprise approximately 45,000 metres in 200 drill holes, targeting infill and expansion in various areas on the Premier-Dilworth property. The company has been working with RPA Inc. on completing the updated resources es...Read More

Gold stocks are percolating. And while much work remains before their long-term technicals turn bullish, the whole sector could be worth a trade here.Read full newsRead More

Mr. Jose Berlanga reportsTELSON MINING CORPORATION RELEASES FIRST QUARTER 2018 PRE-PRODUCTION RESULTS FROM THE CAMPO MORADO MINETelson Mining Corp. has released preproduction results of development mining, concentrate production and metallurgical balances for the first three months of 2018 at its 100-per-cent-owned Campo Morado mine located in Guerrero state, Mexico.Campo Morado first quarter 2018...Read More