* Palladium at record highs after 2017's 56 pct surge* NYMEX palladium net longs also at record levels* GRAPHIC-2018 asset returns: By Jan HarveyLONDON, Jan 16 (Reuters) - Palladium, the hottest property in the precious metals deck last year, is tipped for a record performance in 2018 even among bearish forecasters, but the metal could become a victim of its own success.The prospect of sharply hig...Read More

(Kitco News)- Mining companies struggling to attract investor capitalneed to start thinking outside the box and pay more attention to theirenvironmental footprint, according to one tech mining executive.Kurtis Vanwallegham, CEO of Bio-Mine at #DisruptMining 2017In an interview with Kitco News, Kurtis Vanwallegham, CEOof Bio-Mine, said that mining companies are starting to really focus on theimport...Read More

(Kitco News) - Mining companies struggling to attract investor capital need to start thinking outside the box and pay more attention to their environmental footprint, according to one tech mining executive. Kurtis Vanwallegham, CEO of Bio-Mine at #DisruptMining 2017 In an interview with Kitco News, Kurtis Vanwallegham, CEO of Bio-Mine, said that mining companies are starting to really focus on...Read More

(Adds Kolomoisky comment, quote from central bank deputy governor, background)By Natalia ZinetsKIEV, Jan 16 (Reuters) - Ukraine's central bank said on Tuesday an investigation into the country's largest lender, PrivatBank, which was taken into state control in 2016, showed it had been used for money-laundering and shady deals over the course of at least a decade.One of the bank's former main shar...Read More

After a robust rally, metals prices are starting to pull back.Copper, aluminum, zinc, lead and nickel retreated on Tuesday as investors focused on the rebounding dollar and evidence of ample supply in the physical market. Palladium and other precious metals also retreated, with spot silver falling as much as 3.2 percent."We've had a significant rally across base metals, and it's hard to justify a...Read More

Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) are well above fair value, putting the blue-chip index within reach of the 26,000 level-- just seven trading days after it toppled 25,000. Boosting the Dow is a positive earnings reaction for UnitedHealth (UNH) -- which is helping to overshadow a pre-market slump for General Electric (GE), with the stock down 3% on news the company will take a $6.2...Read More

JOHANNESBURG, Jan 16 (Reuters) - South Africa's central bank said on Tuesday it had appointed Fundi Tshazibana as the seventh member of its monetary policy committee, and that the former IMF staffer will also act as advisor to the current governors.In a statement, the Reserve Bank said Tshazibana had 17 years of experience in public policy analysis and formulation. She has previously worked at the...Read More

DOHA (Reuters) - Qatar’s central bank will consider the topic of virtual currencies and there may be an opportunity in the future to introduce them in Qatar, central bank governor Sheikh Abdullah bin Saud al-Thani said on Tuesday.Sheikh Abdullah made the remark as he delivered a speech on Qatar’s plans to build a hub for financial technology.Asked about his stance towards bitcoin, Shei...Read More

Gold prices are taking a pause after rallying on Monday, astraders use the moment for profit taking, says George Gero, managing directorat RBC Wealth Management. “Gold pausing today, may see minor profit taking, asall attention on strong stocks. Weak dollar continues,” Gero writes. One of thelooming risks this week is the U.S. government shutdown, he points out. “Goldpausing to r...Read More

Francesco GuarascioBRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Central Bank has “flaws” in its procedures for identifying and dealing with banks in crisis, European Union auditors said on Tuesday.The European Court of Auditors, a European Union agency, cast doubt on the ECB’s supervision of the big banks in the euro zone and criticized the central bank’s reluctance to disclose releva...Read More

(Adds quote, updates prices)* Euro takes breather after setting 3-year high on Monday* Cryptocurrencies plunge on crackdown fears* Graphic: World FX rates in 2017 By Jemima KellyLONDON, Jan 16 (Reuters) - The euro fell from a three-year high on Tuesday as investors sold the currency on doubts that the European Central Bank would ditch its pledge to keep buying bonds at next week's meeting.Sources...Read More

Shares in Rio Tinto-controlled Turquoise Hill (TSX, NYSE:TRQ) were hit Tuesday after the miner revealed its massive Oyu Tolgoi copper and gold mine in Mongolia has been handed a $155 million tax bill.The Vancouver-based company said the amount relates to an audit on taxes imposed and paid by the mine operator between 2013 and 2015.Amount relates to an audit on taxes imposed and paid by the...Read More

Shares in Rio Tinto-controlled Turquoise Hill (TSX, NYSE:TRQ) were hit Tuesday after the miner revealed its massive Oyu Tolgoi copper and gold mine in Mongolia has been handed a $155 million tax bill.The Vancouver-based company said the amount relates to an audit on taxes imposed and paid by the mine operator between 2013 and 2015.Amount relates to an audit on taxes imposed and paid by the...Read More

Shares in Rio Tinto-controlled Turquoise Hill (TSX, NYSE:TRQ) were hit Tuesday after the miner revealed its massive Oyu Tolgoi copper and gold mine in Mongolia has been handed a $155 million tax bill.The Vancouver-based company said the amount relates to an audit on taxes imposed and paid by the mine operator between 2013 and 2015.Amount relates to an audit on taxes imposed and paid by the...Read More

(Kitco News)- The gold market is finding little traction Tuesday despite weaker than expected sentiment in the New York region's manufacturing sector, according to the latest data from the New York Federal Reserve,Tuesday, in its Empire State Manufacturing Survey, the regional central bank said that its general business conditions index rose to a reading of 17.7 in January, down slightly from 18 i...Read More

January's cryptocurrency selloff got fresh impetus on Tuesday when Bitcoin slumped as much as 25 percent, as the prospect of regulatory crackdowns appeared to spread.Read full newsRead More

(Kitco News) - Gold pricesare near unchanged in early U.S. trading Tuesday, as the bulls catchtheir breath after prices scored a four-month high in overnight action. Meantime,silver prices hit a two-month high overnight. The precious metals markets arebeing supported by a plunging U.S. dollar index and a soaring Euro currency. February Comex gold was last down $0.50 an ounce at $1,334.30. March Co...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

Mr. John Burzynski reportsOSISKO INTERSECTS 76.5 G/T AU OVER 5.0 METRES AT WINDFALLOsisko Mining Inc. has provided new results from the continuing drill program at its 100-per-cent-owned Windfall Lake gold project located in the Abitibi greenstone belt, Urban township, Eeyou Istchee, James Bay, Quebec. The 800,000-metre drill program combines definition, expansion and exploration drilling in and a...Read More

Mr. John Burzynski reportsOSISKO INTERSECTS 76.5 G/T AU OVER 5.0 METRES AT WINDFALLOsisko Mining Inc. has provided new results from the continuing drill program at its 100-per-cent-owned Windfall Lake gold project located in the Abitibi greenstone belt, Urban township, Eeyou Istchee, James Bay, Quebec. The 800,000-metre drill program combines definition, expansion and exploration drilling in and a...Read More