The paradoxical technical situation for oil that we highlighted in the last update has continued - and has gotten even more extreme. In that update we concluded that oil's very bullish volume indicators pointed to its continuing to advance, despite COT and Hedgers charts and sentiment indicators showing extremes that would normally call for a reversal to the downside, and that is what has happen...Read More

The price of copper ended 2017 near a four-year high of $3.30 a pound ($7,260 per tonne) extending the bull run in the red metal for a second year. Measured from its multi-year lows struck at the beginning of 2016, copper has gained more than 70% in value.The copper price surged by 30% in 2017 to levels last seen early 2014What happened in 2017The run started on hopes (since dashed) of massive inf...Read More

By Gary ChristensonFinancial sanity and stability may not return, but we can protect our assets and learn from the discussion.The DOW, S&P500, NASDAQ and other markets sell at all-time highs. However, many imbalances exist within our financial world.This is not new - things have been crazy before, are now, and will be again. But to regain financial sanity we need:From "Doug Casey on the New Fed...Read More

By Rory HallDr Warren Coats, former Chief of the SDR with the title Assistant Director of the Monetary and Financial Systems Department at the IMF penned an article on a return to the gold standard in 2013 - A Hard Anchor for the Dollar. Not a classic gold standard, but an "updated version" of a gold standard that would allow for entities like the IMF, World Bank and BIS to stay involved and b...Read More

Brazilian flat steel producer CSN has applied an increase of 23% in its annual pricing contracts to local automakers, effective Monday January 1, the company confirmed to Metal Bulletin on January 3.The adjustment is in line with higher raw materials costs and international flat steel prices, according to Brazil-based sources...Read More

By Avi GilburtAs Ecclesiastes notes, "There is nothing new under the sun." This, too, applies to the stock market.The average investor trap is the same throughout whatever period you wish to review. Markets become overexuberant, see a correction, sentiment resets, and markets rally on to their next phase of overexuberance. It is really that simple. Yet, we overcomplicate matters by relying on ec...Read More

Chinese steel prices were mostly driven by the supply-side changes in 2017, namely capacity cuts, a government crackdown on producers of substandard steel, environmental inspections and winter production restrictions. Will there be more supply-side changes in 2018 and will they push up steel prices in the country further? Here are among the developments that Metal Bulletin expects to take place th...Read More

- Gold posted second straight annual gain in USD in 2017- Gold in 2017: up 13.6% USD, up 2.7% GBP, down 1.4% EUR- 2017 is gold's best year since 29.5% gain in 2010- Strong performance despite rate hikes and stock bubble - India's gold imports surged 67% in 2017, Turkish, Chinese demand strong- Gold finished 2017 with longest rally since June 2016- 2018: Currency War and The Year of the Phoeni...Read More

FOMC minutes and other market moving US economic data releases are there till Friday. US December jobs numbers will positively affect the US dollar only if they indicate an interest rate hike in March. All incoming US economic data releases need to be looked from a March interest rate hike perspective. The US dollar will get another wave knock down if there is any indication of an interest rate...Read More

Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were mostly lower at the close on Wednesday January 3, with lead the only metal to finish the day in positive territory. "Lead put in a steady performance while the rest of the metals faltered, underpinned by a positive fundamental picture and tighter LME conditions," Sucden Financial said. "With FOMC minutes from the December meeting due for release...Read More

In a holiday-dominated period, global copper premiums were unchanged in the three major regions over the past week. US premiums were flat once again with the end of mating season and holiday season squashing interest.  Outside of Italian premiums, European spot markets were similar to that in the United States.  Shanghai premiums were unchanged with Chinese investors on an extended holi...Read More

Peter KrauthThe price of silver's rise from its mid-December ashes has been nothing short of spectacular.Thanks to that rally, the silver price finished 2017 ahead 6.7%. If you consider its 2016 gain of 14.3%, then silver appears to be joining gold in its return to secular bull market action.More recently, in just the past two-and-a-half weeks, the price of silver has soared an impressive 8.3%.Thi...Read More

Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 3, 2018) - SilverCrest Metals Inc. (TSXV: SIL) (OTCQX: SVCMF) ("SilverCrest" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the appointment of Christopher Ritchie as the Company's President, effective January 1, 2018. Mr. Ritchie will report to N. Eric Fier, SilverCrest's founder, CEO and Director. The Company has also entered into a private plac...Read More

Zinc and lead concentrate treatment charges (TCs) were little changed throughout December despite Glencore's decision to restart production at its Lady Loretta mine in Australia in 2018.Glencore will add 100,000 tonnes of zinc - or roughly 200,000-220,000 tonnes of zinc concentrates - to the market in 2018 via the restart at Lady Loretta and will subsequently ramp up another 60,000 tonnes per year...Read More

Tin premiums started 2018 on a downtrend with European and US premiums reaching multi-month lows due to low seasonal demand and good supply availability after strong exports from Indonesia in the fourth quarter of 2017. European tin premiums at 10-month low; US also softer  Indonesian exports in December remain above 7,000 tonnes Spot activity remains slow because of the post-holiday lull an...Read More

The latest metal markets news and price moves to start the North American day on Wednesday January 3. Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange dipped across the board during morning trading today, with the recent price rallies taking a break. Copper has dipped back below the $7,200 per tonne level, beginning to retreat slightly as the result of some profit-taking. The three-month zinc price...Read More

Good morning from Metal Bulletin's offices in Asia, bringing the key news and market stories on Wednesday January 3. Zinc prices on the Shanghai Futures Exchange (SHFE) were well supported by falling overseas stock levels in Asian morning trading on Wednesday January 3, while copper pared overnight gains. Check Metal Bulletin's live futures report here. LME snapshot at 0202 London timeLatest 3M&nb...Read More

RAPAPORT... Robust retail sales during the recent holiday period willlead to growth in Hong Kong's export market in 2018, the Hong Kong TradeDevelopment Council (HKTDC) said. Strong sales figures at the end of 2017 in both traditionaland emerging markets will result in higher shipments of products from Hong Kongto these locations, the organization predicted in a study it released last week. US ho...Read More

RAPAPORT... The president and chief financial officer of Alex and Anihave left the jewelry brand, according to reports. The one-year contracts of company president CindyDiPietrantonio (pictured) and chief financial officer Bob Woodruff expired, ProvidenceJournal reported last month. Both of them joined Alex and Ani in 2016:DiPietrantonio was chief operating officer until her promotion to president...Read More

(IDEX Online) - The international auction house Bonhams has appointed Jean Ghika as its new Global Head of Jewellery.   As part of her new role, Ghika will oversee sales in Bonhams offices in London, New York, Hong Kong and Los Angeles.   She has worked at Bonhams for 25 years and is a leading jewelry expert, the auction house said. She was appointed Director of Jewellery for UK &...Read More