Gold has big year in 2020 and outlook for this year robust. Learn about monetary expansion and gold future prices.Read More

The gold futures price reached US$1,767/ounce this week before retreating, which was the second time it has surpassed US$1,760 in the past two months, marking some of gold's highest levels in several years.Read More

Some analysts see the world dodging a recession next year, which provides some upward room for oil prices.Last week, the IEA warned last week that “the hefty supply cushion” building up in the first half of 2020 will cause OPEC+ problems as the group tries to balance the oil market. Part of the reason for another potential surplus is the steep drop in demand growth this year, forcing o...Read More

Diplomats at the World Trade Organisation's goods council have attacked the European Union over its plans to integrate titanium dioxide and cobalt into its health and safety laws, claiming this could impose unnecessary restrictions on exporting certain stainless steels to the EU.The European Parliament is considering regulating these steel inputs under its classification, labeling and packaging of...Read More

Steelmaking in electric arc furnaces (EAF) is already a good example of a waste-free circular economy since more than half of global steel output is being recycled, even if higher-quality materials are still produced from virgin materials and fossil-fueled processes, the president of the European Steel Technology Platform (ESTEP) said at a workshop in Bergamo, northern Italy last week. Carl de Mar...Read More

An overview of the battery raw materials markets and their latest price moves from the past week.Read More

Gold COT Report - Futures Large SpeculatorsCommercialTotal LongShortSpreadingLongShortLongShort 337,29651,437109,736206,626525,721653,658686,894 Change from Prior Reporting Period 14,107-4,6862,250-3,44114,18612,91611,750 Traders 20355775458284171 Small Speculators LongShortOpen Interest 65,55332,317719,211 -2,168-1,00210,748 non reportable position...Read More

The mid-tier gold miners just reported their results for a phenomenal gold quarter. In Q3'19 this metal surged after its first bull-market breakout in years, driving much-higher prevailing prices. That should've led to soaring profits for these mid-tiers in the sweet spot for stock-price upside potential. Last quarter's results are the most important this sector has seen in a long time,...Read More

- David Smith, The Morgan ReportSince the Federal Reserve detached the dollar from the gold standard in 1971, the world's central bankers - with the Fed leading the charge, have flooded the world with fiat currency to the point of diminishing its purchasing power to shadow status.A common belief during the early decades of the former Soviet Union's rise after 1917 was that, according to Marxis...Read More

By: Avi GilburtMany people feel that the metals are too hard to trade. Personally, I view them as much easier to trade since they are a rather pure sentiment trade. And, they have acted almost perfectly within our expectations of late.On Friday, one of our members pointed out to me that the GLD fund has seen its largest withdrawal since late 2016. And, as we now know, that was right before t...Read More

Next week is a thanksgiving week. There will be a position squaring and rebuilding on two counts. (a) Gold, silver and copper comex December futures are expiring. (b) Traders will look to book some profit in their open positions. In my view, at the moment, there are more long positions than short positions in gold and silver. Later in the first week of December will be the usual various US jobs...Read More

Stainless steel prices in the European domestic market have been stable over the past week, with market participants waiting for mills to announce their December surcharges, sources told Fastmarkets on Friday November 22.Finnish stainless steel producer Outokumpu announced this week that its alloy surcharge for grade-304 flat products will be ?,?1,608 ($1,780) per tonne for December, down by&...Read More

South America caught up with the global steel price upturn in the week ended Friday November 22, with new formal import offers being made and some deals reported at prices at least $10 per tonne higher than the previous week.The sudden scarcity of offers from South Korea, India and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), which had been low-cost suppliers for December shipments, was also prov...Read More

UK alloy steel scrap prices remained largely unchanged over the past seven days following a significant drop last week, sources told Fastmarkets on Friday November 22.Fastmarkets' price assessment for stainless steel scrap 316 solids domestic, delivered merchants UK, was ?1,170-1,230 ($1,512-1,590) per tonne on November 22, compared with ?1,170-1,250 per tonne delivered a...Read More

The availability of Indian iron ore in the international market is shrouded in uncertainty amid falling seaborne prices and concerns over domestic supply in the South Asian country due to the impending expiration of non-captive mine leases in March 2020. The Indian parliament had in 2015 passed an amendment of its mining legislation, stipulating an expiry date of March 31 next year for all existin...Read More

Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange consolidated at the close of trading on Friday November 22, with nickel futures notching a 1% rise over the day against sideways trading and moderate turnover generally. Nickel's outright price on the LME closed at $14,635 per tonne this afternoon, a climb of around 1% from Thursday's closing price of $14,505 per tonne, but an incline of just under 3...Read More

SD Friday Wrap: The impeachment inquiry's over? The Fed's suddenly tightening? No and no. It's just the cartel preparing for a good old-fashioned beating...Wow!How quickly things change.Of course, nothing in the real world has changed to anything that would be "bearish" for gold & silver.Case in point.Well, actually, cases in point:The impeachment inquiry and political in-fighting goes on.The Fed...Read More

The Fastmarkets index for iron ore 65% Fe Brazil-origin, cfr Qingdao, rose on Friday November 22, breaching the $100-per-tonne mark for the first time since October 8.Fastmarkets iron ore indices62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $88.08 per tonne, up $1.41 per tonne.62% Fe Pilbara Blend fines, cfr Qingdao: $88.11 per tonne, up $1.41 per tonne.62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $87.47 per tonne, up $1....Read More

Global scrap prices remained relatively stable due to a lull in trading during the working week ended Friday November 22, with the exceptions of the Indian market, which dipped, and Taiwan, where prices rose.Turkish steel mills slow pace of buying but prices hold steadyUS prices steady on pause in export activityIndian market dips on buying jittersPrices unchanged in VietnamTaiwan prices up on sol...Read More

An overview of the minor metals markets and their latest price moves.Read More

Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange consolidated at the close of trading on Friday November 22, with nickel futures notching a 1% rise over the day against sideways trading and moderate turnover generally. Nickel's outright price on the LME closed at $14,635 per tonne this afternoon, a climb of around 1% from Thursday's closing price of $14,505 per tonne, but an incline of just under 3...Read More

Japanese and Korean copper smelters are likely to follow the contract for 2020 treatment and refining charges (TC/RCs) settled by Jiangxi Copper and miner Freeport, with major Chinese smelters also likely to accept the number."The benchmark number is the benchmark number. We should respect it," a source at one of the biggest Asian smelters said.Freeport agreed an annual TC/RCs deal for 2020 with J...Read More