Tom welcomes Ed Steer to the show, Ed writes a weekly subscriber column on the gold and silver markets. He brings us a bombshell overview of what is happening in the metals market.
Talking Points From this Episode- Comex metals market activity.- Large short positions and extreme risk.- The suppression scheme is ending.
Time Stamp References:0:00?EUR< - Intro0:57?EUR< - Comex Price Spreads2:32?EUR< - Backwardation3:30?EUR< - Size of the shorts position.6:45?EUR< - Caught off guard7:57?EUR< - Spot vs. Physical Price9:32?EUR< - Don't Wake the Giants10:54?EUR< - Why suppress the price13:00?EUR< - Confidence & Currencies14:09?EUR< - Forcing the issue15:40?EUR< - JP Morgan's holdings17:34?EUR< - Causes of the March crash18:09?EUR< - Huge Silver ETF Demand20:27?EUR< - Sourcing the Silver21:45?EUR< - SLV Physical Deliveries23:06?EUR< - Prospectus Changes24:44?EUR< - ETF's & Finding Metal25:27?EUR< - Disaster Cometh Soon26:41?EUR< - Trillions, too big to fail?27:40?EUR< - Extraordinary Times28:10?EUR< - Wrap Up
Ed explains how tight the silver markets have become and why the Comex is attempting to roll over as many contracts as possible to avoid delivery. They have reduced the fees to rollover contracts to near zero. There is some backwardation in silver for contracts in late 2021, revealing weaknesses in their ability to deliver.
Thousands of traders use the Comex markets, but eight large investment banks control more than half of the paper metals market. These big players are short 412 million ounces of silver, and it's them versus the world. The thousands of other traders are entirely net-long as they understand this scheme is ending. If these large players were to let silver go, the price would rapidly become a sizeable three-digit number.
He feels these investment banks were caught completely flat-footed by the actions in the market in recent weeks. They have been forced to double down on their shorts to keep the market suppressed. Ed says, "Right now, these guys are fighting for their lives."
Physical premiums are through the roof if you can even find the metal. The lead times from the mints are growing, and it will be many months before dealers can fully restock. He says, "There is no physical metal to be had...the market is tight everywhere you look."
If the sleeping giants (aka the industrial users of silver) awaken to what is happening, they will want to buy everything available, making the situation much worse. Those in power are now desperate as these problems could lead to a massive currency crisis worldwide.
He doesn't believe these banks can cover their shorts, and March deliveries will be very interesting.
Ed cautions, "Things are now in motion that can't be undone. It's going to be like the long-term capital management collapse we're talking trillions, not billions... Hopefully, there is a world left to survive in once this is all over."
Ed Steer is the founder of Ed Steer's Gold and Silver Digest and a director at GATA.org.