By Craig HemkeLast week, we succinctly laid out for you what to expect for the end of this year and into 2019. Though, there are many reasons for optimism regarding higher precious metal prices next year, understand that The Banks are already taking steps to fight us every step of the way. In case you missed it, here is the post from last week. The key takeaway is that Comex precious metal price...Read More
By David SmithOver a year ago in this space, you may have read my rationale for not closing out core metals and mining stock positions after the May 2011 intermediate top (which turned out to be a longer term!) in the resource sector. (By the way, David Morgan called that top to his subscribers -- to the day.)I held those positions in spite of having written down on paper a decade earlier my int...Read More
By Frank HolmesCommodity traders appear excited about gold again as stocks are on pace for their worst year since 2008, and their worst December since 1931. Bullish bets on the yellow metal outnumbered bearish ones for the week ended December 11, resulting in the first instance of net positive contracts since July, according to Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) data.click to enlargeAs...Read More
As part of Merk's in-house research we regularly evaluate a consistent set of charts covering the economy, equities, fixed income, commodities and currencies. The aim is to keep our eyes open and to look through the noise of the headlines, avoiding the distractions of sensationalized click-bait. In sharing this content, we offer a cross-check to your own thinking and aim to add value to your own...Read More
I'm prone to remind readers from time to time that I don't have a crystal ball. Although I hit forecasting bullseyes often enough, this feat is just a cheap parlor trick for anyone even a little bit familiar with the Hidden Pivot Method. Under the circumstances, I probably shouldn't be too disappointed when the crystal ball I insist that I don't have fails me.Or has it? Yesterday I wrote that...Read More
By George SmithThe Christmas Truce of 1914 is remembered today as something of a miracle, and based on letters the soldiers had written home it struck them much the same way.How could it be that men can stop killing each other for a day after five months of mutual slaughter on the battlefield? Nor did they merely take a time out, but fraternized, much to the displeasure of their high command....Read More
- Review of 2018: 'Everything bubble' started bursting- International stock market indices and many property markets have fallen sharply- S&P 500 -4.5%, Nikkei -8%, EuroStoxx 50 -12.5%, FTSE -13%, DAX -16.5%- Of 54 major international stock market indices, only 6 are higher (see table below)- Global property bubble bursting - London, Sydney and Vancouver fall nearly 10%- Crypto bubble burst a...Read More
Full Article: The New Safe Haven: Gold Stocks!By: Stewart Thomson1. The US stock market continues to implode. At the same time, precious metals, bitcoin, and the Indian stock market are acting as superb safe havens.2. Please click here now. Double-click to enlarge this great short term gold chart.Full Article: The New Safe Haven: Gold Stocks!By: Stewart ThomsonDisclaimer (C) 2010 Junior Gold Re...Read More
Peter KrauthSilver is a particular kind of precious metal.Unlike gold, nearly 60% of silver demand comes from industry. That's because silver has great physical properties, while being much cheaper per ounce than gold.Often referred to as the "poor man's gold," silver has outstanding characteristics that make it valuable, and even indispensable, to industry and beyond.That's why I remain bullish i...Read More
The exploration camp at the Christie Lake uranium property. (Image: UEX Corp.)SASKATCHEWAN - UEX Corporation has released the maiden resource estimate for its 60% owned Christie Lake uranium joint venture. JCU (Canada) Exploration Co. is the 40% owner of the project located 9 km northeast of and along strike of the McArthur River uranium mine in the Athabasca Basin.The project is still in the earl...Read More
RAPAPORT... HRD Antwerp will open a diamond-jewelry grading laboratoryin Dubai's Almas Tower through a partnership with retailer Stargems Group. The center, which will be HRD's first such lab in the MiddleEast, will be located within the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) FreeZone, the gemological group said Wednesday. HRD and Stargems signed a memorandum of understanding inwhich the lab...Read More
RAPAPORT... Global jewelry sales increased 4% in the third quarter, drivenby growth in North America, according to market research by Alrosa. Sales in North America rose 4% despite concerns over theUS-China trade war, the Russian miner said Wednesday. Revenue in the Asia-Pacific region, including India andsoutheast Asia, rose 3% amid a continued expansion of national retailers acrossmainland...Read More
RAPAPORT... Gem Diamonds has recovered two large diamonds within a 24-hour period at its Let??eng mine in Lesotho, the company said Wednesday. The high-quality stones are white, type IIa diamonds weighing 101 carats and 71 carats, it added. The 101-carat stone is the 14th diamond over 100 carats the miner has found this year, a record for the company. Last year, Gem Diamonds unearthed eight...Read More
RAPAPORT... Baselworld and Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie inGeneva (SIHH) will take place back-to-back from 2020 in an attempt by theirorganizers to reinvigorate interest in the shows. SIHH, which is usually a January event, will instead runfrom April 26 to 29 in Geneva, while Baselworld will begin immediatelyafterward, from April 30 to May 5. That show is usually scheduled for Ma...Read More
RAPAPORT... De Beers has expanded its blockchain initiative into theAsian retail sector by signing up Chow Tai Fook, the largest diamond jeweler inthe region. Chow Tai Fook's participation will enable De Beers to extendthe reach of the Tracr diamond-tracking program into greater China and thewider Asian market, the companies said Wednesday. "Authenticity, provenance and traceability are increasin...Read More
(IDEX Online) - HRD Antwerp has signed a partnership with Dubai-based jewelry retailer Stargems to certify its jewelry inventory through the establishment of a diamond jewelry grading lab. The cooperation agreement will ensure the transparency and authenticity of each jewelry piece, the sides said in a statement. As a result of the collaboration, HRD Antwerp will open its first diam...Read More
(IDEX Online) - Gem Diamonds Limited has announced the recovery of high quality 101 carat and 71 carat white Type IIa diamonds. They were recovered within a 24-hour period at the Let??eng mine in Lesotho, the highest dollar per carat kimberlite diamond mine in the world, the miner said. The recovery of the 101-carat diamond brings the total recoveries at Let??eng during 2018 to a re...Read More
(IDEX Online) - The Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group is joining the Tracr?,,? end-to-end diamond industry blockchain traceability platform being developed by the De Beers Group in collaboration with key industry stakeholders. Chow Tai Fook joins a range of other leading businesses from across the diamond value chain in piloting the next generation asset-tracking platform powered by blockchain...Read More
U.S. equity index futures were higher this morning. S&P 500 futures were up 14 points in pre-opening trade. Futures responded to overnight news that the U.S and China will resume trade negotiations in early January. Investors are waiting for news from the FOMC meeting to be released at 2:00 PM EST. Consensus calls for a 0.25% increase in the Fed Fund rate to 2.50%. The Canadian Dollar added 0....Read More
Mr. Jerome Powell entered this day hung from the hooks of a mighty dilemma.Should he deliver another rate hike... or hold steady?In two opposite directions he was yanked plenty hard…His inner lights, his inner mother-in-law, urged him to hike.GDP expanded an average 3.85% the two most recent quarters, they reminded him.Unemployment - at 3.7% - plumbs depths unseen in a half-century. Wages ar...Read More