Analysis Topic: Commodity Markets - Metals, Softs & Oils
The analysis published under this topic are as follows.Wednesday, January 04, 2012
Weak U.S. Dollar and Physical Demand Could Support Gold Price / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2012
THE SPOT MARKET gold price ticked down to below $1600 an ounce Wednesday morning – having earlier touched its highest level since before Christmas at $1612 – while stock and commodity markets also edged lower as the US Dollar looked to have ended its recent spell of weakness.
The previous day saw the gold price gain over 2.5% in thin trade, with the Dollar falling against other major currencies on Tuesday – before easing as Asian markets reopened.
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Wednesday, January 04, 2012
Iran's Threat to Global Oil Market Means USO ETF Profits / Commodities / Crude Oil
Jack Barnes writes: Iran kicked off the New Year with aggressive messages for the Western world, setting the stage for heightened political tensions and a huge oil price push in 2012.
Oil futures finished at their highest level in eight months yesterday (Tuesday), with West Texas Intermediate crude jumping 4.2% to settle at $102.96 a barrel on the on the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX).
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Wednesday, January 04, 2012
Gold Going to $3,000 - $10,000 in 2012! Here’s Why / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2012
Back in 2009 I began keeping track of those financial analysts, economists, academics and commentators who were of the opinion that it was just a matter of time before gold reached a parabolic peak price well in excess of the prevailing price. As time passed the list grew dramatically and at last count numbered 140 such individuals who have gone on record as saying that gold will go to at least $3,000 – and as high as $20,000 - before the gold bubble finally pops. Of more immediate interest, however, is that 8 of those individuals believe gold will reach its parabolic peak price in the next 12 months - even as early as February, 2012. This article identifies those 8 and outlines their rationale for reaching their individual price expectations.
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Wednesday, January 04, 2012
Case for Sustained $100 Crude Oil / Commodities / Crude Oil
In 2011, oil was one of the top performing commodities among those we track, with Brent rising more than 13 percent. Geopolitical risk and unexpected non-OPEC supply losses caused oil to rise significantly in early 2011. By October, we saw the black gold sink to a low of $96 per barrel before rising to its current level of nearly $108 a barrel.
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Wednesday, January 04, 2012
Gold and Silver Surge in First Trading Session of 2012 / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2012
The new year started off with a bang in the financial markets. Although many investors were cheerful of the big rally in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, precious metals out-shined the competition.
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Wednesday, January 04, 2012
New Rare Earth Metal Deposits in 2012 / Commodities / Metals & Mining
China's tight grip on rare earth elements supply may loosen as other deposits around the world come to fruition in 2012. In this exclusive interview with The Critical Metals Report, Jon Hykawy, head of global research with investment bank Byron Capital Markets, discusses the supply and demand fundamentals that are driving his predictions for the New Year.
The Critical Metals Report: Many analysts, including you, expected a shortage of heavy rare earths (HREES), especially dysprosium, in the medium term. You no longer believe that's true. What changed your outlook?
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Tuesday, January 03, 2012
Global Economic Stagnation Threat to Gold's Bull Market / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2012
WHOLESALE MARKET prices to buy gold rose Tuesday morning as dealers in London – heart of the world's professional bullion trade – returned from the New Year's holiday.
Gold recovered almost all of last week's 5% drop before edging back to $1592 per ounce – a price first reached in July 2011, when investment demand to buy gold jumped amid the worsening Eurozone debt crisis and a looming downgrade to the United States' credit rating.
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Tuesday, January 03, 2012
The Impetus for Gold Mania Phase / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2012
For gold to rise to levels significantly higher than the recent high of $1920, a new impetus is needed. Without additional energy from such an impetus, gold could just trade sideways for a very long time, or even fall further. See the following chart (from barchart.com):Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, January 03, 2012
Gold and Silver Major Bottom / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2012
Several Wall Street firms have recently published their gold price forecasts for 2012. Goldman Sachs predicts the price of gold will peak at $1,900 per ounce and average $1,810 per ounce in the coming year. Goldman attributes its bullish gold price outlook to further net buying by central banks and strong physical demand from investors, the ongoing negative real interest rate environment in the U.S., and continued European sovereign debt and global recessionary concerns.
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Tuesday, January 03, 2012
Crude Oil Prices, The Coming Event Horizon / Commodities / Crude Oil
In a UK 'Guardian' interview, 10 November 2011, the IEA's chief economist Fatih Birol once again outlined how radically the IEA sees the oil price outlook. He said: "If fossil fuel (energy) infrastructure is not rapidly changed, the world will lose for ever the chance to avoid dangerous climate change", but more to the point he provided the IEA's estimate of what oil price rises in 2010-2011 had done for the OECD group of countries, saying annual oil import costs had risen by 30% to about $790 billion from around $625 billion in 2010.
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Tuesday, January 03, 2012
Crude Oil Supply 2012, Should We Be Worried About Iran? / Commodities / Crude Oil
David Zeiler writes: If the Iranian government makes good on its recent threats to stop oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, oil prices would shoot up $20 to $30 a barrel within hours and the price of gasoline in the United States would rise by $1 a gallon.
Such a steep spike in crude oil prices would plunge the United States and Europe back into recession, said Money Morning Global Energy Strategist Dr. Kent Moors.
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Tuesday, January 03, 2012
Gold 2012 Contracting Fibonacci Spiral / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2012
On holidays this week has definitely been interesting. The new term for investing in today's market should be coined “Volatility Investing”. Since most trading is done by computers with complex algorithms that when their stops are hit, cause mass liquidation. For this reason, everyone should know that the expected move expected in 2012 is going to be finite in price and time, not “To Infinity and Beyond”. When I first made the observation that the markets were following a Contracting Fibonacci Spiral, my first thoughts were that something must be overlooked in my mind. Further thinking on this topic over the past six months just makes one realize the entire Universe runs on mathematical principles at many levels and under different conditions...the collective human psyche is just another example.
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Tuesday, January 03, 2012
As Goes Steel… / Commodities / Steel Sector
Falling iron ore prices had reached their lowest point over 22 months in late October. Since then, prices have been rising and they reached $147.60 per tonne—a rise of 26%—over the last few weeks. However, market observers are not celebrating yet; in fact they have cautioned investors that steel demand is still subdued so the rising iron prices could be a reflection of purchases made by metal traders and not steel making companies.
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Tuesday, January 03, 2012
2012: A Year of Transition for Strategic Metals / Commodities / Metals & Mining
China announced its rare earth export quota for 2012 on December 27. The initial quantity has been reduced by 27% in comparison to 2011 but the whole year’s quota is slated to remain almost unchanged from 2011 levels. Officials have launched a new system whereby the export quota would be split among the different types of rare earths—such a move is expected to better match supply and demand. China has, for the first time, split its export quota into light and medium-to-heavy categories. Mining companies that cannot meet the environmental standards of the government would be excluded from the quota.
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Tuesday, January 03, 2012
Gold GLD ETF Incredible Chart / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2012
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, one needs look no further than the chart below for that.
It’s a great example in the event that the market tops out and how to protect oneself and more importantly how to profit from that should it occur.
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Tuesday, January 03, 2012
Criminals Determine Gold's Future in 2012 / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2012
According to faulty interpretations of Mayan calendars, 2012 is supposed to bring with it the demise of humanity. Fortunately for us, this apocalyptic myth, like so many, is based on a superficial interpretation of the Mayan calendar. Like many stories based on a lie, this one nonetheless gains traction in the popular imagination thanks to our fascination with anything apocalyptic.
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Monday, January 02, 2012
Gold Bull Market Corrections / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2012
Here is an excellent review of the corrections in this gold bull market by my friend Brian at ContraryInvestor.com.
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Sunday, January 01, 2012
There Will Be Oil - Versus - Peak Oil Now / Commodities / Crude Oil
Claiming there is an oil limit on the economy and why peak oil is inevitable is usually talked down by saying its an unsure theory at best, and controversial, fear mongering or defeatist at worst. The totally simple numbers which prove it are however not Einstein-type mathematics and are not impossible to understand - - only by the badly intentioned or plain stupid.
We can start with the average oil consumption of OECD countries of about 14.4 barrels/capita/year, and try extending that to China and India. Presently they consume about 3 barrels per head in China and less than 2 barrels per head in India with recent growth rates as high as 6% per year.
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Sunday, January 01, 2012
Calling the Bottom in Gold and Silver, Forecast 2012 / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2012
Now that my subscribers and I are fully into bullish positions in the precious metals sector, I hope they won't mind me telling you that I called for the bottom in Gold stocks on Thursday morning (12/29). I believe the bottom is in for silver, Gold and their respective stocks, although the metals may need a re-test of the bottom while I think Gold or silver stocks (as sectors) will only make higher lows on any corrective action.
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Sunday, January 01, 2012
How Did Gold and Silver Perform in 2011? / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2011
On Friday, gold (NYSEARCA:GLD) prices managed to climb $25.90 higher, breaking its six-day losing streak. Although gold has been in a slump during the final months of the year, gold continued its 11-year winning streak. Gold prices finished 2011 at $1,566.80, representing a 9.3 percent annual increase.
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