Analysis Topic: Commodity Markets - Metals, Softs & Oils

The analysis published under this topic are as follows.

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Are Gold Prices Near a Bottom? / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2013

By: Money_Morning

Diane Alter writes: It's been a tumultuous couple of months for the yellow metal, which has investors asking: Are gold prices near a bottom?

There's hope this price plunge is ending.

Year-to-date, gold is lower by 17%. But after seven trading sessions where gold prices slumped, on Monday June gold futures gained 1.4%, or $19.40, to $1,384.10. Contract prices bounced as much as 2.4% after sliding 2.1%.

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Unveiling the Gold Market’s Working Parts / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2013

By: Jan_Skoyles

Why this happened is something which is open to much analysis and theorising. For the mainstream media it was down to an improving global economy and the need to hold gold no longer existed, for those in the world of gold investment this was perhaps down to more of the politics behind the gold-market than the economics.

On April 12^th 3.4 million ounces (100 tonnes) of gold was sold in the US futures markets. This was just for starters, the main, side and dessert appeared over the following hours and the next session on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (COMEX).

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Silver Price Plunge Looks Set to Continue to $18.00 / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2013

By: Bob_Kirtley

As far as we can ascertain the demand for physical silver is alive and well with reports of people queuing to buy it while a number of suppliers, including the mints have been selling all that they could produce of the popular coins and bars. And yet the price of silver falls in the paper market which highlights the disparity between the physical and paper markets.

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Bullish on Silver, Gold and Mining Stocks / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2013

By: The_Gold_Report

Sprott Silver Equities Class Co-Manager Maria Smirnova understands the power of leverage. She has seen the big impact even a slight increase in the silver price can have on silver producers. Every cent is multiplied and goes right to the investor's bottom line, giving the equities more upside than possible in a coin. That is why Eric Sprott increased holdings of silver equities in certain Sprott funds. Smirnova discusses five of these companies in this interview with The Gold Report.

The Gold Report: Maria, in April Eric Sprott sold more than $45 million ($45M) worth of units in the Sprott Silver Physical Trust. A spokesperson told Canada'sGlobe and Mail that the sale was needed to cover charitable obligations and to buy shares in silver mining companies because Mr. Sprott believes silver equities will outperform the metal in the next rally. Can you fill in the details on that thesis?

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Asian Gold Premiums Hit New Highs as Europe Urged to Start "Agressive QE" / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2013

By: Ben_Traynor

BULLION prices rose throughout Asian and early London trade on Wednesday morning, touching $1398 per ounce for the third time this week and recovering 4.4% from Monday's one-month low.

Silver rose more steadily, and was capped below $22.80 as energy prices slipped and agricultural commodities held flat.

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

The Macro Economic Story as Told by Gold, Copper and Oil / Commodities / Global Economy

By: EconMatters

Gold’s been on a wild ride. After reaching a peak of $1,920 an ounce in September 2011, gold has tumbled 28% to the current ~$1,380 level forcing John Paulson to take a 47% loss in his gold fund during the first four months of this year, according to Bloomberg.

Unlike Paulson who maintained his positions in gold, other big players like George Soros and BlackRock cut their gold ETF holdings, while Goldman Sachs issued a sell recommendation on gold right before the yellow metal plunged 13% through April 15, the biggest drop in three decades. And by looking at the futures curve (chart below), market does not seem to expect gold to come back roaring any time soon.

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Crude Oil Price Manipulation Awakens Libor, Enron Ghosts / Commodities / Crude Oil

By: Money_Morning

Ben Gersten writes: Last July, we warned you that oil prices could potentially be manipulated in similar fashion to the London Interbank Offered Rate (Libor), and now a recent raid of major oil companies highlights this growing danger to the $3.4 trillion-a-year crude market.

The European Commission last week stormed the offices of Royal Dutch Shell PLC (NYSE ADR: RDS.A, RDS.B), BP PLC ( NYSE ADR: BP), and Statoil ASA (NYSE ADR: STO) as part of the ongoing investigation to find out whether companies are manipulating oil prices and, if so, how long it has been going on and the possible ramifications.

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Why Crude Oil Is the New "Gold Standard" / Commodities / Crude Oil

By: Money_Morning

Dr. Kent Moors writes: Something very interesting just happened at the 2013 MoneyShow in Las Vegas.

The purveyors of doom and gloom were all still hawking their services there. But the primary solution they offer - a cure-all elixir for everything that ails markets - was beginning to wear thin.

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

First-Quarter Demand for Gold Jumps 19% in China, 27% in India / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2013

By: Profit_Confidential

Michael Lombardi writes: This doesn’t make it easy to understand for investors who bought gold stocks and have now seen them go down in price…

But while the prices of gold stocks have pulled back significantly this year, demand for physical gold bullion has gone through the proverbial roof.

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Gold, Silver Prices and Mining Stocks Powerful Reversal Off Multiyear Support / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2013

By: Jeb_Handwerger

I wrote nearly a month ago that "The Worse Things Were For The Mining Sector, The Better They Will Get". This was after the first downward plunge in gold (GLD) and silver (SLV) in April due to the Goldman short.

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Mining Deep for Gold: Part II / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2013

By: Ed_Carlson

In my February 15, 2013, Mining Deep for Gold, I concluded by writing “I suspect far greater losses are in store for gold before a bottom is seen.” Since that commentary gold has lost another $250/oz. The question in the minds of many today must be ‘when will this decline end?’

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Gold Stocks Investors Its Time To Be BRAVE! / Commodities / Gold and Silver Stocks 2013

By: David_Banister

I used to half joke with some of my investing friends that the best time to buy stocks is during or right after a crash.  Think 1987, 2000-2002, 2008-09, and now perhaps Gold Miners?? Well, before we get too far ahead of ourselves, lets examine evidence of a “Crash”: I like to use crowd behavioral, empirical, and technical evidence in combination.

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Silver Price Recoups Sharp Loss, Rising on Record Volume / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2013

By: GoldCore

Today’s AM fix was USD 1,378.75, EUR 1,070.21 and GBP 908.39 per ounce.  
Yesterday’s AM fix was USD 1,353.75, EUR 1,051.95 and GBP 890.86 per ounce. 

Gold climbed $19.40 or 1.43% yesterday to $1,384.30/oz and silver finished 2% higher. 

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Gold Stocks Big Rally Forecast / Commodities / Gold and Silver Stocks 2013

By: Jordan_Roy_Byrne

1. Huge rallies begin from these conditions

Below is the NYSE Gold Miners Index which is tracked by the GDX ETF. Look at the RSI. Not only did it reach a multi-decade low but it has remained oversold far longer than during the comparable periods. In the four previous periods, the market rebounded suddenly and strongly in percentage terms. Meanwhile, the bullish percent index, a breath indicator is more oversold than in 2008. We plot the indicator with a 10-week moving average that shows it as far more oversold than in 2008. While this indicator does not go back that far, odds are it is likely at a 13-year low.

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Gold Prices Dead Cat Bounce / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2013

By: Bob_Kirtley

On Monday, May 13, 2013 we wrote that Gold Prices would Re-Test $1350/oz level and so they did, trading sub $1340/0z at one stage. Gold had fallen for 7 straight days from $1470/oz before the slide was arrested earlier today with a bounce that pushed gold up to $1391/oz.

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Resurgence of the Nuclear Reactor, The Coming Uranium Bull Market / Commodities / Uranium

By: Casey_Research

In August 1956, the Calder Hall Power Plant in Seascale, England began generating electricity and earned the distinction of being the world's first commercial nuclear power plant. It was a humble beginning for nuclear power; the plant only had a 50-megawatt (MW) output capacity, whereas the smallest US plant today has a 478 MW capacity. Nonetheless, Calder Hall represented the launch of a new era in energy that promised to bring electricity too cheap to meter.

But early on, the promising power source had its detractors. They objected to the high initial cost of constructing nuclear plants, the problems of radioactive waste disposal, and the risks of nuclear accidents and nuclear proliferation.

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Gold Market Motive, Means, and Opportunity / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2013

By: DeviantInvestor

MOTIVE: The various governments of the world and their central banks produce and distribute a product – paper currencies. Those currencies are backed by confidence, faith, and credit, but not by gold, oil, or anything real. Those currencies are digitally printed to excess, since almost all governments spend more than their revenues. The UK, Japan, and the USA are prime examples.

Monday, May 20, 2013

Silver Surges From Lows After Being Slammed 10% Lower In 4 Minutes / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2013

By: GoldCore

Today’s AM fix was USD 1,353.75, EUR 1,051.95 and GBP 890.86 per ounce.
Friday’s AM fix was USD 1,376.75, EUR 1,069.15 and GBP 903.62 per ounce.

Gold fell $22.20 on Friday to $1,364.90/oz and silver closed at $23.632.

Monday, May 20, 2013

Gold and Bank Account Balances / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2013

By: Alasdair_Macleod

There has been a growing shift in favour of assets relative to bank deposits. This was initially encouraged by zero interest rates, but more recently there is little doubt that Cyprus's bail-in has accelerated the trend. This explains the bull markets in bonds and equities, which conveniently underwrites the entire banking system. It is however too early to offer evidence of falling deposit balances held by non-banks and the general public because depositors as a whole have been remarkably complacent, but there is ample evidence that liquidity from monetary expansion is inflating financial assets faster than bank deposits.

Monday, May 20, 2013

Silver More Weakness Before Price Takes off Higher Again / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2013

By: Clive_Maund

Much of what is written about the macro factors affecting gold applies equally to silver, and will not be repeated here.

Silver's post plunge relief rally was considerably weaker and more stunted than gold's, and with it now back near to its April plunge lows after the drop last week, the chances are considered high that it will break to new lows soon. That said, its latest COTs and sentiment indicators are now strongly bullish, so that although it may well break to lower lows soon, it is thought unlikely that there will be much downside follow through before it hits bottom. We can see all this on its 9-month chart below, and how it is clinging on by its fingernails to the support at the April lows. Before leaving this chart, notice the large gap between the price and the 200-day moving average, which just by itself is a positive factor.