Analysis Topic: Commodity Markets - Metals, Softs & Oils
The analysis published under this topic are as follows.Saturday, April 21, 2012
China Economy Dragging Commodities Lower / Commodities / Commodities Trading
Commodities have been sinking like stones since late February, an unusual divergence from the rallying stock markets. This relentless weakness has wreaked havoc on commodities sentiment, leading traders to abandon commodities stocks. As we all try to make sense of this surreal bloodbath, one catalyst keeps coming up. Western perceptions of the Chinese economy have been a real drag on commodities.
China is indeed one of the major drivers of this past decade’s secular commodities bulls. As the world’s most-populous country, it has over 1.3b people who collectively consume vast amounts of resources. China sports the fastest-growing major economy on the planet, which has recently catapulted it to become the world’s second largest after the US. China is also the second-largest importer on Earth.
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Saturday, April 21, 2012
Silver Price Seen Over $40/oz in 2012 – Store of Value Remains Undervalued / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2012
Gold’s London AM fix this morning was USD 1,640.00, EUR 1,246.30, and GBP 1,018.25 per ounce.
Yesterday's AM fix was USD 1,642.00, EUR 1,249.91 and GBP 1,022.73 per ounce.
Friday, April 20, 2012
Inflation and Hidden Gold Taxation Historical Case Studies / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2012
The number one reason investors buy gold is to protect against the government policies that create inflation. However, the government has "rigged the game" in such a way that the higher the rate of inflation, the more of a gold investor's net worth ends up with the government instead of the investor.
An examination of three historical case studies of long-term gold investment during a time of substantial inflation shows how under existing law and tax rates, the US federal government used the 1-2 combination of inflation and taxes to not only take all gold investor profits, but to confiscate part of the investors' starting net worth as well. These three real world analyses explore gold acting as a perfect inflation hedge, gold experiencing asset inflation, and gold experiencing asset deflation.
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Friday, April 20, 2012
How to Profit from the Bakken Crude Oil Shale Boom / Commodities / Crude Oil
David Zeiler writes: Did you ever wish you'd been around for the California gold rush of 1849? Or the Texas oil boom of the early 1900s?
Maybe you can't go back in time, but you don't have to.
The Bakken oil shale boom going on in North Dakota right now is just as big-if not bigger.
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Friday, April 20, 2012
COMEX Reduces Silver Margins Yet Again / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2012
After raising margin requirements for silver futures contracts eight times last year, the CME Group has decided to lower margins yet again, after having last lowered them on February 13th.
Last year’s margin requirement hikes increased the cost of holding silver futures positions by 80 percent and was one of the key factors contributing to silver’s sharp decline last May.
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Friday, April 20, 2012
A Return to the Gold Standard, or Gold Behind Currencies / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2012
This is the fourth part of a five part series on how gold will return to the monetary system globally but not in the form of the defunct Gold Standard.
"Dirty Float"
Today we have a set of circumstances that are totally different to those times. All currencies are in a "dirty float" that sees exchange rates moving relatively freely, being the subject of market forces, including manipulation by their own governments. The days of revaluation and devaluation are things of the past. So no amount of systemic change will see the re-imposition of fixed exchange rates. Any new monetary system or adjustment to the present system will have to accept this reality.
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Friday, April 20, 2012
Gold Miners, Buying Gold at Discount / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2012
China has been trying to diversify her foreign exchange reserves for some time. We are all familiar with the figures released by the likes of the World Gold Council about Chinese gold investment demand, as well as statistics showing official gold imports through Hong Kong into the Chinese mainland. Chinese reserves contain only 2% gold, compared to nearly 10% for India and Russia, and figures in the 70th percentile for developed nations such as the USA and Germany.
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Thursday, April 19, 2012
Gold Still a Long Term Hedge and Less Volatile than Equities / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2012
Gold’s London AM fix this morning was USD 1,642.00, EUR 1,249.91, and GBP 1,022.73 per ounce. Friday's AM fix was USD 1,646.50, EUR 1,258.41and GBP 1,030.80 per ounce.
Silver is trading at $31.57/oz, €24.06/oz and £19.69/oz. Platinum is trading at $1,582.50/oz, palladium at $657.20/oz and rhodium at $1,350/oz.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Generational Low for Natural Gas / Commodities / Natural Gas
Natural gas is in the midst of the establishment of a generational low, when everything appears extremely bleak fundamentally. This is a classic commodity capitulation period. From my perspective, the extended falling wedge type pattern once again is in a position to do serious damage to the well-entrenched shorts -- that is, if the price structure finds a way to hurdle 2.015-2.030 . . . 6.60 in the ProShares Ultra DJ-UBS Natural Gas (BOIL).
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Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Gold/Platinum Ratio Suggests Much Higher Gold Prices Are Coming Soon / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2012
There is an interesting pattern developing on the Gold/Platinum Ratio. This pattern is similar to a previous pattern on the silver chart. Below, is a graphic which features the Gold/Platinum Ratio chart (top) as well as the silver chart (bottom) (charts courtesy of stockcharts.com):Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Gold Silver and Bear Raid Breaks Momentum / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2012
The paper money munchkins and metal bears are making their stand for gold at $1650 and silver at 32. That seems fairly obvious. They will hold it until they cannot, and then will fall back to defend a slightly higher price level. I like to think of it in American football terms. The bulls are going for a first down, and the bears are trying to hold them back.
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Wednesday, April 18, 2012
"Waning Enthusiasm" for Gold and Silver as Prices Drift Lower / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2012
SPOT MARKET gold bullion prices drifted lower in Wednesday morning's London trading, hitting $1640 an ounce ahead of US trading – a 1.1% fall on the week so far – while stock markets also fell and commodities were broadly flat.
Silver bullion fell as low as $31.52 per ounce – broadly in line with where it started the week.
UK government bond prices dipped – while German bunds gained as Eurozone concerns continued to focus on Spain.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Central Banks Favour Gold as IMF Warns of “Collapse of Euro” and “Full Blown Financial Markets Panic” / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2012
Gold’s London AM fix this morning was USD 1,646.50, EUR 1,258.41, and GBP 1,030.80 per ounce. Friday's AM fix was USD 1,652.00, EUR 1,255.51 and GBP 1,035.54 per ounce.
Silver is trading at $31.61/oz, €24.16/oz and £19.78/oz. Platinum is trading at $1,577.25/oz, palladium at $656.90/oz and rhodium at $1,350/oz.
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Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Gold and Silver Price Manipulation and How They Do It / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2012
Marshall Swing writes: This article is about what I call classic gold and silver manipulation by the commercial banks.
I list steps in the commercial process that ends in commercial positions profiting and speculator positions with losses or no gains:
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Wednesday, April 18, 2012
WTO Suit Won't End China's Rare Earth Monopoly / Commodities / Metals & Mining
Washington misses the point about rare earth element supply, says Jeffery Green, founder of J.A. Green & Co. With the Departments of Energy, United States Trade Representative and Department of Defense each approaching China's near monopoly from different angles and Congress more divided than ever, it takes an expert like Green to illuminate the structure of this complex global market. In this exclusive interview with The Critical Metals Report, Green explains the fragmented policy developments in this space and pending WTO action, arguing that the U.S. needs to develop a domestic supply chain in order to remain competitive.
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Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Domestic Crude Oil Production Is Bullish for Americans / Commodities / Oil Companies
For Morgan Stanley Analyst Evan Calio, a challenge is really an opportunity, at least when it comes to finding discounted equities in the oil and gas space. In this exclusive interview with The Energy Report, he explains why the distribution bottleneck that is causing a historically wide price differential between WTI and Brent is actually an opportunity for refiners and Americans everywhere.
The Energy Report: Oil and gas controversies are all over the news these days. Evan, what is your take on the space?
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Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Gold and Silver Bull Market Progress Report / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2012
As the following chart (courtesy Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis) reveals, Central Bank easing continues 'to the sky.'
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Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Gold Fear vs Love / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2012
Why do people choose to own gold?
As I see it, there are two reasons for owning gold: one out of love, the other out of fear.
When looking at gold investment we see similar parallels drawn between past and present, East and West. The difference is, in the words of James Turk, ‘What money is and what money has become.’
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Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Big Opportunity in Big Oil: Total (NYSE: TOT) / Commodities / Oil Companies
On March 25, France-based Total announced that it had detected a natural gas leak at its Elgin Platform in the UK portion of the North Sea, about 240 kilometers (150 miles) from the Scottish coast near Aberdeen. The company shut in the wells surrounding the platform and evacuated all personnel safely with no reported injuries. Total also set up a 2-mile safety perimeter around the field to protect passing boat traffic from danger.Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Gold Bearish Trend Remains, Silver sees Comex Warehouse Stocks Surge to 10-Year Highs / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2012
SPOT MARKET gold prices were hovering just above $1650 an ounce ahead of Tuesday's US trading – in line with where they have spent most of the last month – while stock markets in Europe ticked higher following Spain's successful auction of short-term Treasury bills.
"Gold remains in a bearish trend so long as it stays below $1697, which was the most recent top on March 27," say technical analysts at bullion bank Scotia Mocatta.
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