Analysis Topic: Commodity Markets - Metals, Softs & Oils

The analysis published under this topic are as follows.

Saturday, October 02, 2010

China Flexes It’s Rare Earth Muscles / Commodities / Metals & Mining

By: Anthony_David

The stakes of the recent dispute between China and Japan over the Japanese detention of a Chinese fishing trawler has reached a head with China blocking the export of precious rare earth metals to Japan. No official announcement has, however, been released and the Chinese Commerce Ministry has strongly denied the imposition of such an embargo. Any official ban on exports would allow Japan to complain to the World Trade Organization (WTO) but with no official Chinese statement and only the reported prevention of ships being loaded, there’s little room for Japan to react. Japan has not received any official communication about a ban either.

Friday, October 01, 2010

Where Are Crude Oil and Natural Gas Prices Heading Next? / Commodities / Crude Oil

By: Marin_Katusa

Marin Katusa, Chief Energy Strategist, Casey Research writes: Oil is heading to US$200 per barrel. This isn’t speculation but hard fact. But forewarned is forearmed, and with this price expected within the next five years, investors have plenty of time to position themselves.

We recently have been talking about tools that investors can use to navigate the economic landscape. The gold-to-oil ratio is one such tool, but another popular compass is the oil-to-natural gas ratio.

Friday, October 01, 2010

London Bullion Market Association 2010: Hyperinflation Back to the Future Part2 / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2010

By: Adrian_Ash

"Forget mining and central banks. Here's the single most important gold supply issue today..."

IT WAS TOUGH once again to meet any gold "bears" at the London Bullion Market Association's annual conference this year.

Friday, October 01, 2010

Have Central Banks lost control of the Gold Market? / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2010

By: Julian_DW_Phillips

You may be asking yourself, did the central banks ever control the gold market? Yes, indeed they did! The gold Standard was the ultimate system of control they had until it was dropped. Then President Roosevelt's Administration took control of the U.S. gold market when he confiscated all U.S. citizens held gold. Ownership of gold was only re-permitted in the early seventies. Even then the 'powers that be' declared that gold ownership was a privilege, not a right. That still holds. Few really appreciate the extent of central bank control over the gold market and gold price. We believe it is a critical aspect of the gold market and gold price, without which one cannot really understand the gold market.

Friday, October 01, 2010

Junior Gold Mining Producer Stocks / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2010

By: Zeal_LLC

Gold miners come in all shapes and sizes.  From large mega-miners to small single-mine operators, these producers each play important roles in the global gold supply chain.  Investors are most familiar with the mega-miners, an elite group of producers responsible for a large majority of overall mined supply.  But for a variety of reasons investors should not overlook the smaller fish in the pond.

Friday, October 01, 2010

Gold New U.S. Dollar High and Silver Ratio Falls to 12-Month Low / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2010

By: Adrian_Ash

THE PRICE OF GOLD rallied further from yesterday's 1.4% drop in London on Friday, recording another record-high Gold Fix at $1313 – and then rising to $1320 an ounce – as the Euro currency hit 7-month highs to the Dollar and Western stock markets rose.

Government bonds edged lower, pushing the yield offered by 10-year US Treasury debt up to 2.54%.

Friday, October 01, 2010

Gold Bulls Coming Back For More / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2010

By: Seven_Days_Ahead

Following earlier 2010 gains in Gold, the pullback in June has proved a short-lived affair, with a fresh upleg from late July having now led to new 2010, and all-time, highs. A current chart pattern calls for a degree of caution, but we must still consider higher targets.

Friday, October 01, 2010

Why the Gold Price is Rising / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2010

By: Gary_North

Around the world, investors are buying gold. They have been doing this for nine consecutive years. There was a temporary dip in gold's price from about $1000 to about $750 in 2008, but the reversal has been substantial, as we all know. This has not just been in the United States. This is not uniquely a phenomenon of the United States dollar. This is an international phenomenon, and it involves the major currencies of the world.

Friday, October 01, 2010

Agricultural Commodities, Population Growth and Black Swans / Commodities / Food Crisis

By: Richard_Mills

In 1798 32 year-old British economist Malthus anonymously published “An Essay on the Principle of Population” and in it he argued that human population’s increase geometrically (1, 2, 4, 16 etc.) while their food supply can only increase arithmetically (1, 2, 3, 4 etc.). Since food is obviously necessary for us to survive, unchecked population growth in any one area or involving the whole planet would lead to individual pockets of humanity starving or even mass worldwide starvation.

Friday, October 01, 2010

Gold Comedic Value of Naked Short Paper / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2010

By: Richard_Daughty

I tend to get all obsessed with my own problems, mostly about how I never have enough money to do any of the things I want to do because my family is draining me dry with their incessant demands, and my boss won't give me any more money because she says I am already making "a lot more than I am worth," to which she acidly adds, "which is not much to start with," which seemed kind of rudely gratuitous, if you ask me, especially when she said it with that nasty little sneer of hers, and then coming to the coda of the piece by yelling at me, "get out of my office before I have you thrown out!"

Friday, October 01, 2010

Breaking News: The US Mint Announces 33% Silver American Eagle Price Rise / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2010

By: Tarek_Saab

BREAKING NEWS: The United States Mint has officially raised their wholesale pricing above spot on American Silver Eagles to all authorized dealers from $1.50 to $2.00, an increase of a whopping 33%. This news comes on the heels of a significant silver spot price rally over the last month to a new thirty year record over $22 per ounce. The impact of this news is significant and has already affected dealer pricing across the country within hours, as prices on Silver American Eagles have jumped over $0.50/oz industry wide.

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Welcome to the Gold Mania / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2010

By: Jeff_Clark

Jeff Clark, Senior Editor, Casey's Gold & Resource Report writes: With gold punching the $1,300 mark, thoughts of what a gold mania will be like crossed my mind. If we're right about the future of precious metals, a gold rush of historic proportions lies ahead of us. Have you thought about how a mania might affect you? Not like this, you haven't…

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Gold's Bullish Technicals Still Intact / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2010

By: Mike_Paulenoff

So far today, the weakness in the SPDR Gold Shares (NYSE: GLD) has not inflicted significant technical damage to the Aug-Sept uptrend. To do that, the GLD must break back beneath today's low at 126.61-- and follow through to violate the prior significant pivot low at 125.58.

Thursday, September 30, 2010

London Bullion Market Association 2010: Hyperinflation Back to the Future / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2010

By: Adrian_Ash

"Haven't we seen this before, in 1923...?"

The BIG MONEY flows from the biggest trends, of course. But even the brightest people, and with the best of intentions, can struggle to see today what hindsight will say you could have banked on.

Thursday, September 30, 2010

The Meaning of Gold in the News / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2010

By: Robert_Murphy

In the last week there have been several interesting developments involving gold. The price of the yellow metal set a new record, breaking through the $1,300 barrier. Meanwhile, a German firm is preparing to install gold vending machines in the United States. The German firm won't be stocking the machines with gold purchased from European central banks, however, because they have halted a decade-long policy of gold sales.

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Net Asset Value of Certain Precious Metal Trusts and Funds / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2010

By: Jesse

I am finding this contraction in the premiums of the gold-only trusts GTU and PHYS to be extremely interesting. Both followed an expansion of the fund's units and large sales of overallocations to the underwriters, providing liquidity not only to expand the trust but also to game the shares.

This expansion facilitates an arbitrage on the premium in which one sells the trust and buys GLD for example. And the holding of units by the underwriters assures a ready supply of shares for shorting, if one assumes that the big punters even bother with the nicety of borrowing shares.

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Gold Metal-ing In Emerging Markets / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2010

By: Jim_Farrish

Is it just me or does it seem like every other headline is focused on gold. The rise to $1308 has received top billing and plenty of speculation from analysts on how high it will rise. Silver has joined the party climbing more than 20% over the last five weeks. The base metals are equally impressive relative to gains as the commodities renew their push higher.

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Gold Hits New Highs for U.S., Indian and Chinese Investors as QEII Gains "Forceful Advocate" / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2010

By: Adrian_Ash

THE PRICE OF WHOLESALE gold bullion touched yet another all-time high against the Dollar in London on Thursday, breaking $1315 an ounce as the US currency slid once more on the forex market before easing back.

Investors buying gold today in India and China, the world's two top demand nations, also saw it breach new record highs, as did Canadian buyers.

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Gold New Record Highs as Silver Plays Catch Up, Challenges Long Term Resistance / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2010

By: GoldCore

Gold has rallied to new record highs in early New York trading again today due to continuing nervousness in markets and much uncertainty about the economic outlook for the coming months. Equity markets are mixed, oil is back over $78 a barrel but most importantly the dollar continues to fall in value against most currencies and especially gold.

Thursday, September 30, 2010

How to Profit From the Metal That’s More Precious Than Gold / Commodities / Platinum

By: Money_Morning

Martin Hutchinson writes: Gold set another new record yesterday (Wednesday), closing above $1,300 an ounce for the second-straight day. The London Bullion Market Association - at its annual conference this week - projected that the "yellow metal" would advance to $1,450 in the next year.