Analysis Topic: Commodity Markets - Metals, Softs & Oils

The analysis published under this topic are as follows.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Gold and Silver Market Manipulation? / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2012

By: Casey_Research

Doug Casey, Casey Research writes: For many years now, a meme has been floating around that the prices of gold and silver are being manipulated, which is to say suppressed, by various powers of darkness. This is not an unreasonable assertion. After all, the last thing the monetary powers-that-be want is to see is the price of gold skyrocketing. That would serve as an alarm bell, possibly panicking people all over the world, telling them to get out of the dollar. It's assumed, by those who believe in the theory, that the US Treasury is behind the suppression scheme, in complicity with a half-dozen or so large bullion banks that regularly trade in the metals.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Cycle Low Approaching for Gold / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2012

By: Mike_Paulenoff

Looking at the big picture for spot gold, we see that the next cycle low is due in about 4 weeks. In other words, the current cycle that started at the end of December is about 85% complete.

That means that the strength off of yesterday's low at $1526.98 not only represented a deep retest of the December 29 low at $1522.48, it likely also satisfies the first coordinate in the next cycle bottoming period ahead of a new up-leg in the larger over-riding bull market in gold.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Jump in Gold as France Refutes EU Pact / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2012

By: Adrian_Ash

THE WHOLESALE MARKET gold price jumped at the start of New York trade on Thursday, cutting the week's previous 3.3% dive to 5-month lows in half as the Euro fell and Eurozone stock markets slumped once again.

The gold price touched $1558 per ounce before easing $3 lower. Silver did not follow, failing to break this morning's earlier Dollar high at $27.86 per ounce.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

What are Hedge Funds Doing With Gold? / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2012

By: Eric_McWhinnie

At the end of 2011, gold prices finished almost 20 percent below their all-time nominal highs made in September. European concerns and liquidation actions sent investors running towards the U.S. dollar for safety. Sound familiar? While many believed the decade long bull market in precious metals came to an end, several well-known hedge funds saw the pullback as a buying opportunity.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Gold, I Forget What You Did Last Summer / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2012

By: Adrian_Ash

Gold just gave back the last of its big surge from summer 2011's big crisis...

SO THE PRICE of gold keeps falling, and it keeps falling despite the imminent failure of Greece's Euro membership, the looming collapse of Europe's banking system, and the fast-looming debt-ceiling repeat and fiscal cliff in the US.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Greece, Please Go Bankrupt, As Soon As Possible! / Commodities / Agricultural Commodities

By: Ned_W_Schmidt

We have a request for the politicians in Greece. Please go bankrupt, as soon as possible! Let us have the pain done with. To the Euro zone: Throw them out. The world needs a good example of just how bad Keynesian induced poverty can be. The Western economies would probably be better off with the citizens of Greece living in absolute poverty as a clear example of how not to do it. Keynesian socialists will not save the pensions of the Greeks. They will insure that they end. Get it over with, so investors can move on to more important matters.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

What Will Happen to Greece and Gold? / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2012

By: Julian_DW_Phillips

What Greek Elections Now Mean

Greece cannot form a government so expect elections within a month. We have come to the point where the bad news is out -the markets are telling us that Greece will likely leave the Eurozone and possibly the euro as their 10-year debt continues to trade at 27%. They may not pay out €436 million to creditors and keep it, fearing they will not get the next bailout tranche. Reneging on the obligation also would constitute a default triggering derivatives contracts and clauses requiring the settlement of other un-swapped bonds. Meantime the country has no government to make the choice. The country may run out of money by early July. The standoff has reignited concern that Greece will renege on pledges to cut spending as required by the terms of its two bailouts negotiated since May 2010

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Natural Gas Bear Market Will End But Not All Players Will Survive / Commodities / Natural Gas

By: Roger_Conrad

North American natural gas currently sells for half its five-year average price on the near-term New York Mercantile Exchange futures contract.

And that’s after a rally the past two weeks from a low point of just USD1.90 per million British thermal units, reached Apr. 19.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Liquidation of "Crowded" Gold Trade Pauses But "Clean-Out of Weak Hands Necessary" / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2012

By: Adrian_Ash

BENCHMARK prices to buy gold for London settlement rallied more than $10 an ounce off new five-month lows beneath $1528 on Wednesday morning, bouncing as the Euro, world stock markets and commodity prices also paused this month's sharp liquidation.

Spanish and Italian bond yields also eased back but remaind over 6% after Spain's prime minister Mariano Rajoy told the parliament in Madrid there is "a serious risk that the markets won't lend to us or lend only at astronomical prices."

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Buy Britain’s Gold Back / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2012

By: Jan_Skoyles

Great Britain was once the proud leader of the Classical Gold Standard. A global commercial and economic power, she operated on the gold standard from 1717.

The Standard allowed the free movement of capital which in turn financed and expanded trade. Twenty per-cent of the growth in global trade seen between 1880 and 1910 can be attributed to the stability of the gold standard.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Brent-NYMEX Crude Oil Spread Widening / Commodities / Crude Oil

By: Mike_Paulenoff

During the month of May so far, Brent crude oil futures have declined from $128.40 to $110.93 (-$17.47), or nearly 14%, while NYMEX Oil has declined from $106.49 to $93.65 (-$12.84), or about 22%. This has resulted in a widening of the Brent-NYMEX differential from $13 to nearly $18.

Judging from both the recent up-leg pattern of the differential and the powerful position of its near-vertical momentum gauge, the Brent (British North Sea oil)-NYMEX (U.S. oil) spread should continue to widen towards a retest of its year-long resistance line, now at $19.95.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Silver and Gold Daily Bulletin/COT Review for period 4-26 to 5/8/2012 / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2012

By: Marshall_Swing

I must first apologize to my readers for this report being so late this week as the JP Morgan debacle has garnered my full attention.

Silver plummeted $-1.471 this past reporting period and gold drove $57.90 into the ground but do you know how they got there?

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Political and Economic Factors Bode Well for Gold / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2012

By: Przemyslaw_Radomski

So far, 10 European political leaders out of 17 have been ousted out of office like a falling dominos in a little more than a year.

The issue that has angered voters other than unemployment is austerity. We know from personal finances that when we overspend, we must cut back, pay our debts and rebuild our savings. That's the prudent thing to do and that's what the austerity school preaches. But what happens if the financial hole is so deep that there is no way to climb out by reasonable cutting back and saving? That's when you declare bankruptcy and your creditors share the pain. The laws of capitalism decree that if you don't assess risk correctly, you lose money. The conclusion is that austerity has to come with a mechanism for default, which is not the case in Europe.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Gold Targets Drop to $1522 / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2012

By: Ben_Traynor

WHOLESALE MARKET gold bullion prices dipped below $1550 an ounce for the first time since December on Tuesday – a fall of 7% since the start of this month – before regaining some ground by lunchtime in London.

"The bear channel support had been at $1581," say technical analysts at Scotia Mocatta, the bullion banking division of Bank of Nova Scotia.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Special Report: How to Buy Silver / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2012

By: Money_Morning

Larry D. Spears writes: In late December, silver dipped to a 12-month low near $26 an ounce, and traders who responded to the barrage of "buy" recommendations were quickly rewarded as the metal soared to a high of $37.18 just two months later.

Today, silver has pulled back below $29 an ounce, giving investors another chance to establish a position before the metal makes its next move higher.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Bundesbank Confirms German Gold Held By US, UK and French Central Banks / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2012

By: GoldCore

Gold’s London AM fix this morning was USD 1,559.00, EUR 1,213.61 and GBP 969.95 per ounce. Yesterday's AM fix was USD 1,563.00, EUR 1,213.79 and GBP 972.62 per ounce.

Gold fell $22.70 to close at $1,558.60/oz in New York yesterday. Gold edged up in early Asian trading to $1,560/oz prior to renewed selling that saw the price fall and gold briefly pierced below support at $1,550/oz prior to a slight bounce higher in early European trading.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

A Contrarian's Guide to Volatile Precious Metals Markets / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2012

By: The_Gold_Report

Trotting the globe in his unrelenting quest for investing opportunities, Bob Moriarty had just completed a 21,000-mile travel-a-thon when he picked up the phone for this exclusive interview with The Gold Report. He liked a lot of what he saw, found plenty of bargains along the way and is willing to name names. Ever the contrarian, he is picking up stocks when everyone else is dumping them; he plans to cash in when the mass of sellers morphs into a mass of buyers and drives prices up.

The Gold Report: We're hearing many people these days warning that it's not a good time for investing in junior mining stocks. The TSX Venture Exchange has been experiencing some of its lowest volumes in six to nine months. What do you believe investors should do this summer?

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

The Death of Greece, Impact on Crude Oil Price / Commodities / Crude Oil

By: Money_Morning

As the Eurozone continues to show weakness, events yesterday in Athens may accelerate the situation. The downward movement in oil prices this morning in both London and on the NYMEX testifies to the rising concern.

The aftermath of the Greek elections propelled the new radical left party SYRIZA into the limelight as the second strongest party in the country. Given the adamant refusal by SYRIZA leadership to accept bailout reforms, the party's new brokering position means the crisis will continue.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Climbing U.S. Dollar's Potential Impact on Commodities / Commodities / CRB Index

By: Mike_Paulenoff

The most salient feature of our comparison chart between the U.S. Dollar Index (DXY) and the Reuters/Jefferies CRB Commodities Index (CRB) is the recent climb in the DXY off of its May 1 low at 78.60 towards another test of a 2-year resistance plateau at 81.40/80.

If this plateau is hurdled, the DXY has the potential to trigger a very powerful advance into the 86 area initially and then towards 89-90. Such a powerful advance in the U.S. dollar could crush the commodity complex (CRB), which already is showing signs of stress as it breaks beneath its prior two significant pivot lows in the vicinity of 292-293 and is pointing next to 275-272.

Monday, May 14, 2012

Gold Bull Market "Not Over" But Speculators Turn Bearish as Greek Insolvency Looms / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2012

By: Adrian_Ash

THE PRICE OF GOLD and gold futures dropped yet again Monday morning, recording the seventh drop in nine trading days in May so far as industrial commodities, global stock markets and the Euro currency all sank amid Athens' failure to negotiate a new coalition government.

Silver bullion also fell hard, touching $28.44 per ounce and losing 8.9% from the start of this month.