Analysis Topic: Commodity Markets - Metals, Softs & Oils

The analysis published under this topic are as follows.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

What's Up with Gold Mining Stocks? / Commodities / Gold & Silver Stocks

By: Ron_Hera

Claims that the gold bull market has ended are incorrect. One of the main causes of recently lower precious metals prices is the fact that the U.S. dollar has strengthened against the Euro. Since the U.S. dollar is the world reserve currency, a stronger dollar lowers the U.S. dollar prices of global commodities. Also, financial flights to safety, e.g., out of the Euro or European sovereign bonds, temporarily increase demand for U.S. dollars and U.S. Treasuries, strengthening the U.S. dollar against other currencies and lowering U.S. Treasury yields.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Gold Flat in Thin Holiday Trade as Euro Stocks Rally / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2011

By: Adrian_Ash

THE PRICE OF spot gold bullion was little changed Thursday morning in London, easing back from $1610 per ounce after yesterday's sharp spike and pullback in what dealers again called "thin" trade ahead of Christmas.

European stock markets reversed Wednesday's drop to trade near two-week highs.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

What Are ECB Actions and Utility Stocks Saying About Gold? / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2011

By: Eric_McWhinnie

Despite calls for the death of the gold bull market, the precious metal managed to climb $21 higher on Tuesday to settle above the $1,600 psychological level. The U.S. dollar declined as the euro sustained a move above $1.30. While many expect today’s European Central Bank loan offering to add some form of stability to the euro zone, investors are still remaining cautious.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Gold, Silver and Dollar on the Verge of a Big Move / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2011

By: Chris_Vermeulen

The past few months have been tough for those holding precious metals stocks, PM futures contracts or physical bullion. With silver is trading down 41%, precious metals stocks down 30% and gold 15%. It has people scratching their head.

The question everyone keeps asking is when can I buy gold and silver?

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Paper and Physical Gold Price Divergence, COMEX On The March To Irrelevance / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2011

By: Jim_Willie_CB

Divergence between paper gold and physical gold price is happening, the process begun. Actual physical shortages have kept the price up. The naked shorting of futures has kept the paper price down. The fraud cases and lawsuits, with no hint of prosecution, provide the levered force to create much wider divergence, as traders and entire firms depart the tainted crime scene that is the COMEX. Trust has vanished along with private accounts. At the center of the backdrop for the divergence, apart from the criminal events, is the economic deterioration and asset market downdraft. It leads to margin calls, loan payment obligations, fading investor confidence, negative sentiment, and a desire to avoid loss. Hence the huge liquidity concerns, selling of good assets that command a strong price, and central bank encouragement of gold sales even with lease. These forces conspire to push down the gold futures price from the discovery process, called the paper gold price. These forces, although real, are exaggerated by the Syndicate to explain all. On the other side is the desperation among central bankers to cover debt securities up for sale or rollover funding. They resort to utter hyper inflation by monetizing the many types of government bonds. They are obligated to aid their banker cohorts, and thus purchase truckloads of badly impaired sovereign bonds and other collateralized bonds. Over time these sovereign bonds have proved toxic.

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Gold "Does Not Offer Comfort in Liquidity Crunch", European Banks "Could Not Refuse" ECB's "Free Money" Offer / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2011

By: Ben_Traynor

U.S. DOLLAR gold bullion prices dropped to $1609 an ounce Wednesday lunchtime in London – 1.9% down from the high for the week so far, set less than three hours earlier.

Stocks and commodities also traded lower following an announcement by the European Central Bank about its latest liquidity operation.

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Gold Outlook 2012 – Positive Fundamentals Remain and Crucial Diversification / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2012

By: GoldCore

• Introduction – Gold in 2011
• Money Creating Central Banks May Push Gold to New Nominal Record in 2012 
• Central Banks Will Continue To Be Net Buyers of Gold
• China Foreign Exchange Diversification Should Support Demand

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Russian Oil Rig Disaster Reveals Growing Problem in Supply Access / Commodities / Crude Oil

By: Money_Morning

Dr. Kent Moors writes: Earlier this week, an oil platform sank off the Russian Pacific coast in frigid, stormy waters.

The Kolskaya had been stationed off far northeastern Russia, and capsized when engineers were moving the jack-up rig from ongoing drilling projects in the Sea of Okhotsk to the western coast of Sakhalin Island. Accounts from the 14 survivors mention waves in excess of 20 feet.

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Where Have All the Gold Bulls Gone? / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2011

By: Jason_Hamlin

Another correction has fallen upon precious metals and sentiment has turned extremely bearish in the past month. Mark Hulbert has reported that gold bugs are throwing in the towel, with his Hulbert Gold Newsletter Sentiment Index (HGNSI) hitting a record low of just 0.3%. This reading means that the average gold timer is essentially keeping all of his gold-oriented portfolio out of the market.

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

How to Profit from Peak Oil, Investor Opportunities of a Lifetime / Commodities / Oil Companies

By: The_Energy_Report

With resource stocks extraordinarily cheap, 321energy.com Founder Bob Moriarty calls them "an opportunity of a lifetime," in this exclusive interview with The Energy Report. However, investors need to steer clear of the dangers of derivatives. Moriarty explains how the hypothecation hobgoblins associated with these instruments can sneak up on investors and zero out accounts in a flash.

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Investing vs. Speculating in Gold and Silver Stocks / Commodities / Gold & Silver Stocks

By: Jordan_Roy_Byrne

One thing that is intriguing about the precious metals sector is the vast composition of the companies in the sector. The entire equity sector can be divided in so many forms and ways. We can divide the gold and silver stocks, the producers and non producers, the explorers and the developers, the royalty companies and non-royalty companies as well as those making money and those not making money. To make money in this sector one really needs to have a plan and know what they are doing. Specifically, one needs to define an investment and a speculation.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Gold, Are You Tempted to Sell, or Eager to Buy? / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2011

By: Jeff_Clark

Jeff Clark, Casey Research writes: It wasn't a fun week for gold. By the close on Friday, the metal was down 6.7% (based on London PM fix prices), the biggest weekly decline since September. It got downright irritating when the mainstream media seemingly rejoiced at gold's decline. Economist Nouriel Roubini poked fun at gold bugs in a Tweet. Über investor Dennis Gartman said he sold his holdings. CNBC ran an article proclaiming gold was no longer a safe-haven asset (talk about an overreaction).

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Gold and the Permanent Global Financial Crisis First 5 Years / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2011

By: Adrian_Ash

Cheer up! This permanent state of emergency is doing a wonderful nothing to unwind the bubble...

SO 2012 will mark the fifth anniversary of the global financial crisis. There's little reason to think it's reached its end yet. Merry Christmas.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Gold Could Be Weak but Volatile into End of Year / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2011

By: Ben_Traynor

SPOT MARKET gold prices climbed to $1608 an ounce Tuesday lunchtime in London – a 2.8% gain from last week's low – while stocks and commodities traded higher, with the exception of the FTSE in London which fell lower.

Silver prices rose to $29.51 per ounce – still 0.9% down on last week's close – while major government bond prices fell and the Euro gained amid signs of progress on the Eurozone crisis.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Robust Demand for Gold Bullion in Europe, Middle East and China Again - Very Little Selling / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2011

By: GoldCore

Gold is trading at USD 1,604.2, EUR 1,227.90, GBP 1,026.40, CHF 1,495.0, JPY 124,984 and AUD 1,606.40 per ounce.

Gold’s London AM fix this morning was USD 1,593.00, GBP 1,028.34, and EUR 1,222.94 per ounce.

Yesterday's AM fix was USD 1,605.00, GBP 1,027.003 and EUR 1,227.91 per ounce.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Goldrunner: Gold on the Cusp of $3,000+ Update / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2012

By: GoldRunner

Our work with Gold is based on a "Model" off the late 70's Gold Bull that has been replicating nicely since we started the Fractal Work with Gold back in 2002 and 2003. Short-term volatile moves in Gold, as we have seen over the past weeks, do not affect our projections based on the model, leaving the expectation of a move in Gold up to $3,000 into mid-year based intact as outline in our previous article entitled Gold Tsunami: on the Cusp of $3000+?

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Are Investors Taking Advantage of Lower Gold Prices? / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2011

By: Eric_McWhinnie

Last week, gold futures climbed 1.3 percent on Friday, but still posted a 6.9 percent loss for the week. It was the biggest decline for gold in three months. Some were quick to announce the gold bull market dead, but many investors disagree. Furthermore, actual demand for physical precious metals continue to show strength.

Monday, December 19, 2011

Striking Portfolio Balance with Gold Stocks / Commodities / Gold & Silver Stocks

By: Frank_Holmes

Gold stocks have historically ranked among some of the most volatile asset classes. Over any given one-year period, it is a non-event for gold stocks to move plus or minus 38 percent. This DNA of volatility is about three times that of gold bullion, which carries an annual volatility around 13 percent.

Despite this volatility, our research shows that investors can use gold stocks to enhance returns without adding risk to the portfolio.

Monday, December 19, 2011

Gold Bull or Bear? / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2011

By: Tony_Caldaro

Gold did something this week it had not done in three years, and had done only twice before since the bull market began in 2001. It completely retraced an entire uptrend. Amazing as that should sound, and it is, as I have never seen this kind of bullish action ever before, there is one potential bearish implication. While 2011 has been a difficult year for the equity markets with a lot of volatility and uncertainly. Gold has just thrown its OEW count into the same ring of fire. Tough year!

Monday, December 19, 2011

Physical Demand "Will Determine Support for Gold" while Selloff was "Driven by Euro Weakness" / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2011

By: Ben_Traynor

WHOLESALE MARKET gold bullion prices rose to $1607 an ounce Monday lunchtime in London – 0.5% up from last Friday's close – while European stocks and commodities were broadly flat and government bond prices eased.

Silver bullion meantime rose to $29.36 per ounce just ahead of New York's open – 1.2% down on last week's close.