Analysis Topic: Commodity Markets - Metals, Softs & Oils

The analysis published under this topic are as follows.

Monday, April 30, 2012

Canola, the New Canadian Gold / Commodities / Agricultural Commodities

By: Ned_W_Schmidt

When last we visited on Agri-Foods, 2012 was declared Year of the Soybean. That certainly seems to be the way prices are acting. Since the beginning of 2012 the U.S. dollar price of soybeans has risen by near 28%, more than twice the performance of the S&P 500's 12%. Seems some farmers, particularly in the Midwestern U.S. soybean region, are beating the Street again. Importantly, such results are not an aberration. Since early 2007, a little more than five years ago, soybean prices are up more than a 100%, a quite favorable comparison to the S&P 500 being off by ~3%. Little wonder that Agri-Land prices have been so strong.

Monday, April 30, 2012

Physical Gold Bullion Demand Giving "No Support" / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2012

By: Ben_Traynor

SPOT MARKET gold bullion prices held above $1660 an ounce during Monday's morning trading London – holding on to gains from last week of 1.1% – while stock markets ticked lower, commodities were broadly flat and US and German government bonds gained as Spain continued to generate headlines.

"On the physical front [however] things were looking not as one might have hoped for [last week]", says a note from Swiss bullion refiner MKS.

Monday, April 30, 2012

Funds Cut Gold Positions to 3 Year Low / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2012

By: GoldCore

Gold’s London AM fix this morning was USD 1,662.50, EUR 1,256.61, and GBP 1,021.44 per ounce. Friday's AM fix was USD 1,654.00, EUR 1,250.28 and GBP 1,019.60 per ounce.

Silver is trading at $31.24/oz, €23.73/oz and £19.29/oz. Platinum is trading at $1,577.75/oz, palladium at $680.30/oz and rhodium at $1,350/oz.

Monday, April 30, 2012

Critical Factors that will Impact Silver Market Price / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2012

By: Steve_St_Angelo

The fundamentals for silver today are even better than they were last year when its price and sentiment were higher.  Nevertheless, consumer affinity for precious metals has turned rather pessimistic presently.  This may be indicated by those who see a rise in the COMEX silver inventories as well as a drop-off in Silver Eagle purchases.  Furthermore, our favorite so-called precious metals analysts (more like Bears in a Bull’s skin) have come out of the woodwork to rub it in that the “GOLD BULL MARKET IS NOW OVER.” 

Monday, April 30, 2012

Do Central Banks Still Love Gold? / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2012

By: Eric_McWhinnie

Despite experiencing a sharp sell-off on Wednesday, gold and silver prices fully recovered and gold even posted its best weekly gain since February. Both precious metals received support and climbed higher as more disappointing economic data hit the market, fueling speculation for additional Federal Reserve easing. Furthermore, central banks around the world continue to purchase safe-haven metals.

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Return to the Gold Standard? / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2012

By: John_Mauldin

There are times, my friends Michael Lewitt and Dr. Lacy Hunt agreed today at lunch, when the study of economics is best informed by a sound knowledge of history. Indeed, Michael's son wants to follow his father into the finance world, and Michael is starting him off in history. I have spent hours listening to Lacy stroll through economic history, detailing the path of economic thought from Fisher to Kindleberger to Minsky. The last few days have been one of those times when I realized how much I don't know and how much more there is to learn. Not only Lacy and Michael are here in Florida, but a long list of bright minds to learn from. James Rickards, who has recently written the tour de force book Currency Wars, Harry Dent, Doug Casey, Porter Stansberry, Greg Weldon, and John Williams of Shadow Stats, with whom I look forward to meeting (do I have questions for him!). And so many more.

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Gold COT Report, Speculators Can Win Against Producers By... / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2012

By: Marshall_Swing

Commercials bought 3,264 longs and covered a whopping -5,590 2,669 shorts to end the week with 58.83% of all open interest and now stand as a group at 16,723,700 ounces net short, a decrease of close to -1,000,000 net short from the previous week.

Large speculators were absolutely trounced and gave up -3,697 longs and picked up a whopping 3,314 shorts for a net long position of 13,499,400 ounces, a decrease of about 700,00 ounces from the prior week.

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Silver COT Report, Only Way to Beat Commercials is to Go Long and Stay Long / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2012

By: Marshall_Swing

Commercials added 3,821 long contracts and covered 323 shorts to end the week with 48.66% of all open interest -111,765,000 ounces net short, a huge decrease of over 20,000 ounces.

Large speculators netted added 862 contract longs and covered -2,798 shorts for a net long position of 82,355,000 ounces, a dramatic reduction of almost 10,000 from the previous week.

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Mad Cow Futures and Silver Fundamentals / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2012

By: Dr_Jeff_Lewis

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently confirmed the country’s fourth known case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy or BSE, which is popularly known as Mad Cow Disease. 

The highly publicized BSE case was discovered during a random test of a dairy cow carcass that was located at an animal rendering facility owned by Baker Commodities Inc., a business which removes dead animals from farms for processing into animal byproducts.

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Dismal Gold and Silver Market Sentiment — Just What Dr. Bernanke Ordered / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2012

By: Dr_Jeff_Lewis

Since the dramatic drops the silver market saw in May and September of last year, prices in the precious metals market have been suffering from an excess of negative sentiment. This adverse perception is weighing on metal prices and keeping investor demand at bay.

Furthermore, although investors have continued to buy physical silver, the overall quantity being purchased has declined significantly, resulting in reduced support for the metal’s price.

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Invest in Africa Gold Stocks Now / Commodities / Gold & Silver Stocks

By: The_Gold_Report

Last year, Africa was the region that witnessed the strongest growth in gold-mining operations. In an exclusive interview with The Gold Report,Nana Sangmuah, managing director of research with Toronto-based Clarus Securities, expects that trend to continue and suggests some immediate smart investments in Ghana, Mali, Liberia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The Gold Report: Gold consultancy GFMS, which is now owned by Thomson Reuters, recently published its 2012 Gold Survey. GFMS predicts that before the end of 2012, the yellow metal will likely reach above its all-time nominal high of $1,920/ounce (oz) in September 2011. The catalysts include inflation concerns and sovereign debt problems in Europe, especially Spain. What are your thoughts on these predictions and conclusions?

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Global Gold Supply / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2012

By: Zeal_LLC

Ever since the beginning of gold’s bull market, this metal’s economic balance has come under intense scrutiny.  Demand has been on the rise as more and more investors have embraced gold as a store of wealth.  And the supply chain has done its best to meet this growing demand.

However considering gold’s sharply rising price over the last decade, it is clear that this market has been experiencing a major structural imbalance.  And the supply side of the equation has proven to be a fascinatingly volatile realm, making it quite difficult to set the scale.

Friday, April 27, 2012

Impending Gold and Silver Price Launch / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2012

By: DeepCaster_LLC

“The Fed is transferring immense wealth from the middle class to the most affluent, from the least privileged to the most privileged.”Mark Spitznagel, Universa Investments L.P., 4/19/12

Since late February, 2012, The Cartel* has ground Gold and Silver Bullion and the Mining Shares Prices Down. This is especially frustrating for those invested in Mining Shares, because they have been Technically “Due” for a Powerful Breakout for weeks. (As “Paper” Securities, Mining Shares are especially susceptible to Cartel Price Suppression.)

Friday, April 27, 2012

Gold takes a Spring Break / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2012

By: William_Bancroft

There has been a range of intelligent analytical opinions recently espoused, seeking to explain the action in the gold price this last six months. Whilst we have found articulations focused on consolidation most conducive, quality analysis has not just been found this side of the debate. Outside of lazy assertions that the gold bubble has burst, the debate has been heated but useful. It is always as such for gold. In the office we call the gold market the fox-hunting debate of the financial markets; very few participate but many have strong and at times heated opinions on the matter.

Friday, April 27, 2012

Gold’s Long-term Picture Remains Bullish / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2012

By: Przemyslaw_Radomski

Lately, gold has been a disappointment to many investors while it has been mostly treading water. Gold has traded well beneath its all-time high of $1,924 an ounce on September 6th and well above its subsequent low near $1,520 which took place in late December. Many anticipated higher prices this year, but the year isn’t over yet, and neither is gold's long-term spectacular, secular bull market. We are now in one of those periods of consolidation that tries the souls of gold investors, tests their resolve and challenges their staying power. This is when the market takes a breather and adjusts to prepare for the next major move.

Friday, April 27, 2012

Basket of Goodies Suggest Gold is Set to Break New Highs / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2012

By: David_Petch

Over the past weekend, China announced that they would purchase Iranian oil through sale of gold beyond June 28 2012 in order to get around US sanctions that states no nation can sell oil in US Dollars This has profound implications going forward, as this will be the first time in nearly 70 years that the US Dollar as a reserve currency has been challenged. The article I penned back in 2003 titled "Whose Gonna Say Uncle" mentioned that block currencies will likely form due to localization of economies due to energy constrictions etc. The BRICS nations have primarily been the target of sabre rattling through the US government, so actions taken by China is likely to be conducted on a massive scale going forward as other nations seek better control over their own destiny.

Friday, April 27, 2012

Gold "Caught in Range" as Europe Heads for Suicide by Austerity / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2012

By: Ben_Traynor

SPOT MARKET prices to buy gold remained steady around $1650 an ounce during Friday morning's London trading – well within their range from mid-March – as stock markets and commodity prices were also flat and US Treasury bonds gained following a credit ratings downgrade for Spain.

Heading into the weekend, gold looked set to record its seventh successive Friday PM gold fix between $1600 and $1700 an ounce.

Friday, April 27, 2012

Gold “Buying Opportunity”, Analysts More Bullish On Central Bank Demand / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2012

By: GoldCore

Gold’s London AM fix this morning was USD 1,654.00, EUR 1,250.28, and GBP 1,019.60 per ounce. Yesterday's AM fix was USD 1,648.25, EUR 1,246.22 and GBP 1,017.88 per ounce.

Silver is trading at $30.16/oz, €23.65/oz and £19.29/oz. Platinum is trading at $1,576.25/oz, palladium at $658.75/oz and rhodium at $1,350/oz.

Friday, April 27, 2012

Large Cap Gold Miners Underperforming the Juniors and Silver Stocks / Commodities / Gold & Silver Stocks

By: Jordan_Roy_Byrne

While the precious metals sector has consolidated and struggled to find a bottom, an important development has taken place. First, lets harken back to 2007-2008. Large cap mining stocks peaked in March 2008, yet the speculative sides of the sector "gave out" far earlier. The juniors and silver stocks actually peaked in April 2007. That was about a full year ahead of the large gold stocks. As the 2007-2008 crisis unfolded, juniors and silver stocks led the way down and displayed extreme relative weakness even as metals prices were firm.

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Gold, Recession, and Why Britain's Winning the Currency War / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2012

By: Ben_Traynor

Depending on how you look at it, the Bank of England's doing its job brilliantly...

PRELIMINARY data released this week show that Britain has fallen back into recession. UK GDP shrank for the second consecutive quarter in the first three months of the year, meaning Britain's first "double-dip" recession since that 1970s.

In truth, this was not unexpected. Nor was this week's other news that UK government debt continued to rise in the year to March, hitting 66% of GDP according to the Office for National Statistics.