Latest Research From BERU

Markets around the world are being crushed by the unwinding of leverage by hedge funds and other institutional investors that has slammed both financial assets and commodities.  [ Read more… ]

The dollar, emerging markets, the global financial crisis all hold the key. [ Read more… ]

The collapse of Lehman Brothers in September led to a stampede to gold by investors who feared that the world’s financial system was on the verge of a meltdown.  The U.S. Mint ran out of coins and the vaults of Swiss banks were filled to overflowing with gold bars as investors sought a safe haven.  Gold prices jumped from $746.80 just before Lehman fell to $911.50, a gain of 22% in one month.  Five weeks later, gold had fallen to below $700.00 an ounce, the weakest level in more than a year and 34% below the record of $1,030.80 reached in mid-March 2008.  What happened?
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The financial press is full of comparisons between today’s market crash and the 1929 crash that led to the Great Depression.  As the market performs its daily task of balancing fear and greed, it becomes increasingly apparent that fear predominates. [ Read more… ]

Rare coins have outperformed the stocks markets and gold during a year of severe economic turmoil. [ Read more… ]

Commentary From a Market Insider [ Read more… ]

Gold is a safe-haven asset that serves as a store of value in weak economy. [ Read more… ]

The recent volatility and consolidation in gold has been a result of the declining price of oil and other commodities, and the increase in the dollar. [ Read more… ]

Year-end price target of $1,150 still in sight as fundamentals remain firm [ Read more… ]

The impact of the commodity super cycle on gold is a tendency for gold, precious metals and other tangible assets such as rare coins to rise as demand for commodities rises. [ Read more… ]

With producer prices rising at the fastest pace in 27 years, Ben Bernanke, Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, reported that “upside risks to the inflation outlook have intensified” in his testimony before the Senate Banking Committee.  [ Read more… ]

As loan defaults mount and home prices continue to fall, US regulators are preparing for other banks in America to fail.  This has led Wall Street analyst to ask themselves:  How many will fail and who will be next? [ Read more… ]

Gold started the new trading week off strong on Monday, touching a high of around $933 before falling to around $915. [ Read more… ]

Investors shifting out of equities and into tangible assets to protect wealth. [ Read more… ]

The 1 percent increase in gold this morning can be attributed to both further weakness in the dollar and more near record highs in oil. [ Read more… ]

Blanchard is extremely bullish for the second half of the year.  Gold is poised to continue its recent increase and will likely pass the $1,000 mark at some point in the next few months and then hit $1,150 by the end of the year. [ Read more… ]

Gold is up over $6 to around $923.  That totals over $40 over the past two days.  There is a huge amount of uncertainty and fear in the market right now and gold is the perfect assets for investors to protect and build their wealth. [ Read more… ]

What various Wall Street leaders are saying... [ Read more… ]

It took less than 24 hours for investors to negotiate through the Fed language from yesterday's meeting and determine that the statements did not lean as much towards curbing inflation as predicted... [ Read more… ]

Clearly many investors are waiting to see what will happen with the Fed meeting today. Since the dollar will react to the statements that accompany the rate decision, gold will likely move in the opposite direction. [ Read more… ]

What’s next?  The consensus seems to be that we’re going to see 1970’s-style STAGFLATION.  [ Read more… ]

To know which asset class will appreciate in value, you have only to follow the money.  When the stock market is gobbling up all of the available discretionary funds, you know that alternative investments, such as rare coins, are going to do poorly.  On the other hand, bear markets in stocks cause net withdrawals, which in turn support the prices of alternative assets as investors seek better returns.
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The dollar has been slowly collapsing over the past five years, losing one-half of its purchasing power compared to the euro.  Crude oil has gone up by a factor of five, while gold has tripled.  The demand for the dollar is declining.  Hardly a day goes by without some central bank or major institution announcing that they have diversified out of the dollar into other currencies. [ Read more… ]

Gold is up over $15 this morning to around $945. [ Read more… ]

Increasingly, investors are becoming concerned about inflation.  Rising commodity prices and the falling dollar point to price pressures ahead and, with global growth still robust, the link between domestic output and domestic inflation may be waning.   [ Read more… ]

The real investment magic of rare coins stems from the fact that price increases from rare coins lag behind those of gold, which takes much of the guesswork out of investing in rare coins. [ Read more… ]

While the Fed's moves to provide $200 billion of liquidity to major Wall Street investment banks may provide a temporary boost to the stock market, analysts at Blanchard say the current global market crisis continues to unwind and gold will remain a strong investment safe-haven that will continue to increase in value. [ Read more… ]

Yesterday morning, the Fed announced that it would lend $200 billion dollars to financial intuitions who do business with the Fed - basically the big boys on Wall Street. [ Read more… ]

Gold took a bit of a breather last week and closed just slightly below where it opened last Monday.  This morning gold is down about $8 to around $965. [ Read more… ]

Gold has rallied back from a drop of $17 yesterday. [ Read more… ]

Gold is up over $3 this morning to $963. [ Read more… ]

Gold has moved between a range of $15 this morning and hit a new record Of $934.  The metal is currently trading around $925. [ Read more… ]

Gold is up over $8 this morning to $920.  Since January 21, gold is up over $60. [ Read more… ]

Gold has dipped around $16 this morning to below $800. [ Read more… ]

Gold is up more than $17 this morning to about $814 and has now risen more than $25 since hitting the week's low on November 12. [ Read more… ]

Gold is up over $12 this morning and broke through $820 before settling back down around $819. [ Read more… ]

The dollar once again has fallen to around record lows against the Euro on speculation that the losses posted by the major financial institutions from the subprime-mortgage defaults will grow, prompting Bernanke and Co. to cut interest rates again in December. [ Read more… ]

The U.S. economic environment suggests that the economy will be sluggish for the next few quarters.  However, global economic activity is holding up well and liquidity conditions, on a worldwide basis, are still very buoyant.  A clear divergence has opened up between trends in the U.S. and the rest of the world, with production growth slowing in the U.S. but still growing elsewhere, largely reflecting the ongoing boom in the emerging world.
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Gold is up over $5 this morning to around $788 after trading at a high of $794.  Gold has climbed roughly $15 over the past two trading days. [ Read more… ]

History shows numismatics track precious metals with a lag, current economic conditions mirror those of years past for market growth [ Read more… ]

Gold is negatively correlated to the dollar, and stocks are negatively correlated to gold.  However, the correlations are not perfect.  There have been periods during which, despite a falling dollar and rising gold prices, U.S. stocks have performed fairly well.  [ Read more… ]

Gold is up around $2.00 this morning to over $732. [ Read more… ]

Gold has broken through $735 an ounce today, higher than the peak of around $730 struck in May of 2006. The metal is now just around 14 % from its all time high of $850 in January 1980. [ Read more… ]

Blanchard sees $750 price point in upcoming months as housing crunch grows, Fed rate cut likely on the horizon [ Read more… ]

Gold has breached the $700 mark and is still climbing.  The price is now over $703 this morning. [ Read more… ]

We've watched gold rise more than $10 this morning to reach a spot price above $691 an ounce. [ Read more… ]

Gold was down over $5.00 this morning to around $663 and has since bounce back up about $4.00. [ Read more… ]

Gold dropped over $13 yesterday and closed just above $660 losing about 2% of its value. The sub prime crisis is still weighing on all financial markets, as we saw the Dow drop almost 400 points and lose about 2.8% and the S&P dropped 3%. [ Read more… ]

Yesterday, the European Central Bank injected about $130 billion US dollars into the European money markets in order to increase European Banks liquidity.  After the French Bank, BNP Paribas, terminated withdrawals from three of their investment funds, which hold sub prime mortgages.  The Federal Reserve followed the ECB’s lead and released $24 billion dollars into the US banking system. [ Read more… ]

Overseas this morning the price of gold is down about $3.00 to around $668 an ounce.  The primary reason is due to the dollar stabilizing prior to the Federal Reserve meeting to be held later today. [ Read more… ]

At a time when gold is traditionally slow, the market is showing significant strength.  Gold broke through $670 yesterday, a key psychological level.  Here’s why... [ Read more… ]

Bernanke, once again, did not shed much light on US inflation. [ Read more… ]

Today at noon, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke will be speaking about the future inflationary outlook to a group of economist in Massachusetts [ Read more… ]

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Gold futures fell as much as $5 an ounce Monday morning, as ongoing worries over higher global interest rates as well as retreating crude-oil prices weighed on demand for the precious metal.
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There isn't much news out today from a fundamental standpoint.  The market seems to be on hold until we get word out of the Fed about their take on the slowing economy and just how much inflation is present in the system.  It does seem like global monetary authorities like the IMF and BIS are prepping the global economy for some wicked consolidations in the near future. [ Read more… ]

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Gold futures bounced higher Friday but after losing more than $10 an ounce during a two-session losing streak, they're ready to log a loss for the week. [ Read more… ]

Realizing that they were both starting negotiations at opposite ends of the spectrum, the Chamber of Mines (gold mining companies) and three South African labor unions, backed away from the table yesterday, reset the clock and will restart negotiations on the 2nd of July.  [ Read more… ]

NEW YORK (AP) - Gold prices declined for the second straight session Thursday as the dollar strengthened and bond yields extended their rise. [ Read more… ]

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Gold futures fell to their lowest level in a week Thursday, losing ground for a second session in a row with traders disappointed that prices were unable to pass the $660-an-ounce level.
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While the precious metals sector doesn't seem to be viewing the potential South African platinum and gold strikes with much interest currently, the rhetoric heading into the last week of negotiations is ramping up quickly. [ Read more… ]

The unions in South Africa representing coal and gold miners have sent their initial demands to the mining company representative group, the Chamber of Mines, to kick off the negotiations for a new contract.  The old two-year contract expires on June 30th when 160,000 workers will walk off the job if no new agreement is in place. [ Read more… ]

Just announced this morning was a set of new metal ETF investment products for the Italian trading bourse, set to launch tomorrow.  These ETFs are set to be backed by physical metal holdings and will be offered in gold, silver, platinum and palladium. [ Read more… ]

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Gold futures rose Monday morning, building off last week's more than $8 gain as the U.S. dollar weakened and as traders continued to gauge inflation concerns and the likelihood of an interest rate hike by the Federal Reserve.
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Two developments in the platinum market have prices jumping this morning.  One of the largest platinum mines based in South Africa has gone offline for a week due to some safety concerns and mining union, NUM, and Implats continue to head towards a stalemate in negotiations as Implats has not offered a new wage increase.  NUM filed for a grievance with the government, the next move in beginning an official strike. [ Read more… ]

Futures prices end near $660 as traders weigh inflation figures [ Read more… ]

LONDON (Thomson Financial) - Gold edged higher in afternoon trade after the core May US consumer price index came in below expectations, triggering a dip in the US dollar against the major currencies. [ Read more… ]

Now that most US economists have expanded their acceptable inflation numbers, the CPI report this morning was greeted as a positive, despite the fact that the overall number came in higher than expectations because the core rate was low. [ Read more… ]

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Gold futures climbed as much as $5 an ounce Thursday as a larger-than-expected rise in U.S. wholesale prices renewed concerns about inflation, boosting gold's appeal as an investment hedge. [ Read more… ]

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Gold futures climbed Wednesday, recovering from a low under $650 an ounce as gains in oil prices helped renew concerns about inflation, staving off pressure from a stronger U.S. dollar.
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The price whipsaw has started this morning as US economic reports began hitting the wires.  [ Read more… ]

With 3.7 tonnes of sales reported by ECB banks this past week, it looks like the ECB umbrella organization sales of 37 tonnes still have yet to show up in the weekly reports, but that the general sales trend from ECB member banks is finally scaling back with two consecutive weeks of sales less than 4 tonnes. [ Read more… ]

We're seeing a bit of a bounce back this morning in prices because we believe the sell off to finish last week was too pronounced.  What we've also seen in the wake of the 5% sell off last week are a number of pronouncements that the precious metals bull market is over and done with, sell it all and move on. [ Read more… ]

LONDON (Reuters) - Investors and exchange-traded funds regardless of fundamental factors may drive the price of silver to new highs this year, having already tripled in four years, analysts say. [ Read more… ]

It's weeks like these that are a shining example of why I'll never get bored working as an analyst in the precious metals space. [ Read more… ]

South African gold production fell another 8.2% year-over-year for the month of April.  This follows a nearly 8% drop for first quarter production. [ Read more… ]

With the White House cutting GDP expectations from nearly 3% to 2.3% in 2007, the markets have already started flipping on themselves in a short period this morning. [ Read more… ]

If there really was ever any doubt about the tail (physical gold trading in London) wagging the dog (gold paper markets across the rest of the world), the recent excitement about all of the central bank activity in the gold market has again proven that indeed the gold market is moved by the actions of a few and it is paramount to keep an eye on that activity. [ Read more… ]

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Gold futures edged higher Tuesday, but prices remained below a three-week high near $680 an ounce reached during the previous session as traders eyed the latest moves in the dollar and awaited U.S. economic figures. [ Read more… ]

Silver has begun to run out in front of gold and PGM prices, becoming the leader rather than laggard in the precious metals space.  As the PGM group of metals have grabbed all the headlines the last few weeks, the other white metal has slowly recouped losses from the last month and started into a strong up channel.  Because of it's unique aspect of being a precious metal/monetary asset and a consumed industrial metal, we are reiterating our $15 price target in the next month and $18 per ounce target by the end of 2007. [ Read more… ]

Persistence of belief in this marketplace is going to be what makes our clients money in the long run.  Looking at long term trends and ignoring the daily noise in the marketplace that doesn't always make sense is paramount when we've got some big market moving activity taking place behind the scenes. [ Read more… ]

The ECB has stated this morning that they have sold 37 tonnes of gold in the last two months, but will make no further sales in the remaining four months of the CBGA fiscal calendar year.  [ Read more… ]

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Gold futures closed almost $8 an ounce higher Thursday as news that the U.S. economy slowed to a crawl in the first quarter helped boost investment demand for the precious metal. [ Read more… ]

NEW YORK (AP) - Gold prices rose Thursday as the U.S. dollar fell in response to the government's weaker than expected first-quarter gross domestic product report. [ Read more… ]

A slightly softer tone in the U.S. dollar and recovery in Chinese equities helped gold and silver futures stage a rally Thursday, with silver generating technical momentum as it moved up through its recent high, analysts said. [ Read more… ]

LONDON (Reuters) - Europe's central banks are again likely to sell less gold this year than an agreed annual limit of 500 tonnes, despite a pick up in recent weeks, analysts say. [ Read more… ]

GDP figures were revised downward for the first quarter of 2007 from 1.3% growth to .625% growth.  This was not wholly unexpected in the market, but the downward revision is even larger than had been estimated by numerous economists. [ Read more… ]

ECB sales figures were updated this morning showing a little more than 12 tonnes of sales by ECB banks into the market last week.  While not as high as some previous weeks, 12 tonnes is still higher than the average run rate and shows that we're still in a period of increased sales. [ Read more… ]

NEW YORK, May 25 (Reuters) - Heavy gold sales from European central banks over the past two months have taken a toll on bullion investor sentiment, despite robust jewelry demand and as top miners say production may take a hit this year. [ Read more… ]

The precious metals complex began turning around this morning as a sell off began in the dollar in Asia and has continued in the US and European markets today. [ Read more… ]

It's always tough to work on a lag in the markets, but sometimes with the flow of information in the physical side of the metals markets, that's the way it has to be for investors.  [ Read more… ]

Palladium Rises Most This Year on Demand; Platinum Declines [ Read more… ]

U.S. gold futures erased early losses to finish up slightly on Monday as the dollar rose at a steady rate, but a higher greenback and long liquidation could continue to put pressure on the precious metal, dealers said. [ Read more… ]

Technically oriented buying and a surge in crude oil enabled gold futures to recover from early weakness to finish with a modest gain Monday, analysts said. [ Read more… ]

June contract ends $1.80 higher; palladium, copper score biggest gains [ Read more… ]

Automakers likely to oppose [ Read more… ]

I hate having to trot out the tired and typically misunderstood explanations of fund activity, book squaring and liquidation as the reasons for price drops, but it looks like that is exactly what the precious metals markets got smashed with today.  Gold and silver both took a dive right at the same point today on a combination of position liquidations in the market, strong dollar news and oil prices falling sharply in afternoon trading. [ Read more… ]

The World Gold Council and GFMS released their joint review of the world gold market in the first quarter of 2007 this morning.  The WGC cites total demand for gold in the first quarter at record levels and 4% higher than in Q1 2006.  Jewelry demand in India picked up a bit as prices stabilized and demand across the board in China has ramped up.  Remember, it was less than three years ago gold ownership was legalized in China for private citizens.  This system is just getting up and going.  We haven't seen anything yet in terms of demand out of this country. [ Read more… ]

Silver shines after CPM reports strong demand; copper regains ground [ Read more… ]

NEW YORK, May 15 (Reuters) - U.S. gold futures turned to finish higher in choppy trade on Tuesday, helped by a lower-than-expected rise in consumer prices in April, a weaker dollar and higher crude oil prices. [ Read more… ]

CPI figures for April hit the wire this morning and showed inflation was moderating across the board, with the exception of gasoline prices. [ Read more… ]

LONDON (Thomson Financial) - Gold extended gains into the afternoon as the dollar dipped against the major currencies, with physical demand and bargain hunting supporting a resurgence in the metal after it yesterday fell to its lowest level in a month.
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The PPI index was announced this morning for April at .7% increase showing a reduction from March figures, but the index still came in above analyst expectations of .6%, due nearly entirely to energy input costs.  With gasoline prices having continued to trend higher, there should be little expectation that future PPI numbers will moderate in the coming months. [ Read more… ]

This morning, post-Fed decision where there were no changes made to the statement of any significance, we've got a raft of data hitting the market that should all be precious metals positive, but silver and gold are taking it on the chin again this AM. [ Read more… ]

A recent correction lower in gold and silver accelerated Thursday when the dollar firmed and sell stops were tripped in the metals, analysts said. Speculators liquidated positions. [ Read more… ]

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Gold futures fell early Wednesday ahead of the Federal Reserve's interest-rate decision and accompanying policy statement due later in the session. Gold for June delivery edged down $1.70 to $685.70 an ounce on the New York Mercantile Exchange. On Tuesday, gold futures fell $3 to $687.40 an ounce. [ Read more… ]

Today and tomorrow are all about the interpretation of language nuances.  The FOMC releases their statement and interest rate decision at 2 pm EST followed by the ECB & Bank of England's rate decisions tomorrow.  [ Read more… ]

On the ECB gold reserves front, two ECB captive banks sold over 11.5 tonnes of gold this past week into the market, making this the 8th straight week of significantly increased sales compared to the past 6 months of the Central Bank Gold Agreement financial calendar. [ Read more… ]

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Gold futures advanced on Monday, extending prior-session gains, as the dollar fell against other major currencies, underpinning demand for the precious metal. Gold for June delivery gained $1.20 to $690.90 an ounce on the New York Mercantile Exchange. [ Read more… ]

We've got a very busy week for currency activity on tap.  The Fed releases their May rate decision on Wednesday at 2 PM after two days of meetings and the ECB and Bank of England also make rate decisions on Thursday. [ Read more… ]

LONDON (Thomson Financial) - Gold hovered near 690 usd supported by a weaker dollar with attention shifting to tomorrow's US interest rate meeting [ Read more… ]

NEW YORK, May 3 (Reuters) - Renewed buying interest from funds and a mining strike in major gold producer Peru propelled U.S. gold futures to a solid finish on Thursday despite a higher dollar, as market sentiment turned more bullish ahead of the payrolls report. [ Read more… ]

N.Y. Gold, Silver Rise On Fund Buying [ Read more… ]

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Gold futures rose Thursday, recouping its prior-session losses, as the dollar traded flat against major currencies. Gold for June delivery rose $1.40 to $676.50 an ounce on the New York Mercantile Exchange. [ Read more… ]

Number four global gold producer, Gold Fields of South Africa, reported this AM and keeping the major producer reporting trend in tact, reported worse than expected top and bottom line earnings while also producing less gold than expected.  AngloGold and GoldCorp are the remaining senior gold producer left to report in the market.  AngloGold reports tomorrow AM, so we will have the last major corporate hedge position update in the quarter. [ Read more… ]

LONDON (Thomson Financial) - Gold edged higher, having found technical support around 670 usd, but stayed near lower levels, supported by a slightly weaker dollar against the euro and steady oil prices
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Sales, loans, dehedging, mining companies, US dollar and investor demand. [ Read more… ]

Peru's national labor unions in the mining sector began walking off the job yesterday.  Peru is the 5th largest producer of gold and one of the largest copper mining regions in the world.  Workers have not yet walked off at the larger gold mine operations, but this strike appears to have some legs to it and might drag on for quite a while.  If that happens, some of the largest gold mines in the world will go offline.  [ Read more… ]

Copper up over 13% for the month; U.S. dollar weakness aids gold's climb [ Read more… ]

This morning we have two mining company Q1 reports hitting the market. [ Read more… ]

It is our firm belief that the reason we have seen the gold market fail to take the $700 level over the past week is due to the continued increase in Central Bank gold sales, specifically those out of the European Central Bank (ECB) system. [ Read more… ]

1434 GMT [Dow Jones] - Comex gold is higher but has been confined to a narrow range so far. "We've steadied up from yesterday's sell-off," says one trader. But there have not been any catalysts for a huge move, he continues. June gold is up $1.30 to $689 an ounce, while July silver has added 9.9 cents to $14.015. Gold faces minor resistance around the $690 level, then more in the area from $698 to $700. [ Read more… ]

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Gold futures edged up Wednesday, underpinned by weakness in the dollar, as crude-oil prices also rose, lending background support. Gold for June delivery gained $1.80 to $689.50 an ounce on the New York Mercantile Exchange. [ Read more… ]

Harmony Gold of South Africa began the major gold mining company reporting for the quarter this AM and showed some decent earnings, but more importantly for the market, lower production figures (-30,000 oz.) than the past quarter and they did a small hedge book reduction of 42,000 oz.
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SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Gold futures closed Tuesday near their lowest level in two weeks as a hefty decline in oil eased inflation fears and dampened the market for the precious metal, which has failed at its attempts to touch the key $700 level.
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LONDON (Thomson Financial) - Gold prices eased slightly late afternoon after spending much of the day in positive territory, as the precious metal continued to struggle to breach key resistance levels ahead of the 700 usd level. [ Read more… ]

Few thoughts here following up on the sharp sell off this morning. [ Read more… ]

One of the two recently announced platinum ETFs launched today in London and is experiencing some very positive investor interest.  The second Platinum ETF, on the Swiss bourse, is set to launch some time before May 10th.  Again, time will tell how these two ETFs impact the market.  One thing that is certain, this will be a new impact on the demand side of the market that platinum (and palladium) have not previously experienced.  [ Read more… ]

Today's Marketwatch story featuring a few quotes from BERU and a video link.



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While the market is sitting just below the $700 psychological level for gold, we're more impressed by the price holding above our technical target of the $694-695 level.  $700 will get the headlines, but it's more important to see the technicals hold up over a few days to underscore the strength of the market. [ Read more… ]

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Copper traders took profits on Wednesday after concerns about supply disruptions at a Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold mine in Indonesia had lifted the benchmark futures contract nearly 4%. Gold futures strengthened but remained below the previous session's seven-week high of $695.50. [ Read more… ]

ETF, Dollar, Tightness Support Nymex Platinum [ Read more… ]

Precious metals are trading pretty choppy this morning as the markets are vacillating on currency moves and searching for additional market data with which to take out some psychologically important levels ($700 for gold, $13000 for platinum and $14.50 for silver). [ Read more… ]

London (Platts) -- With traders and analysts waiting for the release of economic data, particularly regarding the US economy, a relative calm has descended on the  gold market, a European trader told Platts. [ Read more… ]

A raft of US economic data hit the market this morning and it was a mixed bag of information. [ Read more… ]

After a weekend of World Bank and IMF meetings, the calls to sell off IMF gold reserves have begun anew.  It's funny how big government never looks at how to cut spending or reel in bureaucracy, but rather wants to sell off assets. [ Read more… ]

Gold prices were spiking Wednesday, despite Iran's decision to release 15 British nationals from custody, as soft data on the U.S. economy clipped the dollar. [ Read more… ]

Dollar dips; oil drops after Iranian president says British sailors to be freed [ Read more… ]

NEW YORK, April 4 (Reuters) - U.S. gold futures jumped early on Wednesday on funds and options-related buying, but well off their session high after Iran said it will free 15 British sailors and marines captured nearly two weeks ago, reducing the precious metal's appeal as a haven. [ Read more… ]

We've gotten our update on ECB bank sales the past week, and just as we figured, we've seen another week of massive increases in bank reserve gold selling into the market. [ Read more… ]

So check out that post London close price action…I'll deal with that tomorrow when I get an update on the Central Bank gold sales.  But reversals like we saw today shouldn't surprise anyone at this point. [ Read more… ]

NEW YORK, April 2 (Reuters) - U.S. gold futures erased early losses to finish higher on Monday, boosted by rising crude oil prices and lingering geopolitical tensions, as the precious metal has held up well despite increased sales by central banks, an analyst said. [ Read more… ]

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Gold futures close at a three-session high [ Read more… ]

Gold takes lead from crude, moves lower Gold futures fell Monday, tracking crude-oil prices lower, as traders kept an eye on the tense stand-off between Iran and the U.K. Gold for April delivery declined $4.90 to trade at $658.10 an ounce on the New York Mercantile Exchange. [ Read more… ]

Oil prices look like they will finish the week settling at prices not seen in six months... [ Read more… ]

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Gold up on day, week; analyst warns of 'slippery slope' in China tariff ruling [ Read more… ]

It looks like today might be shaping up to be "one of those" where there isn't anything happening in the market that is a rational explanation behind a $8 plunge in 5 minutes in the price of gold. [ Read more… ]

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Gold futures rose Wednesday, as a new turn in tensions between Iran and the U.K. fueled safe-haven buying and sent crude-oil prices to their highest level of 2007. Gold for April delivery gained $5.90 at $668.40 an ounce on the New York Mercantile Exchange. [ Read more… ]

Pick a reason and it's helping support precious metals today: [ Read more… ]

Another mention of Blanchard in the news today about increased Central Bank sales.  AE's have access to this link.  There is a good graph to see how sales have spiked in the last few weeks, but the general trend has been significantly lower over the first quarter of 2007. [ Read more… ]

Gold prices were moving slightly higher Tuesday after worse-than-expected consumer sentiment data. [ Read more… ]

NEW YORK, March 27 (Reuters) - U.S. gold futures seesawed and were little changed in quiet trade early on Tuesday as heightened geopolitical tensions and interest from funds provided support to prices after the previous session's 1 percent gain. [ Read more… ]

LONDON (Dow Jones)--The International Monetary Fund has proposed to increase transparency in the gold market by publishing statistics that reveal the amount of gold loaned and swapped into the market by central banks, analysts said Friday. T [ Read more… ]

So why are some central banks increasing their sales? [ Read more… ]

Following up on our note yesterday, the ECB has released new gold sales figures for the past week [ Read more… ]

I think we've got a great base for support built in at the current prices, but the market is waiting to see something significant in the news to hit the springboard.  The great thing about the precious metals market is that the catalyst can come from any number of market influences.  [ Read more… ]

A rally in oil and renewed buying after the Federal Reserve distanced itself from future rate hikes boosted gold futures on Thursday, but traders warned investors could lock in profits ahead of the April gold contract's first notice day next week. [ Read more… ]

DOW JONES NEWSWIRES - Gold futures have moved higher Wednesday since a statement from the Federal Open Market Committee put the U.S. dollar under pressure, as market watchers concluded the Fed wording reduces the likelihood of any rate hikes going forward and may even be a step toward eventual loosening of monetary policy, analysts said.
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The story today for the commodity markets is going to be the oil price.  Oil is jumping this morning after some particularly bullish data points yesterday on supplies into the US economy. [ Read more… ]

Now that we've had a few minutes to digest the Fed Meeting release (har har), we're seeing from the action in the market that many participants believe that the Fed has removed the tightening bias off the table and will now be looking for an opportune time in the near future to begin either talk of lowering interest rates or possibly even making an unexpected move. [ Read more… ]

Today is all about the subtle nuances of language change in the Fed statement. [ Read more… ]

GFMS has released a note that they expect the dehedging figure to pick up in 2007 from their original forecast at the end of 2006. [ Read more… ]

We've just broken past some tough technical resistance points at the $658-660 level and should hold these gains in front of the FOMC meeting minutes released at 2 pm EST on Wednesday. [ Read more… ]

NEW YORK, March 20 (Reuters) - Buying by funds drove U.S. gold futures 1 percent higher early on Tuesday, as a robust housing report and a weaker dollar also helped push the precious metal contracts to its highest in more than two weeks. [ Read more… ]

LONDON (AFX) - Gold rose after the US reported better than expected housing data, which investors saw as a sign of a healthy economy [ Read more… ]

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Gold futures rose Tuesday, underpinned by softness in the dollar, as traders awaited Wednesday's Federal Reserve decision on interest rates. Gold for April delivery gained $5.40 at $659.70 an ounce on the New York Mercantile Exchange. [ Read more… ]

Here is an interesting article on some supply/demand aspects of the market that we're prominently featured in on Resources Investor.
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This week, with few economic reports being released, the precious metals sector should closely track the energy markets and currency movements. [ Read more… ]

Traders eye this week's U.S. economic data, fed interest-rate decision [ Read more… ]

Gold futures rose early Friday, boosted by a weaker U.S. dollar, which remained sharply lower against the other major global currencies. [ Read more… ]

(MarketWatch) - This is an extended piece just out on the gold market that has just about every market prognosticator we're familiar with….Kitco, Brien Lundin, Goldseek.com, etc.
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