Category Archive: 6a) Gold & Monetary Metals

Gold Does Not Fear Interest Rate Hikes. Gold no longer fears or pays attention to Fed announcements regarding interest rates. Renewed interest in gold due to inflation fears and concern Fed won’t do enough to control it. Higher interest rates on horizon will make debt levels unsustainable. New Fed Chair warns “the US is not on a sustainable fiscal path” and could lead to an “unsustainable” debt load. Higher interest rates are good for gold as seen...

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London Property Sees Brave Bet By Norway As Foxtons Profits Plunge. Sales in London property market at ‘historic lows’. 65% fall in pre-tax profits in 2017 to £6.5m reported by London estate agents Foxtons. Foxtons warns 2018 will ‘remain challenging’ for London property. Norway’s sovereign wealth fund is backing London’s property market. RICS: UK property stock hits record low as buyer demand falls. Own physical gold to hedge falls in physical...

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Normally the action in the gold and silver futures markets tends to be pretty similar, since the same general forces affect both precious metals. When inflation or some other source of anxiety is ascendant, both metals rise, and vice versa. But lately – perhaps in a sign of how confused the world is becoming – gold and silver traders have diverged.

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Four key themes to drive gold prices in 2018 – World Gold Council annual review. Monetary policies, frothy asset prices, global growth and demand and increasing market access important in 2018. Weak US dollar in 2017 saw gold price up 13.5%, largest gain since 2010. “Strong gold price performance was a positive for investors and producers, and was symptomatic of a more profound shift in sentiment: a growing recognition of gold’s role as a wealth...

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Gold corridor from Dubai to China sought by Chinese Gold & Silver Exchange Society. New Asian gold trading corridor could boost demand for 1 kg gold bars. Should increase turnover for yuan-denominated gold coins and bars – President. Secure supplies of physical gold from Middle East and Asia for China. China positioning itself as leading gold trading and owning nation.

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Bank Bail-In Risk In Europe Seen In 5 Charts. Nearly €1 trillion in non-performing loans poses risks to European banks’. Greece has highest non-performing loans as a share of total credit. Italy has the biggest pile of bad debt in absolute terms. Bad debt in Italy is still “a major problem” which has to be addressed – ECB. Level of bad loans in Italy remains above that seen before the financial crisis. Deposits in banks in Greece, Cyprus, Italy,...

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