Silver Could Be Low-Cost Substitute for Platinum in Autocatalysts
Source: Mineweb.com��(4/24/08)
A spokesman for Tokyo-based Mitsui Mining told Reuters that Japan, Europe and the United States are all planning to impose tighter regulations on exhaust emissions for heavy equipment, such as that used in construction and farming, beginning in 2012. "We hope this catalyst will be used in these vehicles, and this is the market we are targeting. More >

Gold/Dow Ratio: Where Are We Holding?
Source: Adrian Ash, Seeking Alpha��(4/24/08)
...The Fed’s new “reflationary melt-up” is clearly designed to keep stock prices buoyant. But it’s only adding to the case for gold, too. “I would be very surprised if the Dow Jones industrials/gold ratio didn’t decline to between 5-10 within the next three years,” said Marc Faber of The Gloom Boom & Doom Report recently. If that call proves right, it might come thanks to gold prices doubling, or stock prices halving, or more likely some combination of both. More >

Storm in a Gold Teacup
Source: Mineweb.com��(4/24/08)
A broader survey of resources stocks indicates powerful portfolio switches from certain sub-sectors, including gold, into iron ore stocks, along with coal stocks, and also, once again, oil stocks, which do not fall strictly under the umbrella of the mining classification. More >

Bears Beat Up on Bullion
Source: Mineweb.com��(4/23/08)
Royal Bank of Canada Capital Markets names three factors "that just might temporarily stop gold's bull-run in its tracks in a manner similar to the multi-month consolidation seen in 2004-2005 and 2006-2007": a moderation in inflation expectations; the potential for a modest counter-trend bounce in the dollar, and time now moving into a traditionally weak part of the calendar for gold bullion. This caution, however, is limited to the shorter term, with a bullish case for the longer term remaining intact. More >

Greg McCoach, Mining Speculator: Mining Stocks Will Go To New Highs
Source: The Gold Report��(4/22/08)
In this article, the third of a three-part interview, Greg McCoach, editor of The Mining Speculator, gives us his top choices for mining equities. Learn why Greg believes we need to do some comparison shopping right now in the junior market and why, although he's bullish on uranium, there are just a few uranium miners he recommends. More >

Bullish Outlook for Precious and Base Metals
Source: Mineweb.com��(4/22/08)
Physical tightness of supply for many commodities is expected to persist into the next decade, keeping prices well above normal for the long term, according to Macquarie Capital Securities analysis. More >

Gold and Silver Trading Figures at High Volumes
Source: Mineweb.com��(4/22/08)
The really interesting thing in the London gold market last month was the number of transactions that occurred. On average, there were 2,530 gold trades cleared through London banks every day last month. That was up from 2,082 daily trades in February, an average of 1,562 trades per day in March 2007, and far, far higher than anything ever seen before. More >

John Embry: Credit-Creation Mechanism Appears to be Broken
Source: John Embry, Sprott Asset Management��(4/21/08)
Make no mistake, there is a concerted effort to suppress the gold price. The central banks are worried about the message being sent by a sharply higher gold price while their bullion bank allies are agonizing over mounting losses on their outlandish short positions.
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US Subprime Bottom, Resumption of Equity Bulls, and Gold as New Money
Source: John Lee, www.goldmau.com��(4/21/08)
The Fed and ECB printed about $1 trillion in the last 9 months just to contain the subprime collapse. All those bailouts create moral hazards. This moral hazards combining with record commodity prices and fear of inflation are the recipe for a fierce gold market. This is why my focus right now is on precious metals.

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Gold Producer Hedge Book Is at Its Lowest Since 1992
Source: Mineweb.com��(4/21/08)
Société Générale's latest analysis of the global gold mine producer hedge book, compiled by GFMS Ltd, concludes that the hedge book stands at just 835 tonnes, which is the lowest level since 1992, and is equivalent to 34% of 2007 production levels. More >

Gold Bulls Are a Different Breed of Bull
Source: Boris Sobolev, Seeking Alpha��(4/21/08)
The Gold Stock Bull, which most investors track through the performance of the $XAU and $HUI, presents a completely different picture. This bull market, which began at the end of 2000, is much more impressive in its magnitude than the S&P 500 rally of the late 90s. The $XAU gained 350%, while $HUI skyrocketed by 1,160%. More >

Profiting from Commodities' Volatility
Source: Adam Katz, Seeking Alpha��(4/21/08)
Barron's argued a few weeks ago that ETFs are significantly contributing to the commodity bubble. These investment vehicles have given the average retail investor a chance to participate in a commodities rally, thus sealing its own fate - a rally has occurred while short term economic fundamentals have been weakening. Given the solid long term fundamentals and the weak short term economic fundamentals, there is no reason why these markets should be so immensely inverted. For example, oil deliverable in June 2008 is going for $115.35, while delivery in June 2011 is going for $105.84. More >

Death by Gold
Source: Roland Watson, Seeking Alpha��(4/21/08)
Contrarian investors will have some acquaintance with the concept of the “shoeshine boy” effect. This is the theory that a buy or sell is signaled for an asset class based on extreme sentiment for or against it in the media or society in general. More >

Bulls Behaving Badly
Source: David Morgan, The Gold Report��(4/18/08)
Riding the sudden ups and downs of the precious metals market without getting thrown can be tricky. David Morgan offers a steady outlook fortified by 30 years of studying market behavior. In this exclusive interview with The Gold Report, Morgan, founder of the Silver-Investor.com and publisher of the Morgan Report, explains when to hang on for the big gains and when to let go. More >

Gold and Commodities Demand Internet Driven
Source: James West, www.MidasLetter.com��(4/18/08)
The cyclical nature of mining is dead, a relic of the past...What do you think is going to happen to the demand curve for basic materials when China, India, Africa, and Latin America's internet penetration percentages rise to meet North America's? How about Russia?

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Silver and Gold IRAs
Source: David Morgan��(4/18/08)
In last week’s column we visited the fact that many saving for retirement might like to have a portion of their funds in true precious metals. I need to make a correction to last week’s article, which stated, “Annual storage fees are charged at a flat fee of $90 per year regardless of the size of the account.” I should have added, “Then after the account is established, GoldStar’s annual storage fee is only 1/10 of 1% of your IRA’s asset value, with a minimum of $50 and a maximum fee of $200.” More >

Ira Epstein's Leads Metal Report
Source: Ira Epstein��(4/17/08)
A lot of customers have asked me about what I see going forward in regard to the US economy. What I see is an economy that has to deal with inflation. Not traditional labor inflation, but price inflation stemming from the food and energy sectors. More >

How Much Risk Is Gold Discounting?
Source: Mineweb.com��(4/17/08)
Given the fears swirling around the financial sector at the moment, the fact that physical gold, held either in person or in an "allocated account", carries no counterparty risk - and counterparty risk is as we all know, is at the forefront right now. More >

Miners Are Winners as Consumers Buy Metals at Any Price
Source: Mineweb.com��(4/16/08)
Miners have emerged as the key winners from higher commodities prices, Standard and Poor's analysts asserted in an article published this week by the credit rating agency.
London-based S&P Secondary Credit Analyst Alex Herbert noted that consumers of mined products seem ready to buy at almost any price. More >

Greg McCoach, Mining Speculator: "$1,000 Gold Still Very Cheap in Real Terms"
Source: The Gold Report��(4/15/08)
Greg McCoach, editor of Mining Speculator and President of AmeriGold, likes owning the physical metal. In this article, the second of a three-part interview, Greg tells us why. In Part Three Greg will discuss his top choices for equities in the precious metals mining sector. More >

Citigroup Warns of Waning Gold Investment, Seasonal Slack but Positive Long Term
Source: Mineweb.com��(4/15/08)
Despite being in the waning stages of a potent macro-drive investment demand, Citigroup is standing pat on its average forecasts of $900, $950, and $1,000 gold over 2008-2010, adding that "prices could move considerably higher than these levels in a full-blown U.S. recession." More >

Indian Demand Keeping Gold Markets Alive
Source: Mineweb.com��(4/15/08)
The Indian wedding season, when gold is often presented as a gift at Hindu marriages, will last until the end of May. The Akshaya Tritiya festival on May 7 also spurred demand from jewellery makers. More >

High Gold Prices Encourage Miners to Reconsider More Difficult Projects
Source: Mineweb.com��(4/15/08)
Record-high gold prices encourage mining companies to dust off old projects, dig deeper underground and explore the most remote areas, participants at an international gold mining conference said on Tuesday. More >

Silver Conductive Inks Market Will Triple Over Next 8 Years
Source: Mineweb.com��(4/15/08)
...the report also warns that the "biggest challenge to the future of silver's use in electronics is undoubtedly its high cost. This is one reason that the traditional semiconductor industry has never seriously considered using silver for interconnects. Silver ink sales in the printable electronics business are also hurt by high prices. And with the price of silver almost doubling over the past year, this has really become an issue." More >

Five-Fold Production Increase Forecast for Philippines
Source: Mineweb.com��(4/14/08)
Environmental and Natural Resources Secretary Lito Atienza has predicted that the production of the Philippines mining sector will increase five-fold by 2011...Gold production would double from 1.2 million to 2.7 million ounces, while silver would increase six-fold from .89 million to 5 million ounces. More >