The Central Bank Put Option

Jim Grant: ‘gold price is the reciprocal of faith in central banks’

2012-APR-02

Up, down, and back up again: that about sums up the action in the gold and silver markets last week, though neither bulls nor bears were strong enough to move the gold price out of its trading range between $1,650-$1,680. Likewise, the silver price continues to trade in a range from $31-$33.
The indecisiveness in the metals is mirroring broader market ambiguities. German unemployment is now at a record post-reunification low, yet it’s been reported this morning that total eurozone unemployment stands at a 25-year high of 10.8%. In Italy, unemployment rose from 9.1% to 9.3% January to February – its highest level since 2004. The division between the German “core” and the Med countries (plus Ireland) grows ever wider.
New Chinese manufacturing data had cheered investors earlier today (production up for the fourth straight month) but that was before the eurozone unemployment data was released. European exchanges are down slightly and crude oil prices have taken a hit – though both WTI and Brent remain above the lows they reached last Thursday.
As for America, Barry Ritholtz posts good comment on Wall Street’s love of easy money, noting the combination of “extraordinary skills and stupendous luck” that it will take to return monetary policy “to some semblance of normalcy”. The humorous and informative James Grant remains just as sceptical, noting in the CNBC video below that “gold has more upside” because of these difficulties. Click on this link to watch James Grant discuss gold, the Fed and the US economy with James Turk.

Tags: central banks, China, euro crisis, gold price

Author: The GoldMoney News Desk

Hurting metals still have a bright future.

Gold and silver prices holding above important support

2012-MAR-30

Gold and silver are holding above important support levels, despite selling pressure yesterday. The gold pricemoved back above $1,660 this morning, after flirting with $1,650. The silver price sunk below $32 briefly yesterday afternoon – hurt indirectly by talk from the US, Britain and France about releasing petroleum reserves, thus temporarily lowering oil prices – but has moved back above support at $32.James Turk discusses the significance of this price action in his latest King World News Interview.

Though the gold market has been struggling for direction in recent weeks, this price action in combination with increased chatter about “QE3” in America and Spain’s debt problems may help the bulls. Though there have been times in recent years – notably during the spring of 2010 – when gold performed well during periods of EURUSD weakness, a lot will depend on how the dollar performs. The Dollar Index has again fallen below 79.00 in trading this morning, and is struggling to maintain the kind of upward momentum seen at the end of last year, when euro fears were dominant. Further dollar weakness will encourage gold buying.

During your lunch break today you might want to read “Four Numbers Add Up to an American Debt Disaster” by Bloomberg’s Caroline Baum. A key point she raises: “The U.S. is more dependent on short-term funding than many of Europe’s highly indebted countries, including Greece, Spain and Portugal”. Not enough attention is paid to the US Treasury’s reliance on short-term financing – something that could easily backfire in the years ahead.

This dynamic is not limited to the government either, given the precarious state of so many overly indebted companies and households. In the words of Peter Schiff: “America is on the mother of all adjustable rate mortgages”.

Tags: buy gold, debt crisis, dollar, gold price, silver price

Author: The GoldMoney News Desk

Bernanke speaks, gold price rises.

Bernanke lifts gold price again

2012-MAR-27

Precious metal bulls have got used to being “saved” by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke in recent years. Frequent spurts higher in the gold price often coincide with Bernanke press conferences, in which the chairman vows to maintain easy money policy at the Federal Reserve. Yesterday was a classic case of this, with gold gaining around $20 in a matter of minutes just after 12GMT following Bernanke’s comments that more progress on unemployment will require "more-rapid expansion of production and demand from consumers and businesses, a process that can be supported by continued accommodative policies."

As Trader Dan Norcini comments, pity the poor Fed Funds Futures traders. No sooner do we have glimmers that rates are going to rise as the US economy picks up pace and inflation rises, than do we have the Fed Chairman himself come out and quash these rumours. Dan correctly notes that Bernanke is terrified of rising rates. The US is in a debt trap from which there is no escape without considerable economic pain.

Little wonder then, that some analysts view our current epoch as “the most favourable era for gold prices in our lifetime”; BMO Financial Group’s Don Coxe adding that “governments are running deficits "beyond the forecasts of all but the hardiest goldbugs five years ago; central banks are printing money and creating liquidity beyond the forecasts of all but the most paranoid goldbugs a year ago."

Unsurprisingly, the dollar sold off yesterday, with the USDX now below 79.00. 80.00 is looking more and more like a “hard top” as far as this index is concerned, Gregor Macdonald and others noting that capping any rise in the dollar is an important aspect of current US government policy – though one that is seldom discussed in much detail by mainstream media.

A result of this official determination to weaken the dollar is of course, more people looking to buy precious metals.

Tags: Ben Bernanke, buy gold, dollar, Fed, gold price

Author: The GoldMoney News Desk

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Global Gold Demand Trends

A fine article from our friends at GoldMoney.

Chinese gold imports will keep increasing

2012-MAR-18

Since China began to embrace economic progress in the 1990s and let the compelling forces of capitalism take hold to raise living standards in that country, its impact on world markets has been profound. Chinese capital has become a major influence in the global economy, and demand from China has had a huge impact on commodity prices. But an exception to the Chinese influence has been gold.

China has had little impact on world gold markets. The reason being that Chinese domestic gold production, which over the past several years has grown to make China the largest gold miner in the world, was sufficient to satisfy domestic demand. Consequently, in contrast to other markets in which China has become an important source of demand, it has had little impact on the demand for gold.

Just over a year ago, however, the balance between Chinese gold production and demand began to change. Chinese mining companies were unable to produce enough metal to satisfy the growing domestic demand, with the result that China began importing gold.

The trend for importing gold began modestly, and received little attention. But last year this growing trend started to get noticed. The Financial Times in September 2011, for example, reported: “Data from the Hong Kong government showed that China imported a record 56.9 tonnes [of gold] in September, a six-fold increase from 2010. Monthly gold imports for most of 2010 and this year run at about 10 tonnes, but buying jumped in July, August and September. In the three-month period, China imported from Hong Kong about 140 tonnes, more than the roughly 120 tonnes for the whole 2010.”

More recently, Reuters reported: “China imported nearly a fifth more gold from Hong Kong in November [2011] than the previous month, continuing a trend of sharply rising purchases that has seen bullion flows to the mainland more than treble in the first 11 months of the year. A record 102.525 tonnes of gold entered the mainland from Hong Kong in November, the Hong Kong Census and Statistics Department said.”

These are huge numbers. Last year India imported approximately 900 tonnes of the roughly 2,800 tonnes of gold mined last year. But China is rapidly closing the gap, and is likely to overtake India in the next few years. The impact on the global gold market from such an event, if it were to occur, would be profound and obviously very bullish. But even if China does not become the world’s largest gold importer, the inability of Chinese producers to mine enough metal to meet domestic demand will alone be very bullish for the gold price.

Given the above it is clear to see that China has become an important influence in the gold market and consequently, on the gold price. It is therefore another reason to remain bullish on the prospects for the metal of kings.

Tags: China, commodities, gold price, Hong Kong, mining

Author: James Turk