palladium posts
FeedPosted Jan 3rd 2011 9:30AM by Connie Madon (RSS feed)
Filed under: International Markets, Forecasts, Russia, Economic Data, Commodities
Looking back can be painful, especially if you missed the biggest bull move of the year. The star performer was palladium, which is used in catalytic converters. The metal rallied 95% during 2010, according to the Financial Times.
One major reason for the jump was the belief that Russia has exhausted its stockpiles of palladium that they had accumulated during the Cold War. The big metals trader, Johnson Matthey, said that palladium could swing into a "serious deficit" if sales from the Russian government diminish.
On the futures market, March palladium touched $800 per ounce. Some analysts are forecasting $1,000 per ounce in 2011.
Continue reading Palladium: Best Performer of 2010, Hits Nine-Year High
Posted Nov 23rd 2009 10:30AM by Connie Madon (RSS feed)
Filed under: Market Matters, Options, Commodities, Oil
It's Monday morning and it's the same old, same old: gold surges to a new high; commodities rally; stocks rally; and the dollar is weaker. Traders see this as a no brainer.
Spot gold is strong today, reaching a new high of $1165.45 per ounce, up from Friday's close of $1148.20. On the COMEX, gold traded at $1,165.90, up $19.10 per ounce (each $1.00 equals $100.00). Gold has been spurred higher by central bank and fund buying.
Options traders are betting on gold rising to $1,200 per ounce. That's only $35 away. We could see that in another day of two if current trend continues.
Continue reading Gold surges to another new high of $1167 per ounce
Posted Aug 5th 2009 2:50PM by Connie Madon (RSS feed)
Filed under: International Markets, Commodities
Gold futures are on a tear. According to the Wall Street Journal (subscription required), December gold futures rose $10.90 to close at $967.50 per ounce. Yesterday's high was $972.70, its highest mark since June 5.
The market moved up when buy stops were hit at $960 and $961.965 in the spot market and $963 on the Comex. A "buy stop" is an order to buy above the current price. Traders often place "buy stops" to test the upward momentum of the market or they use specific chart points that signal a turning point in the market. If the stops are hit it usually means that a trend is in place, in this case an uptrend.
Continue reading Gold is roaring higher
Posted Jun 7th 2009 3:10PM by Connie Madon (RSS feed)
Filed under: Commodities
Why would you sell platinum and buy palladium? There are two main reasons. The first is that the spread (the price difference) between platinum and palladium has widened to over $1,000, making platinum extremely expensive.
Let's see if there is a reason for the widening of this spread. According to the Johnson Mathey's survey for 2009, there was deficit of platinum supplies amounting to 375,000 ounces, while there was a surplus of palladium supplies of 460,000 ounces. For 2009, Johnson Mathey is predicting the price of platinum in the $950 to $1,350 per ounce range and palladium to trade between $180 and $280 per ounce. We should mention that Johnson Mathey, the London-based metals firm, is one of the largest and most respected metals dealers in the world.
Continue reading Why would you sell platinum and buy palladium?
Posted Nov 9th 2007 3:10PM by Steven Halpern (RSS feed)
Filed under: International Markets, Products and Services, Industry, Commodities, Stocks to Buy
What are the best speculations and investments among metals, miners, and other resource plays? To find out, I turned to 20 of the nation's leading newsletter editors, as well as speakers from the recent New Orleans Conference, a leading forum for resource advisors.
Their current top ideas cover a wide diversity of ideas, from gold and silver, from alumina and copper, to platinum and palladium. These picks cover markets from Chile to China and from Canada to Russia. These ideas also range from large cap, well-established, and diversified companies to small cap, development-stage junior speculations.
Readers should only consider these ideas as a starting place for their own research and should keep in mind the caveat that any stock you buy should only be considered within the framework of your own time horizon and risk parameters. Meanwhile, here are 20 different advisors assessing various aspects of the metals, mining, and resources sectors:
Continue reading Top resource ideas: 20 advisors on metals, mining, and money