Consolidation phase for Gold and Silver Prices: RSBL

                                                                           - Mr. Prithviraj Kothari, MD RSBL

BREXIT, FED, Dollar and many other key influential factors have proved to be beneficial for Gold and Silver prices in 2016. Last week too we saw many such factors influencing bullion prices but in the downward side. Let’s take a close look on the key highlights:

• The S&P (US Stock exchange) posted a fresh all-time closing high and the major U.S. stock averages 2,163.24 locked in a fourth successive winning week following the Brexit vote.
• At the weekends G20 summit in China, the world's biggest economies noted they will work to support global growth and share the benefits of trade, in a meeting dominated by the impact of Britain's exit from Europe and fears of rising protectionism. Philip Hammond, Britain's new finance minister, said the uncertainty about Brexit would begin to abate once Britain laid out a vision for a future relationship with Europe, which could become clearer later this year.
• On Thursday, 21^st July , in Frankfurt, the European Central Bank (ECB) and President Mario Draghi decided to leave rates unchanged after the Brexit-induced market shockwaves have faded somewhat. Draghi and his fellow central bankers gave no indication that the current 1.7 trillion-euro quantitative-easing plan needed to be increased following the UK vote to leave the single market. The council doesn’t meet again till September, but investors aren’t anticipating any adjustment to the bond-buying programme in the near-term thus leaving the door open to more policy stimulus, highlighting "great" uncertainty and abundant risks to the economic outlook.

Though bullion has benefited from the loose policy decisions coming in from central banks of Europe and Japan, but on the other side the dollar has gained on strong U.S. data, boosting bets the Fed will raise U.S. rates by year-end.

Globally, gold nearly fell to $1,312 and silver to USD 19.46. Traders attributed the fall in gold prices to a weak global trend where the precious metal headed for its first back-to-back weekly decline since May as gains in equities and the dollar ate into demand for the metal as a storage value. Few other important indicators that contributed to the downfall:

• Data released from the U.S. showed that U.S home resale’s hit their highest in nearly 9 and a half years in June as low interest rates lured first-time buyers into the market and the number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits fell last week, underscoring the economy's strength.     
• Adding to the down trend in prices were the figures released by SPDR. Holdings of SPDR Gold Trust, the world's largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, fell 0.22 percent to 963.14 tonnes on Thursday.

I do feel that the Price action will likely be skewed to the downside and expect to test the post-Brexit low around USD $1,305 and below this USD $1,300 should global equities continue their upward trajectory.

The Jackson Hole Symposium Aug. 25-27, where Yellen is scheduled to speak is where we will most likely get more relevant information about coming Fed policy and the next direction.

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The primary purpose of this article by Mr. Prithviraj Kothari is to educate the masses of the current happenings in the Bullion world.

Previous blog:

Gold prices to go up: RSBL - http://riddisiddhibullionsltd.blogspot.in/2016/07/gold-prices-to-go-up-rsbl.html

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Consolidation in Gold & Silver prices: RSBL

                                        By Mr. Prithviraj Kothari, MD, RSBL

So far this year has been positive for gold compared to the past couple of years. Reasons behind this are the current market uncertainty and unconventional monetary policies that have continued to support the prices of Gold along with central banks and ETF’s demand for gold has given a boost to Gold prices.

Gloom over the global economic outlook and concern over central banks’ firepower, uncertainty about China’s economic recovery and growing volatility ahead of the UK’s EU referendum next month are adding fuel to the fire.

Gold price action has been erratic at the start of the new trading month. At the start of May, gold surged to $1303, its strongest since January 2015, but earlier last week fell to a two-week low of $1257 and currently trading around $1250.

Precious metals showed a firm up move at the start of the week, with prices up an average of 0.7 percent, gold prices were up 0.5 percent at $1,271. But it has slowly faded and the down move has begun which could be due to the fact that over-extended gross fund long positions in Gold and Silver have made the markets vulnerable to a spate of profit-taking.

The Fed minutes released yesterday caused an increase in Dollar strength. The statements proved to be more hawkish than the market expected where some FED members would look forward to a June month rate hike if the economic situation improves. Labour market conditions continue to improve and the inflation progress is towards the committee objective but the consistency is important for the next hike to take place.

But physical demand in India has been a major obstacle. High prices and industrial action in India led to a 19-percent drop in jewellery demand that could not be offset by seasonal buying and the increase around the traditional gold-buying festivals.

Other data released during the week that influenced gold prices were:

• In US data released Thursday, weekly unemployment claims during the week ending May 7 raised for the third straight week to 294,000, above the forecast of 270,000.
• Import prices month-over-month in April ticked up 0.3 percent, under the economic consensus of 0.6 percent.
• The weak US data had sent spot gold to as high as $1,281 overnight but the rally proved short-lived as it was soon sold down to the mid-$1,260’s. 

The negative interest rate atmosphere in Europe and Japan, combined with uncertainty over the Chinese economy, anticipation of slower interest rate rises in the US and global stock market turmoil have proved to be in favour of gold.

The yellow metal along with Silver have been consolidating but are also holding up and what we need to watch is that whether it could suffer significant profit-taking given the extent of the long positions.

Until there is a sustained break above $1280, a new rally in Gold does not appear on the cards while Silver needs to break above $17.20. Currently, according to me in the Indian SPOT markets the Gold would trade in the range of INR 28,900 to INR 30,300 while in Silver the range would be INR 38,500 to INR 42,000.

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The primary purpose of this article by Mr. Prithviraj Kothari is to educate the masses of the current happenings in the Bullion world.

- Previous blog –

HAPPY AKSHAYA TRITIYA: RSBL

http://riddisiddhibullionsltd.blogspot.in/2016/05/happy-akshaya-tritiya-rsbl.html

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RSBL: Gold & Silver prices rise

                                                                           By Mr. Prithviraj Kothari, MD, RSBL

Last week we saw gold prices setting to 15 month high on Friday.

This surge in prices was influence by nervous stock markets which raised gold’s safe haven demand. Currently A confluence of monetary and financial factors is supporting gold prices.

A solidly lower U.S. dollar index that hit an eight-month low Friday and Nymex crude oil prices that notched a five-month high are bullish "outside market" forces that are also propelling gold and silver prices higher.

On Wednesday, the US Federal Reserve continued its historically low nominal interest rates and didn’t signal to markets that another rate hike was forthcoming. We saw increased uncertainty in the markets on Thursday, one day after the Fed’s policy statement came out, but the Fed’s reflections had little to do with the market movements.

While in the US, unemployment claims hit a 42-year low of 247,000, which easily beat the 257,000 forecast. But US GDP increased by a 0.5-percent annual rate in the first quarter, the slowest pace since the first quarter of 2014 and below the 0.7-percent consensus estimate.

This paradox of a strong jobs market with tepid GDP growth has put the Federal Reserve in a bind. In its April statement released, the Fed decided to maintain near-zero interest rates despite noting that global risks had eased over the last several weeks.

Investors aren’t expecting the Fed to raise rates anytime soon with a majority of investors citing December as the most likely time for the Fed to rise rates again, according to the CME Group Fed Watch.

Additionally, the Bank of Japan’s (BOJ) shocked markets Wednesday by deciding to keep its monetary policy unchanged.

Now what needs to be watched is the action coming in for gold from the sidelined factors. Moreover what needs to be assessed is how the dollar will behave this week since currency continues to be the predominant driver in most commodity markets for the moment.

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The primary purpose of this article by Mr. Prithviraj Kothari is to educate the masses of the current happenings in the Bullion world.

- Previous blog -
 "BEST QUARTER FOR BULLION SINCE THREE DECADES: RSBL"
http://riddisiddhibullionsltd.blogspot.in/2016/04/best-quarter-for-bullion-since-three.html

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GOLD LOSES DIRECTION: RSBL

By Mr. Prithviraj Kothari, MS RSBL

Amidst continued uncertainty regarding the Fed’s monetary policy, gold has off late, lost direction. 

It was moving in the positive territory. But on Friday, but gold erased intra-day gains, closing down on the day and lower on the week. The yellow metal yielded to pressure from a strong rally in the U.S. dollar.

The dollar gained ground, especially versus the Euro, following this week's European Central Bank meeting that hinted at further monetary easing this year. The dollar also garnered additional strength in the wake of interest rate cuts by the People's Bank of China (PBOC) on Friday. 

Some market analysts feel that the overnight monetary policy action by the Chinese central bank has created some mixed sentiments in the market. Moreover, before China’s announcement, the European Central Bank (ECB) announced that it is leaving the door open for more quantitative easing measures or even pushing the deposit rate deeper into negative territory in December.

Gold was a little changed on Thursday afternoon in London after the ECB decided to leave the rates unchanged.

The spot gold price was last seen trading in the range of $1,162.8 to $1,172.0.

Adding to the sentiments, was data indicators coming in from US: 

•  US weekly unemployment claims rose by 3,000, to 259,000 in the week ending October 17, 2015. However, they were below the forecast of 265,000 and under the psychologically important 300,000 mark.

• The House Price Index (HPI) for August came lower than expected at 0.3 percent as did CB leading index at -0.2 percent.

•  Existing home sales were better than expected at 5.55 million.

Now that we have some crucial data coming in next week, not only from the US but other leading and developing economies as well, some analysts feel the Federal Reserve is losing its dominance in the marketplace.

Gold traders are bracing for a heavy slate of U.S. economic releases next week, along with key central bank meetings from the U.S. Federal Reserve and the Bank of Japan. The focus could be on BoJ that meets next week and there is a growing expectation that it will announce new easing measures, which are expected to remain steady.

Moreover, the central bank is also slated to release its Outlook Report with forecasts for inflation and the GDP. 

Meanwhile in the domestic market, we saw a sluggish demand for gold. Following the nine-day Hindu festival of Navratri, India celebrated Dussehra on Thursday where demand for gold usually rises as people consider it auspicious to buy gold on this day.

But, a slow and easing demand for gold further declined the prices even though globally gold prices were rising.

The fourth quarter is typically a strong period for gold purchases in India, the world’s second biggest bullion consumer, due to festivals and weddings.

Demand from rural areas has been hit particularly hard, as farmers suffer from the first back-to-back drought in India in three decades.

Two-thirds of gold demand in India comes from farmers and residents of small villages who see jewellery as way to store wealth. But lower-than-normal monsoon rainfall this year due to El Nino weather pattern has eroded rural incomes.

One of the most awaited meetings of the Fed, due on October 27-28, could turn out to be a non-event for gold traders as markets speculate a delay in interest rate hike. The Fed's statement will be released on Wednesday and there is no press conference associated with this meeting. 

Apart from the Fed policy, traders are also monitoring the U.S. debt-ceiling situation. The U.S. federal government is moving closer to the deadline where it needs to raise the nation's $18.1 trillion borrowing limit.

The important reports coming in next week are:

·         Monday: Home Sales

·         Tuesday: Durable goods and consumer confidence

·         Thursday: Third quarter GDP and pending homes sales

·         Friday: The core PCE index on Friday. 

Next week's main event:

These events may provide clues of economic strength and inflation that could support potential for a Fed rate hike in December. 

The primary purpose of this article by Mr. Prithviraj Kothari is to educate the masses of the current happenings in the Bullion world.

- Previous blog-
"Data- Dependent Gold: RSBL"
http://riddisiddhibullionsltd.blogspot.in/2015/10/data-dependent-gold.html
 

GOLD GLITTERS: RSBL

                                                                                                          By Mr. Prithviraj Kothari, MD, RSBL

  

Positive data or negative?

Hike rate this year or next?

Strong dollar or weak?

Stable equities or volatile?

Gold up or down?

Well a lot was expected to happen this week. Precisely, the above mentioned questions are somewhere down the line related to each other.

A positive data strengthens the dollar thus increasing the chances of rate hike which would push gold prices down. And even vice a versa.

Till mid-week, majority of the market participants believed that the data due to be released on Thursday and Friday would come in as a surprise package for all. Gold eased on Wednesday, staying on track for its biggest quarterly loss in a year as the dollar strengthened and the market awaited clarity on the timing of a hotly anticipated U.S. interest rate rise.

The spot gold price was seen at $1,112.90/1,113.10 per ounce, down $2.30 on Wednesday’s close and its lowest in around two weeks. Gold was stable on Thursday afternoon in London following the release of mixed US data and ahead of tomorrow’s blockbuster US jobs report.

• On Thursday, US weekly unemployment claims came in at 277,000 under the psychological 300,000 mark. 
• During the third quarter, 205,759 jobs were shed, the largest figure since the third quarter of 2009.
• US PMI came in as expected at 53.1 and construction spending slightly better than forecast at 0.7 percent. 

Now that the unemployment’s claims and PMI data was out, markets shifted focus the significant US non-farm payrolls data slated for release on Friday. The tables for gold turned once the report was out:

• Non-farm payrolls in August sank to 173,000, the first sub-200,000 reading since April.
• The US economy added 142,000 jobs in September, below the forecast of 201,000, and the August figure was revised down to 136,000 from 173,000.
• The only positive news coming in was that unemployment rate was unchanged at 5.1per cent.
• The labor participation rate fell to the lowest level since October 1977 at 62.4 percent, while wage growth was flat. 

The yellow metal prices augmented on the release of lower than expected US data, nearly erasing the losses accrued in five consecutive negative sessions.

Physical demand and volatility did not come in much from the Asian markets as the Chinese markets are closed for Golden Week holidays and will reopen on October 8 and the Indian market too was closed on 2^nd October.

The disappointing non-farm employment change has taken the market by surprise and the reaction has been quite strong such that there are strong sentiments that a chance of increase in interest rates not happen this year thus declining some of the concerns that higher US rates would have a negative impact on emerging markets.

Investors were considering for indications on the timing of the US rate rise. With two Fed meetings now left before 2016, markets now believe that the rate hike won’t happen this year. But there are some who believe that the Fed may announce a rate hike in its last meeting of 2015 due in December. 

The primary purpose of this article by Mr. Prithviraj Kothari is to educate the masses of the current happenings in the Bullion world.

- Previous blog-

"Gold Directionless- RSBL"

http://riddisiddhibullionsltd.blogspot.in/2015/09/gold-directionless-rsbl.html

AN IMPORTANT WEEK FOR GOLD : RSBL

                                                                             By Mr. Prithviraj Kothari, MD, RSBL

I must apologize to my readers for not writing a Blog last week. I would reply to all your queries via the content in this blog. My sole intention was to to see some developments in Greece as it was like a never ending tussle between Athens and its creditors.  It was taking Gold and Silver to rallies which was purely news based. 

Over a period of time we have seen some factors being very crucial for gold compared to the others. US dollar, Fed’s interest rate hike and the Greece crisis have been major drivers for gold prices apart from Geo-political economic crisis, inflation and demand for gold from India and China.

Lets jump straight to the key takeaways:

Greece: The mounting Greek Funding crisis is positive for gold, but its influence could be partial as there is still a chance the two sides can tangle through to come to another short-term agreement.

Polls have stated that the exit out of the Euro is opposed by the Greek people and European leaders, the current deadlock signals prolonged and painful negotiations ahead, with a possible extension of the June 30 deadline on the horizon.

But after Monday's emergency meeting, news have floated that the negotiations between Greece and its creditors have taken a positive step forward. Not much details have been provided yet but the upcoming meeting on June 24th-25th will give the answer as to where this is all going.

Till that time the Bulls and the bears will not allow to have a dramatic impact on Gold price.

US Economic data: Data on Thursday showed that U.S. initial jobless claims fell by 12,000 to 267,000 last week, pointing to ongoing strengthening in the labor market.

A separate report showed that factory activity in the U.S. mid-Atlantic region expanded at the fastest rate in six months in June.

Data also showed that showed that U.S. consumer prices increased at the fastest rate in more than two years in May, climbing 0.4% after a 0.1% gain in April. But economists had forecast an increase of 0.5% and inflation was still well below the Fed’s 2% target.

U.S. economic data as that will have a major impact on forecasts for when the Federal Reserve will hike rates. Positive data that supports a September rate hike will be positive for the U.S. dollar and negative for gold.

Interest Rate Hike: The economic data affects the dollar which in turn affects the interest rate hike. Fed Chairman Yellen also wants to see stronger consumer spending and a higher labor participation rate and wage growth before lifting rates. 

Gold is expected to remain caught in a tug of war between the U.S. dollar and safe-haven demand as Greece’s repayment deadline quickly approaches. Gold ended its second consecutive week in positive territory; the market managed to hold on to most of its gains from Thursday’s 1.5% rally.

There are ample amount of prospects for the market players to adjust their interest rate expectations as there is a slew of economic data including housing sales data, durable goods numbers, along with preliminary manufacturing data due to be released. Markets will also receive the final gross domestic report for the first-quarter, although this is now backwards looking, some economists warn that any major revision will impact annual economic growth projections

On the domestic front, Government of India is planning to issue Sovereign bonds linked to the bullion price in an effort to divert an estimated 300 tonnes of annual demand for Gold bars and coins. The provision of a 2 percent interest rate and use of the bonds as collateral are among the the key take away points that would attract the investors.

• 24th June:  Germany IFO business climate index, the U.S. final Q1 GDP and Euro Group Meetings
• 25th June: U.S. core price index 

Summing it up, a dramatic move in precious metals is expected in the coming days!

TRADE RANGE:

METAL	INTERNATIONAL	DOMESTIC
GOLD	$1170- $1220 an ounce	Rs.26,250- Rs.27,700 per 10gm
SILVER	$15.60- $17.00 an ounce	Rs.36,000- Rs.39,000 per kg

 

The primary purpose of this blog by Prithviraj Kothari - MD, RSBL, is to educate the masses of the current happenings in the Bullion world.”

- Previous blog -

"Bulls and Bears to Clash"

http://riddisiddhibullionsltd.blogspot.in/2015/06/bulls-and-bears-to-clash.html