Gold rally loses steam as Powell warns inflation fight far from over

Gold rally loses steam as Powell warns inflation fight far from over

Gold prices are slightly higher but off daily highs in afternoon U.S. trading Tuesday. The gold and silver markets got a brief lift and hit daily highs by a speech from Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, in which he initially produced no surprises on U.S. monetary policy. However, at the end of his speech he warned that more strong U.S. economic data may force the Fed to remain hawkish for longer—prompting the precious metals prices to back off their highs. April gold was last up $1.90 at $1,881.40 and March silver was down $0.102 at $22.14.

The focal point of the marketplace today was a midday speech to an economics club in Washington, D.C. by Fed Chairman Powell. Powell reiterated that U.S. inflation has started to come down but has a long way to go to meet the Fed's inflation objectives. Powell was pressed on last Friday's strong jobs report possibly changing Fed policy to more hawkish, but Powell brushed that notion off, at first. However, at the end of his remarks he said more strong U.S. economic data could force the Fed to raise rates more than it expects at present. Traders and investors were extra anxious to see what Powell had to say after last week's surprisingly strong U.S. jobs report that many believe could indeed force the Fed to remain hawkish on U.S. monetary policy for longer.

Global stock markets were mixed overnight. U.S. stock indexes are mixed in afternoon trading and have lost the gains seen when Powell began his speech.

 Croatia buys nearly 2 tonnes of gold to transfer to the ECB as it becomes the latest eurozone member

The key outside markets see the U.S. dollar index modestly lower and but up from its daily low that came after Powell started speaking. The yield on the benchmark U.S. 10-year Treasury note is presently fetching around 3.63%. Meantime, Nymex crude oil futures prices are solidly up and trading around $76.50 a barrel.

Technically, April gold futures prices hit a four-week low Monday and saw short covering today. Bulls still have the overall near-term technical advantage. However, a three-month-old uptrend on the daily bar chart has been negated, to suggest a near-term market top is in place. Bulls' next upside price objective is to produce a close above solid resistance at the February high of $1,975.20. Bears' next near-term downside price objective is pushing futures prices below solid technical support at $1,850.00. First resistance is seen at $1,900.00 and then at $1,915.50. First support is seen at this week's low of $1,873.20 and then at $1,850.00. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 6.5

March silver futures prices hit a two-month low early on today. The silver bulls have the slight overall near-term technical advantage but need to show fresh power soon to keep it. Prices have seen a bearish downside "breakout" from a sideways trading range at higher levels. Silver bulls' next upside price objective is closing prices above solid technical resistance at $23.50. The next downside price objective for the bears is closing prices below solid support at $21.00. First resistance is seen at this week's high of $22.635 and then at $23.00. Next support is seen at today's low of $22.125 and then at $22.00. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 5.5.

March N.Y. copper closed up 275 points at 406.10 cents today. Prices closed nearer the session high. The copper bulls have the overall near-term technical advantage but are fading. A four-month-old uptrend on the daily bar chart has been at least temporarily negated. Copper bulls' next upside price objective is pushing and closing prices above solid technical resistance at the January high of 435.50 cents. The next downside price objective for the bears is closing prices below solid technical support at 380.00 cents. First resistance is seen at 410.00 cents and then at 420.00 cents. First support is seen at this week's low of 399.30 cents and then at 390.00 cents. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 6.5.

By Jim Wyckoff

For Kitco News

Time to Buy Gold and Silver

Tim Moseley

Global Risks Report 2023: What does the WEF have in store for us now?

Global Risks Report 2023: What does the WEF have in store for us now?

The World Economic Forum (WEF) has made headlines, particularly over the last few years, and more people have become aware of who and what they are. The WEF recently published a report detailing the risks the world will experience over the next two to ten years, according to so-called experts in various fields. The WEF Global Risks Report 2023 is the 18th edition and covers all aspects of worldly affairs, which they’ve named a polycrisis. 

Following is a summary of the WEF’s 98-page document on the upcoming polycrisis. Most, if not all, of what I would argue are arrogant, contradictory, and delusional assumptions. They’ve been known to call them predictions, and some would label them as promises. 

 


Image source: WEF Global Risks Report 2023

Preface: The Blame Game

The report begins with a brief preface by WEF managing director Saadia Zahidi. She discusses how carbon emissions have increased because pandemic restrictions have been dropped and blame the energy crisis, the food crisis, and soaring inflation on the war in Ukraine. 

The fact is the energy crisis began long before the war in Ukraine and is the consequence of the ESG ideology that the WEF invented. Although the war has contributed over the last year, the ESG-induced energy crisis that has been in play for years is causing inflation. 

Saadia notes, "The resulting shift in monetary policy marks the end of an economic era defined by easy access to cheap debt and will have vast ramifications for governments, companies, and individuals, widening inequality within and between countries.” She explains that the world is quickly deglobalizing and that only a few countries can be truly independent. 

Regarding the so-called polycrisis, Saadia says this will be caused primarily by “shortages in natural resources, such as food, water and metals, and minerals.” She concludes by saying that this year's edition of the global risks report is a call to action to prevent this polycrisis. 

Overview Of Methodology

The second part of the report details its methodology. The WEF got one part of the information for the account from 1,200 of its so-called experts from all areas of the economy. The report also specifies that the WEF got the other part of the information from the WEF’s executive opinion survey, which includes over 12,000 business leaders in 121 countries.

The report itself was written by 40 WEF members and 50 other influential people. The authors then define the term ‘Global Risk’ as “The possibility of the occurrence of an event or condition which, if it occurs, would negatively impact a significant proportion of global GDP, population, or natural resources.” 

Executive Summary

In the third part of the report, the authors say that the new normal of the pandemic was quickly disrupted by another crisis: the war in Ukraine. What's interesting is that the authors talk about the pandemic as if it were over. However, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), we're still technically in a pandemic. The decision for this public health emergency was recently renewed at a WHO meeting on Friday, January 27, 2023.  

The authors then list all the issues the world is facing today, including “unsustainable levels of debt and a new era of low growth, low global investment, and deglobalization, a decline in human development after decades of progress,” and every other disastrous thing, you can think of.

They provide the infographic below, which shows the issues the WEF experts are concerned with, ranked by severity. It illustrates that the cost of living crisis, natural disasters, and economic war is at the top of the list for the two-year period, while environmental-related issues are at the top of the list for the ten-year period.

The authors reveal that the polycrisis caused by the shortage of resources will simultaneously hit its peak in 2030, which is aligned with the deadline that the WEF and its affiliates have set for total world domination. What better way to do this than through successive manufactured crises?


Image source: WEF Global Risks Report 2023

The authors then warned that central banks worldwide would likely be fighting inflationary forces for the next two years. The resulting monetary policy, that is, high-interest rates, will do the most damage to developing countries, risking the collapse of these countries and mass migration. 

While the wars we’re going to see will be primarily economic, the authors seem to imply that China could soon invade Taiwan. To lessen the likelihood ground level combat in wars, the authors call for global controls to be imposed on the production and movement of weapons. They forgot that weapons would inevitably be easy for anyone to manufacture using 3D printers.

Additionally, the authors implicitly confirm that the technologies the WEF and its affiliates are developing will be designed to control the population. They claim that any country that does not have access to these technologies will fall victim to misinformation, the ultimate elite buzzword. 

The authors also predict that there will be “attacks against agriculture and water, financial systems, public security, transport, energy, and domestic, space and undersea communication infrastructure.” 


Image source: World Economic Forum

Notably, the WEF has recently been discussing these targeted cyber attacks a lot. Did you know cyber-attacks are a great way to justify online digital IDs? The authors argue that a failure to address the climate crisis means that crises such as the upcoming shortage of natural resources will be much worse. The authors fail to mention that government agencies have had the power to modify the weather for decades.

 
Cost Of Living Crisis

Regarding the cost of living crisis, the authors note, “Associated, social, unrest and political instability will not be contained to emerging markets as economic pressures continue to hollow out the middle-income bracket.”  

In other words, the only two economic categories will be rich and poor. The ray of hope is that four in five WEF experts believe most of the damage will be done over the next two years. Half of them think these issues will be resolved by the decade's end. This may be because they brazenly believe the WEF and its cohorts will achieve total control.

The impressive infographic below shows you how all these different crises will be connected. According to the WEF, the most critical emergencies will be the collapse of supply chains, erosion of social cohesion, and state collapse. It sounds like they know they're losing control. 


Image source: WEF Global Risks Report 2023

This ties into another infographic, which reveals that the participants in the WEF’s report believe that the powers that be are unprepared to address misinformation and disinformation. They recommend that governments act now. It looks like that’s exactly what they’re doing, which this article discusses. 


Image source: WEF Global Risks Report 2023

 

Today's Crisis

The fourth part of the report is aptly titled “Today's Crisis,” with the WEF experts noting that the energy crisis, cost of living crisis, and rising inflation are the most important. One could argue that’s because these crises destroy people's trust in the elites. Funnily enough, the pandemic is noted as one of the least critical crises.

The authors refer to these crises as “older risks that were faced by previous generations.” However, they cautioned that these old crises are intertwined with new risks, such as high levels of debt, significant technological innovation, and an increasing skepticism of WEF-like institutions.

The report then breaks down some of today's crises in more detail. For the cost of living, they caution that energy prices will likely remain 50% higher than last year and say that China's reopening could lead to a surge in energy-driven inflation. 
This will cause central banks to keep interest rates higher for longer. 

They also claimed the cost of living crisis had provoked mass protests in 92 countries. 92?!; this is arguably a claim that is a somewhat exaggerated and distorted statistic. It underlines that the people in their apparent power are more desperate than ever to keep the narrative under control. 

The authors explain that the international monetary fund (IMF) expects global inflation to drop from 9% in 2022 to 6.4% in 2023 and a further decline to 4.1% in 2024. They note that this slowdown in inflation will be felt the most in developed countries but caution that unemployment could keep it high. 

They also caution that keeping interest rates higher for longer in developed countries could cause issues in developing countries, notably for their governments. In short, money is moving out of emerging market government bonds, risking a spike in interest rates that could cause defaults. 

The authors then dare to claim that the geoeconomic dynamic caused Sri Lanka to collapse. In reality, Sri Lanka collapsed because it was trying to implement the WEF’s ESG policies on a national scale. The result was effectively a shortage of everything.

 


Image source: Twitter

The authors also note the Netherlands as the country most concerned about commitment to arbitrary and ever-changing climate goals. The Dutch government recently announced it would buy up and close down 3,000 family farms. The government claims this is because of the climate crisis, but many argue it has more to do with the Tri-State City that the Netherlands is building in partnership with the United Nations. 

As for the geoeconomic warfare we're witnessing, the report states that the unprecedented sanctions against Russia sent a clear message to any country that opposes Western interests. ‘Western governments will seize your assets.’ It appears that this hostility is even occurring between allies; as the authors point out that the US president’s ironically titled Inflation Reduction Act incentivizes some EU companies to relocate to the US. 

The Digital Markets Act was the EU's response to this blatant overreach. The authors caution that this situation will “likely continue to weaken existing alliances as nations turn inwards with enhanced state intervention perceived to drive a race to the bottom.” They even warn that global organizations such as the WHO will be weaponized for geo-political purposes.

Meanwhile, the authors say there's been a “divergence between what is scientifically necessary and what is politically expedient.” They go as far as criticizing Europe for turning to fossil fuels when it faced imminent energy shortages but also say that intermittent energy sources will not be sufficient. 

When it comes to the societal polarization we're seeing, the authors assert that it lies at the core of all the other crises we're currently experiencing and could experience. Not surprisingly, they blame the free sharing of information, stating, “This is further amplified by social media, which increases polarization and distrust in institutions alongside political engagement.” 

The WEF believes this free sharing of information is just misinformation and disinformation. They also acknowledge that “Regulatory constraints and educational efforts will likely fail to keep pace, and its impact will expand with the more widespread usage of automation and machine learning technologies from bots that imitate human written text to deep fakes of politicians.” 

Tomorrow’s Catastrophes

If today's crises aren't terrifying enough for the WEF to control the population, the fifth part of the report talks about “tomorrow's catastrophes,” which might pay off if the WEF gets its way. Remembering that the top catastrophes have to do with the weather, which governments can, in fact, influence. 

The authors group these long-term catastrophes into five categories: Natural ecosystems, Human health, Human security, Digital rights, and Economic stability. They stress that these categories are incomplete and can be used as templates for preparing for other upcoming crises.

1: Natural Ecosystems: past the point of no return

For natural ecosystems, the authors state that humans have disturbed the natural balance of nature, which is a bit funny considering that humans are a part of nature too. Some aspects of human life have gone to extremes, and this is doing damage to the environment. 

According to them, the only solution is to control what the population consumes and where individuals can go. But of course, these restrictions won’t apply to them; they will continue to live the comfortable lives that nature intended for all of us, not just the elite few.   

If that wasn't frustrating enough, consider the following, “land use change remains the most prolific threat to nature, according to many experts. Agriculture and animal farming alone take up more than 35% of Earth's terrestrial surface and are the biggest direct drivers of wildlife decline globally.” 

Moreover, “The ongoing crisis in the affordability and availability of food supplies positions efforts to conserve and restore terrestrial biodiversity at odds with domestic food security.” Now, this is patently false because more farm animals could, in fact, potentially be part of the solution to climate change. I urge you to watch this video in its entirety. It proves these climate change extremists are dangerously messing with nature.

 

What's insane is that the authors suggest forgiving the debt owed by developing countries in exchange for their land so that it can be conserved. They admit that this would create serious food security challenges in these countries but don't seem to care all that much about this side effect. 

For what it's worth, the authors acknowledge that mining the minerals required to make things like electric vehicles and massive batteries for intermittent energy sources is hugely damaging to the environment and could disrupt ecosystems. It's a shame that they also seem to shrug off this side effect. The authors also discuss the issuance of carbon credits, which I discussed in this article

2: Human Health: Perma-pandemics

Now for human health, the authors pitch the possibility of permanent pandemics, which I'm sure the WEF would love to see. Fun fact; research has shown that pandemics tend to occur every time there's a solar minimum when the sun is shining the least because it lowers vitamin D levels globally. Coincidently, the last solar minimum was around 2020. Could the WEF have known that? 


Image source: Universe Magazine 

Anyway, conspiracy theories aside, the authors can't help but insist that much of the human health issues we're going to see will be related to climate change. And, of course, they claim that all these issues will ultimately be due to disinformation and misinformation, causing distrust in evidently untrustworthy authorities. 

3: Human Security: new weapons, new conflicts

In the case of human security, the report highlights concerns that the WEF experts have about internal conflicts. The authors also caution that the recent resurgence in militarization could set the stage for international disputes. They cover what weapons governments are constructing, such as anti-satellite and hypersonic weapons, directed energy weapons, and quantum computers. 

They explain that Directed Energy Weapons are expected to make significant progress over the next decade, with the potential to disable satellites, electronics, communications, and positioning systems. Quantum computing may be harnessed and deployed to target vulnerabilities in sophisticated military technologies, ranging from disinformation campaigns to hacking hardware in nuclear defense systems.

The authors abstained from suggesting that hostile countries actively use weather modification weapons against each other. However, they did predict a rise in so-called rogue actors that eventually will get their hands on these advanced weapons, be they, individuals or organized groups. 

 4: Digital Rights: privacy in peril

Regarding digital rights, the authors point to the ever-increasing erosion of privacy as the primary issue. Ironically, the WEF doesn't want the average person to have privacy. Instead, they want to make sure their constituents have privacy while they make massive profits from our data.

The authors confirmed that “Individuals will be targeted and monitored by the public and private sector to an unprecedented degree, often without adequate anonymity or consent.” Most of the people who run these institutions in the public and private sectors are part of the WEF. 

If that wasn't bad enough, the report says, “This pattern will only be enhanced by the metaverse, which could collect and track even more sensitive data, including facial expressions, gait, vital signs, brain wave patterns, and vocal inflections.” According to the WEF research, the poor will love the metaverse. 

Additionally, it states, "Research suggests that 99.98% of US residents could be correctly re-identified in any data set, including those that are heavily sampled and anonymized.” In other words, these systems are so advanced that they can identify you, even if the information isn't directly linked to your identity. 

As far as the authors are concerned, this is fine because “The right to privacy is not absolute. It is traded off against government surveillance and preventative policing for the purposes of National Security.” To be fair, they admit that this justification can, and often does, go too far. 

5: Economic Stability: global debt distress

In the matter of economic stability, the authors emphasize the debt crisis that many countries are facing due to rising interest rates. What's funny is that the authors seem to be hoping for a recession because it will cause central banks to lower interest rates, reducing the debt default risk. They point to the UK's Gilt Market as an example of what could happen elsewhere if interest rates don't come down soon.

The authors reveal that China has become the world's largest creditor. In other words, China owns more of everyone's debt than anyone else. This is primarily due to China's Belt and Road initiative, which has given infrastructure loans to developing countries.

The authors caution that the credit crunch currently experienced by many countries means they'll be less able to spend money on building public infrastructure. This will further contribute to the world's other issues, hence why the authors are so obsessed with the term polycrisis. 


Image source: Financial Times

 

Possible Outcomes For The Polycrisis

The authors then proceed to provide a clear definition of ‘polycrisis.’ “A cluster of related, global risks with compounding effects, such that the overall impact exceeds the sum of each part.” 

It’s laughable that the authors admit that the polycrisis, which will again be caused primarily by a shortage of natural resources, is due mainly to the United Nations’ sustainable development goals (SDGs), which member countries of the UN are expected to achieve by 2030.

The report states the possible outcomes of this polycrisis defined in four categories. They are resource collaboration, resource constraints, resource competition, and resource control. The timeline for these possible outcomes is, of course, 2030.

The outcome of resource collaboration sounds like what's already happening. Countries cooperate, but the actual shortage of natural resources causes inflation to continue, leading to many of the same issues the authors have discussed.

Resource constraints are the same outcome but worse. The authors state, “In the absence of intervention, the water and mineral shortages experienced in the resource collaboration scenario act as a multiplier to broader risks.” 

As for resource competition, the outcome sounds like what many analysts have predicted. Countries decide to reshore their supply chains in an attempt to become self-sufficient. The effect of resource control is self-explanatory. Nations fight each other for resources to become self-sufficient. 

Ironically, the authors admit that the urgency of protecting the environment conflicts with strip-mining the planet for materials to make EVs and batteries. What's sad is that there's almost no mention of nuclear energy anywhere in this report; it's only mentioned in passing, not as a valid topic.

Besides precious metals and minerals, the authors are also concerned about water. They fail to acknowledge that most of the natural resource shortages they claim would occur could easily be solved by not relying on intermittent energy sources like wind and solar. Somehow, this isn't an option. Is it because most solar panels, wind turbines, and batteries are made in China? 

The infographic below illustrates that China plays a role at every step of the green energy roll-out. 


Image source: WEF Global Risks Report 2023

 

Below is another infographic that shows China doesn't have all the minerals the WEF needs to create its centralized smart grids and cities. Consider that countries could create nuclear power sources without relying on China, but then, the WEF wouldn't have centralized control of all the world's energy. 

To clarify, countries like the DRC, Turkey, Chili, Australia, and South Africa, hold all the aces. The authors caution that there will be an intense power struggle for the resources in these regions. Nuclear is much easier, but according to the report, it's not an option, despite the recent breakthrough with nuclear fusion. 


Image source: WEF Global Risks Report 2023

The Conclusion Of The Report 

The authors repeat that we're entering a “low growth, low investment, and low cooperation era.” They recommend that the leaders at the WEF do four things to prepare for the upcoming polycrisis. 

The first is to improve risk identification. The authors imply that the people in power should try to crush dissent when identifying future risks. They also call for establishing global organizations to keep track of future risks and tell countries how to address them. 

The second is to rethink future risks. By this, the authors mean that the people in power should try and minimize the coverage of real-time risks that pertain to the average person. Instead, they should try and push people to become obsessed with future risks that have yet to occur, like climate catastrophes.  

The third is to invest in preparedness. The authors reveal that the United States, the United Kingdom, and others are preparing to pass laws that will mandate public and private institutions to prepare for any kind of crisis that could occur over the next 30 Years. 

The fourth is cooperating with other powerful individuals and institutions in the public and private sectors. The authors complain that international cooperation is deteriorating and urge countries not to become self-sufficient. Instead, they should become reliant on each other.

How Do We Prepare?

What do we do to prepare for the impending so-called polycrisis? The answer is to do the opposite of whatever the WEF wants. As mentioned above, the shortages in natural resources at the core of this polycrisis are rooted in the WEF’s ESG obsessions, per the author's admissions. If you read this article about how to survive the great reset, you'll know that ESG is the way that the private sector is driving the United Nations' SDGs.

There's no denying that some genuine global issues need to be addressed. Some of the concerns that the WEFs correspondents have are very real. The problem is that they want to centralize control of the entire system to ensure it doesn't collapse, but that's not the solution. The solution is to decentralize everything.

We can start by decentralizing money with cryptocurrency. This cryptocurrency should be hard money like gold to incentivize saving instead of spending, which will eliminate overconsumption. Then we can decentralize energy with nuclear power and accelerate the development of fusion power. 

After that, we must decentralize information. Everything should be as open source as possible, and it should be possible to get information about the same issue or event from multiple sources—no more coordinated censorship by the trifecta of big tech, the mainstream media, and governments.

Voting systems should be publicly verifiable too, and can already be done today, but governments won't allow this degree of transparency for some unexplained reason. Is it possible that the corrupt elite has hijacked the democratic systems?

Regarding food production and water security, as mentioned above, it is possible to combat climate change using farm animals. The short story is about having farm animals graze as they did historically; this can turn literal deserts into an oasis, resulting in more food and water. If you haven’t already, seriously, watch the video above. It certainly made an impact on me. 

So, with sound money, near-infinite energy, uncensored information, and plenty of food and water, it would be a GOD-given paradise of nature in which we all belong and would flourish. More importantly, it would become possible to overcome any crisis the WEF and its cronies could predict or promise. That is the world I’m sure we all want, and it's the one we’ll continue to fight for with God’s help and guidance. 

 

 

Editor and Chief Markethive: Deb Williams. (Australia) I thrive on progress and champion freedom of speech. I embrace "Change" with a passion, and my purpose in life is to enlighten people to accept and move forward with enthusiasm. Find me at my Markethive Profile Page | My Twitter Account | and my LinkedIn Profile.

 

 

 

Tim Moseley

Considering dollar strength gold’s fractional gains were more than respectable

Considering dollar strength gold’s fractional gains were more than respectable

After factoring in two days of dramatic price declines in gold resulting in a loss of just under $90 per ounce, the fractional gains were significant. The significance is in the fact that gold (futures and spot) pricing advanced at all with such a strong dollar.

The dollar gained 0.71% and the dollar index is currently settled at 103.485. As of 5:48 PM EST, gold futures basis the most active April contract is currently fixed at $1880.20 after factoring in today’s gain of $3.60. Spot gold according to the Kitco gold index (KGX) is currently fixed at $1867.40, a net gain of $3.10.

The best way to illustrate how today’s fractional gains were significant is to look at the effect of dollar strength and normal trading in spot pricing. Physical gold gained $3.10 in trading today and that does not tell the complete story.

Dollar strength caused gold to decline by $11.75. Normal trading without factoring in dollar strength or weakness actually took gold $14.85 higher. This is why a fractional gain of three dollars does not fully disclose the significance of gold’s upside move today.

Silver did have a slight decline losing $0.14 to dollar strength, losing nine cents due to normal trading and five cents due to dollar strength with spot silver currently fixed at $22.25.

Because today’s price advance in gold was accomplished in light of major headwinds the result of dollar strength we can say that gold effectively rebounded today even though it’s not evident by just looking at the price change. However, the gains in gold regardless of dollar strength could have been due to simply short covering with traders pulling profits on short-term trades rather than the initial accumulation of long positions. In other words, it is too early to tell if gold prices witnessed the first signs of prices pivoting back into a bullish demeanor.

Gold has gained so much value since November 3 that the two-day price decline of $90 last week was long overdue. The question of whether or not it has found a bottom and this correction concluded at a 38.2% Fibonacci retracement level, or has more downside potential will be revealed over time. The fact that we didn’t see a sharp decline today was welcome news for gold bulls and time will tell whether or not the current price correction has concluded or not.

By Gary Wagner

Contributing to kitco.com

Time to Buy Gold and Silver

Tim Moseley

Gold’s massive 50 daily drop is just a ‘speed bump’ in the 2023 outlook but be aware of more profit-taking next week – analysts

Gold's massive $50 daily drop is just a 'speed bump' in the 2023 outlook but be aware of more profit-taking next week – analysts

The gold market saw significant losses Friday as the precious metal dropped $50 on the day following a shockingly solid employment report out of the U.S.

The U.S. economy added a staggering 517,000 jobs in January as the unemployment rate dropped to 3.4% — the lowest level since 1969. This took many by surprise as market consensus calls were looking for just 185,000 new positions.

On top of that, the U.S. service sector beat expectations in January, rising to 55.2% after a contraction in December, according to the latest data from the Institute of Supply Management (ISM).

"Today's data irked the Federal Reserve, which was fairly confident about inflation trends. This service sector is still too strong. And it is going to keep wage pressures elevated," OANDA senior market analyst Edward Moya told Kitco News.

After raising rates at a slower pace of 25 basis points on Wednesday, Fed Chair Jerome Powell talked about disinflation progress. "It is gratifying to see the disinflationary process now getting underway," he said. "We can now say, for the first time, that the disinflationary process has started. And we see it really in goods prices so far."

However, Powell did acknowledge that the service sector is yet to feel a slowdown in inflation.

Before Friday's employment report, the markets were looking for the Fed to potentially end its hiking cycle in March, but that is now changing, and gold is reacting to that, noted Moya.

"This is very disruptive for the gold trade. The markets thought we were very close to the end of Fed tightening. And now, there is the question of when this economy will really weaken. This employment report was shockingly strong, and that suggests that wage pressures are not coming down any time soon," Moya added.

Gold plummeted Friday, with April Comex futures dropping to $1,875.70 an ounce, down $55 on the day and looking to close the week down 3.7%.

"There is a lot of data for markets to digest. And not just the employment report but the Fed's tone. The market wants to interpret Powell as dovish. But the Fed's reaction function will be difficult to predict. That's the main reason why gold has gone down," Gainesville Coins precious metals expert Everett Millman told Kitco News.

After the best start to the year since 2012, gold was due for some profit-taking, and with the latest developments, analysts said there might be more selling next week.

"The path of least resistance for gold is to move lower," said Millman. "Expect us to spend more time consolidating and trading sideways. Gold spent so little time trading between $1,800-$1,900 before this selloff. It quickly moved from $1,700 to $1,900. This is why gold will be testing a lot of these levels in $1,800s before the market has strong conviction again."

The immediate support for gold is $1,870 an ounce. If that doesn't hold, gold will test $1,850 and then $1,800, Millman pointed out.

However, the overall bullish outlook remains intact despite the short-term downtrend, noted Millman. "No matter what the Fed ends up doing, gold will perform well through the rest of the year. This is a short-term speed bump rather than a fundamental change in gold's outlook," he said.

One driver to watch in the first quarter will be central bank gold buying after the official sector purchased 1,136 tonnes — the most since 1967 in 2022, according to the World Gold Council's (WGC) data.

"This is a major theme supporting gold as an investment. We haven't seen that level of interest since the last financial crisis. That is an important thing to watch," Millman pointed out.

 

Next week's data

The event to watch next week is Fed Chair Powell's appearance at the Economic Club of Washington.

"If he fails to push back meaningfully against the market reaction, the implication would be that the Fed itself is relaxed with what the market is doing, which risks it pushing further in the direction of pricing future interest rate cuts," said ING chief international economist James Knightley.

Tuesday: Powell speaks

Thursday: U.S. jobless claims,

Friday: Michigan consumer sentiment

By Anna Golubova

For Kitco News

Time to Buy Gold and Silver

Tim Moseley

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Introduction

There are many products in the market today that will help you to live a better life. However, there are only a few products that can actually change your life for the better. These are the items you should have in your home at all times if you want to lead a healthy and happy lifestyle.

Complete Plant-Based Protein

Plant-based protein is a type of dietary protein that comes from plants. It's often referred to as "vegan" or "vegetarian" protein, but there are many foods that are not animal products that contain plant-based proteins, including nuts, seeds and legumes. Plant-based proteins can be helpful in reducing your risk for heart disease and stroke because they tend to be low in saturated fat and cholesterol, which means they won't raise blood cholesterol levels like animal products do.

Plant-based diets also help reduce inflammation within the body–a contributor to many chronic diseases such as arthritis–by providing anti-inflammatory nutrients such as omega 3 fatty acids (from flaxseeds), resveratrol (found in grape skins) or anthocyanins (found in blueberries). Research shows these nutrients may help prevent cancer too!

 

E3 – Energy, Endurance, Electrolytes

E3 is a complete plant-based protein powder that offers 21g of protein per serving. It also contains all nine essential amino acids, making it one of the few plant-based proteins on the market that can claim this distinction.

E3 is great for any diet, whether you're looking to increase your overall health and wellness or just want some extra energy during workouts!

 

Ageless Skin Serum

The Ageless Skin Serum is a product that has many benefits. It can be used on the face and neck, as well as other parts of the body. The serum will help to enhance the skin's appearance by reducing lines and wrinkles, tightening sagging skin, improving elasticity and making it feel softer to touch.

The serum should be applied twice daily after cleansing your face with warm water then pat dry with a soft towel before applying the serum generously all over your face including around eyes if desired for extra moisturizing effect! You may notice an immediate difference in how smooth & soft your complexion feels after using this product just once but results will continue improving over time as long as you keep using it regularly!

Essential Aminos

Essential Amino Acids are the building blocks of protein, and they're essential because the body does not produce them. They must be consumed through food. Essential amino acids are used to build muscle and repair tissue, as well as helping with your immune system functions.

Factor4 – Advanced Inflammation Management

Factor4 is an advanced formula that was developed by a team of medical professionals and scientists to help support healthy inflammation response. It can be used as part of a total body wellness program, or as part of your daily routine.

  • How does Factor4 work?

Factor4 contains powerful ingredients that work together to support healthy inflammation response in the body by:

  • Reducing free radical damage caused by oxidative stress

  • Increasing glutathione levels (the master antioxidant) in the liver, which helps protect cells from damage caused by free radicals and toxins such as alcohol and cigarettes

  • Supporting healthy levels of hs-CRP (high sensitivity C-reactive protein), an indicator of chronic low grade systemic inflammation

CBD Oil

CBD oil is a natural extract that comes from the cannabis plant. It has been shown to have many health benefits, including reducing pain and inflammation, improving sleep quality and even helping people with anxiety disorders.

How does it work? The human body has an endocannabinoid system (ECS) which consists of receptors throughout our bodies that interact with cannabinoids such as CBD or THC found in marijuana plants. These receptors regulate things like appetite, mood and memory by helping cannabinoids send signals through our nervous system. When you consume CBD it interacts with these receptors to create positive effects on your body's functions without getting you high like traditional marijuana does!

CBD oil tastes great when added into any food or beverage! You can use this product daily for optimal health benefits such as stress relief & weight loss support while also providing relief from chronic pain conditions such as arthritis & fibromyalgia symptoms too!

Organic Coffee

Organic coffee, like all other organic products, is grown without pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. This means that it has more antioxidants and nutrients than conventional coffee. Organic beans also have higher levels of flavonoids (a type of antioxidant) than regular beans do. Coffee can help you burn fat and lose weight by increasing your metabolism as well as boosting your energy levels so that you're more active throughout the day–and therefore burning more calories overall!

Coffee can also help keep you focused and alert during long workdays; if you're having trouble staying awake at work, try adding some caffeine to your diet in the form of a cup o' Joe instead of reaching for an energy drink laden with artificial ingredients (or even worse: a soda). And finally: many people find that drinking coffee helps them sleep better at night; studies suggest that drinking two cups before bedtime helps reduce insomnia symptoms such as difficulty falling asleep or waking up frequently throughout the night

Organic Super Greens

Organic Super Greens is a blend of organic fruits and vegetables that can be used as an alternative to vitamins. It contains all the essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that are necessary for overall health and wellness.

Organic Super Reds

Organic Super Reds is a blend of red fruits, vegetables, and herbs that help you get more out of life.

It contains lycopene, anthocyanins and other antioxidants to reduce inflammation in your body. This helps improve skin health, support heart health and also supports muscle recovery after exercise or workouts. Organic Super Reds has been shown to help with focusing on tasks at hand by reducing fatigue while helping you sleep better at night!

Purchase any of these amazing products to enhance your life today.

  • Complete Plant-based Protein

  • Ageless Skin Serum

  • Essential Amino Acids

  • CBD Oil

  • Organic Coffee

  • Organic Super Greens & Super Reds

Conclusion

If you're looking for the best life changing products on the market today, then look no further. We have a wide range of products that can help you achieve your goals, whether it's improving your health or boosting your energy levels. We have everything from plant-based protein powders to ageless skin serum that will leave you feeling refreshed and rejuvenated after just one use!

Tim Moseley

Gold silver pull back on profit taking and as USDX rebounds

Gold, silver pull back on profit taking and as USDX rebounds

Gold prices are lower and silver well down from its daily high in midday U.S. trading Thursday. Profit taking from the shorter-term futures traders is featured in both metals after gold hit a nine-month high and silver a four-week high overnight. A rebound in the U.S. dollar index today after its pounding Wednesday is also a bearish daily outside market element for the precious metals. Still, both gold and silver are in firm near-term technical control. April gold was last down $10.10 at $1,932.70 and March silver was up $0.036 at $23.65.

The marketplace Thursday was still digesting Wednesday afternoon's FOMC statement and Fed Chair Jerome Powell's press conference. The Fed raised the Fed funds rate range by 0.25%, as widely expected. However, Powell's remarks at his presser led the marketplace to believe the Fed is close to ending its string of interest rate increases. Powell said inflation is receding but needs to pull back farther. He mentioned the word "disinflation" as characterizing the present U.S. economic conditions. Most agreed that in the final assessment, Powell was not nearly as hawkish as he had been in recent FOMC press conferences and left the door open to a Fed "pivot" sooner rather than later.

Gold price gains as Fed Chair Powell talks disinflation but warns it's too early to declare victory

Today was the regular monetary policy meetings of the European Central Bank and the Bank of England, which saw both central banks raise their main interest rates by 0.5%. The moves were not unexpected.

Focus now turns to Friday morning's January U.S. employment situation report from the Labor Department. The key non-farm payrolls number is expected to be up 187,000 jobs, following a rise of 223,000 in the December report.

The key outside markets today see the U.S. dollar index higher but it hit a nine-month low overnight. Nymex crude oil futures prices are a bit firmer and trading around $76.50 a barrel. Meantime, the yield on the benchmark U.S. 10-year Treasury note is presently fetching 3.365%.

Technically, April gold futures prices hit a nine-month high early on today and then reversed course to score a bearish "outside day" down on the daily bar chart. Bulls still have the solid overall near-term technical advantage. A three-month-old uptrend is in place on the daily bar chart. Bulls' next upside price objective is to produce a close above solid resistance at $2,000.00. Bears' next near-term downside price objective is pushing futures prices below solid technical support at $1,900.00. First resistance is seen at $1,950.00 and then at today's high of $1,975.20. First support is seen at $1,925.00 and then at this week's low of $1,915.50. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 8.0

March silver futures prices hit a four-week high early on today. The silver bulls have the overall near-term technical advantage. However, trading has been choppy and sideways at higher levels. Silver bulls' next upside price objective is closing prices above solid technical resistance at the January high of $24.775. The next downside price objective for the bears is closing prices below solid support at $22.00. First resistance is seen at $24.00 and then at last week's high of $24.415. Next support is seen at this week's low of $23.05 and then at the January low of $22.845. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 6.5.

March N.Y. copper closed down 35 points at 410.75 cents today. Prices closed near the session low and hit a three-week low today. The copper bulls have the firm overall near-term technical advantage but are fading a bit. A four-month-old uptrend on the daily bar chart has stalled out. Copper bulls' next upside price objective is pushing and closing prices above solid technical resistance at the January high of 435.50 cents. The next downside price objective for the bears is closing prices below solid technical support at 395.00 cents. First resistance is seen at 420.00 cents and then at this week's high of 424.90 cents. First support is seen at this week's low of 410.25 cents and then at 405.00 cents. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 7.0.

By Jim Wyckoff

For Kitco News

Time to Buy Gold and Silver

Tim Moseley

Gold price rallies post-FOMC as USDX US bond yields sink

Gold price rallies, post-FOMC, as USDX, U.S. bond yields sink

Gold and silver pricesare higher and near their daily highs in afternoon U.S. trading Wednesday, in the wake of a slight interest rate increase from the Federal Reserve that was widely expected. April gold was up $15.30 at $1,960.40 and March silver was up $0.199 at $24.03.

The U.S. data point of the week is the Federal Reserve Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting that just ended. The FOMC raised its Fed funds rate range by 0.25%, as expected, following the last meeting’s 0.5% rate hike. The FOMC statement said U.S. inflation has eased a bit but remains too high, suggesting more rate hikes are coming. The press conference by Fed Chairman Jerome Powell saw the chairman maintain his vigilance at stomping out problematic price inflation. Yet during his remarks, the marketplace saw its mood improve markedly as the U.S. stock indexes rallied, the U.S. dollar index tanked, U.S. Treasury yields declined, and gold and silver prices rallied. It could be that the marketplace was just relieved Powell did not sound even more hawkish than he had in his recent remarks. The European Central Bank and Bank of England hold their monetary policy meetings Thursday.

Today’s ADP national employment report for January showed a rise of 106,000 workers, which was below the consensus forecast for a rise of 190,000. Gold prices up-ticked just very slightly following the report. The ADP report is a precursor to the more important employment situation report for January from the Labor Department on Friday morning. The key non-farm payrolls number in that report is forecast to come in at up 187,000 jobs.

 LBMA annual survey sees gold prices averaging the year around $1,859 an ounce, silver to hold around $23.65

The key outside markets today see the U.S. dollar index sharply lower and hitting an eight-month low. Nymex crude oil futures prices are sharply down and trading around $76.75 a barrel. A surprising weekly rise in U.S. liquid energy stocks in the latest reporting week pressured the energy markets today. Meantime, the yield on the benchmark U.S. 10-year Treasury note is presently fetching around 3.404%.

Technically, April gold futures bulls have the solid overall near-term technical advantage. A three-month-old uptrend is in place on the daily bar chart. Bulls’ next upside price objective is to produce a close above solid resistance at $2,000.00. Bears' next near-term downside price objective is pushing futures prices below solid technical support at $1,900.00. First resistance is seen at the January high of $1,966.50 and then at $1,975.00. First support is seen at $1,950.00 and then at today’s low of $1,936.10. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 8.0

March silver futures bulls have the overall near-term technical advantage. However, trading has been choppy and sideways for weeks. Silver bulls' next upside price objective is closing prices above solid technical resistance at the January high of $24.775. The next downside price objective for the bears is closing prices below solid support at $22.00. First resistance is seen at last week’s high of $24.415 and then at $24.67. Next support is seen at today’s low of $23.44 and then at this week’s low of $23.05. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 6.5.

March N.Y. copper closed down 1,085 points at 411.85 cents today. Prices closed nearer the session low and hit a three-week low today. The copper bulls have the firm overall near-term technical advantage but are fading a bit. A four-month-old uptrend on the daily bar chart has stalled out. Copper bulls' next upside price objective is pushing and closing prices above solid technical resistance at the January high of 435.50 cents. The next downside price objective for the bears is closing prices below solid technical support at 395.00 cents. First resistance is seen at 420.00 cents and then at this week’s high of 424.90 cents. First support is seen at today’s low of 410.55 cents and then at 405.00 cents. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 7.0.

By Jim Wyckoff

For Kitco News

Time to Buy Gold and Silver

Tim Moseley

Power of the Mind in Health and Healing

Power of the Mind in Health and Healing

the mind

Introduction

Whether you have an illness or are just looking for ways to improve your health and well-being, mindfulness can be one of the best tools that you have. The benefits of mindfulness are wide-ranging, and they can help everyone deal with illness in a more positive way.

Mindfulness helps you focus and prioritize.

Mindfulness is a state of active, open attention to the present moment. When you practice mindfulness, you bring your full awareness to the current moment. You observe your thoughts and feelings from a distance, without judging them good or bad. Instead of letting your mind wander off into the past or future, you stay focused on what's happening right now in this very moment–and that helps keep stress at bay.

Mindfulness helps improve focus because it trains our brain to stay alert while paying attention to one thing at a time (like driving on autopilot). It also improves concentration by giving us better control over our emotions; when we're feeling stressed out about something in particular that's causing us anxiety, practicing mindfulness can help us deal with those feelings more effectively than if we weren't practicing it regularly at all!

It can help you cope with your illness.

  • Mindfulness can help you become more aware of your thoughts and feelings.

  • It can help you focus on the present moment, rather than dwelling on the past or worrying about the future.

  • This can make it easier for you to accept your illness, as well as its limitations and side effects–and it may even decrease anxiety about what might happen in the future (like whether or not treatment will work).

Mindfulness can break harmful habits.

Mindfulness can help you break harmful habits. When you are mindful, you are more aware of your actions and how they affect yourself and others. This awareness can help break bad habits like smoking or overeating by making them less automatic and more deliberate. A mindful approach to eating also helps people lose weight because they're more aware of what they're putting into their bodies and how much they're eating at each meal.

Mindfulness helps you control your stress.

Stress is a normal part of life. It can be good or bad, depending on how you manage it. Stressful situations are unavoidable, but the way we react to them can make all the difference in how we feel about them and whether or not they have long-term effects on our health and well-being.

If you're feeling stressed out and overwhelmed by life, mindfulness may help you manage your stress better by helping you become aware of what's going on in your mind and body at any given moment–and giving yourself space from those thoughts so that they don't control how much energy (or lack thereof) goes into dealing with them.

It can change how you experience pain.

 

Mindfulness can help you understand pain.

Mindfulness is the practice of paying attention to your thoughts and feelings in the present moment, without judgment. When you're mindful, you're aware of what's going on around you–and inside of you–without judging it or trying to change it. It's about being nonjudgmental about yourself and others rather than reacting emotionally based on past experiences or expectations for how things should be in the future.

Mindfulness can help ease your discomfort with chronic pain by allowing yourself time to process what is happening physically as well as mentally so that instead of getting caught up in worrying about how much it hurts or how long this episode will last (or both), instead turn toward being present with whatever sensations may arise during these times: throbbing aches; sharp jabs; dull aches; tingling numbness…whatever! By giving yourself space between physical sensation and emotional reaction, mindfulness allows us room for growth through reflection and understanding rather than dwelling on negativity which only serves further exacerbate our suffering over time!

Mindfulness will help you understand yourself better.

Mindfulness can help you understand yourself better. It will help you become aware of your thoughts, feelings and emotions. This can be a useful tool for anyone who wants to make changes in their life but has difficulty identifying what needs changing or how they might go about doing so.

Mindfulness also allows us to observe our reactions without judgement; it helps us see things objectively without getting caught up in the story we have created around an event or situation. This allows us time to think before reacting which may lead to better decision making when dealing with stressful situations (e.g., work).

Mindfulness has been found useful for managing pain because it teaches us how not only accept but also tolerate discomfort without trying desperately avoid it through distraction or focus on physical sensations such as breathing patterns rather than focusing exclusively on thoughts about pain itself

It can improve the way that you relate to others.

Mindfulness can help you improve the way in which you relate to others. It helps you be more present with others and less judgmental, as well as helps improve your understanding of them. This leads to greater empathy and less reactivity.

Mindfulness can help you sleep better.

Mindfulness can help you sleep better.

It can help you relax and reduce stress, which will allow you to drift off into a deep and restful slumber. It also teaches you how to let go of thoughts that keep you awake, so that when your body is ready for sleep, it will be able to do so without the interference of busy brain activity or racing thoughts. Finally, mindfulness gives us an opportunity to connect with our bodies by recognizing when we're tired–so if your mind keeps telling itself "I'm not tired yet!" but your body feels like it could use some shut-eye? Mindfulness gives us permission not only accept this feeling but act on it as well!

Everyone can benefit from being more mindful, especially when they have an illness or chronic pain to deal with.

Mindfulness is a way of living in the present moment. Mindfulness can help you deal with stress, sleep better and cope with illness. It's also great for breaking harmful habits like smoking or overeating.

Mindfulness will help you understand yourself better by helping you become more aware of your thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations and surroundings as they happen in each moment–not judging them as good or bad but simply observing them without judgment so that they pass through your awareness without leaving any residue behind that might disturb your peace of mind.

Conclusion

In conclusion, mindfulness can be a powerful tool in your quest to live a better life. It's not just about health and healing–it can help you live more fully in all areas of your life, from relationships with others to how you manage stress or pain. The benefits of mindfulness are wide-ranging and well-documented by science. The only thing holding you back is yourself!

 

bestlife

#purpose  #purpose  #driven life  #motivation  #the purpose driven life review #the purpose driven life audiobook  #life purpose  #inspirational

Tim Moseley

Gold silver up after traders buy the early price dips

Gold, silver up after traders buy the early price dips

Gold and silver prices are firmer in midday U.S. trading Tuesday, as traders stepped in to do some perceived bargain hunting on early-session price pullbacks. Trading action is more subdued just ahead of this week’s monetary policy decisions by major central banks. February gold was last up $7.10 at $1,930.00 and March silver was up $0.057 at $23.795.

The U.S. data point of the week is the Federal Reserve Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting that began Tuesday morning and ends Wednesday afternoon with a statement. Most believe the Fed will raise the key U.S. interest rate by 0.25%, following the recent 0.5% rate hikes. Trading in stock and financial markets may be more muted just ahead of the FOMC statement and press conference by Fed Chairman Jerome Powell Wednesday afternoon. The European Central Bank and Bank of England hold their monetary policy meetings Thursday.

Global stock markets were mostly lower overnight. U.S. stock indexes are higher at midday. Another tamer U.S. inflation report this morning mildly boosted trader and investor sentiment. The U.S. fourth-quarter employment cost index rose just 0.1% and was up 5.1%, year-on-year. The U.S. stock indexes are still in price uptrends on the daily bar charts and the stock index bulls have the overall near-term technical advantage.

 Gold is vulnerable to a pullback as Powell prepares to signal 'seriousness', but will hit an all-time high in 2023 – Adrian Day

The key outside markets today see the U.S. dollar index a bit weaker. Nymex crude oil futures prices are up and trading around $78.75 a barrel. Oil traders are awaiting an OPEC-plus cartel meeting Wednesday. Meantime, the yield on the benchmark U.S. 10-year Treasury note is presently fetching 3.523%.

 

Technically, February gold futures bulls have the solid overall near-term technical advantage. A three-month-old uptrend is in place on the daily bar chart. Bulls’ next upside price objective is to produce a close above solid resistance at $2,000.00. Bears' next near-term downside price objective is pushing futures prices below solid technical support at $1,885.00. First resistance is seen at this week’s high of $1,933.60 and then at the January high of $1,949.80. First support is seen at last week’s low of $1,912.50 and then at $1,900.00. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 8.0

March silver futures bulls have the overall near-term technical advantage. However, trading has been choppy and sideways for weeks. Silver bulls' next upside price objective is closing prices above solid technical resistance at the January high of $24.775. The next downside price objective for the bears is closing prices below solid support at $22.00. First resistance is seen at $24.000 and then at last week’s high of $24.415. Next support is seen at last Friday’s low of $23.39 and then at today’s low of $23.05. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 6.5.

March N.Y. copper closed up 110 points at 421.25 cents today. Prices closed nearer the session high today. The copper bulls have the solid overall near-term technical advantage. A four-month-old uptrend is in place on the daily bar chart. Copper bulls' next upside price objective is pushing and closing prices above solid technical resistance at 440.00 cents. The next downside price objective for the bears is closing prices below solid technical support at 400.00 cents. First resistance is seen at this week’s high of 424.90 cents and then at last week’s high of 430.25 cents. First support is seen at today’s low of 411.85 cents and then at 405.00 cents. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 7.5.

By Jim Wyckoff

For Kitco News

Time to Buy Gold and Silver

Tim Moseley

Gold silver tread water just ahead of FOMC meeting

Gold, silver tread water just ahead of FOMC meeting

Gold prices are modestly down and silver slightly up in midday U.S. trading Monday. Gold is seeing a mild corrective pullback and a bit of profit taking from futures traders after prices last week hit a nine-month high, and just ahead of this week’s highly anticipated monetary policy meeting of the U.S. Federal Reserve. February gold was last down $6.00 at $1,923.40 and March silver was up $0.123 at $23.75.

The U.S. data point of the week is the Federal Reserve Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting that begins Tuesday morning and ends Wednesday afternoon with a statement. Most believe the Fed will raise the key U.S. interest rate by 0.25%, following the recent 0.5% rate hikes. Trading in stock and financial markets early this week may be more muted ahead of the FOMC statement and press conference by Fed Chairman Jerome Powell Wednesday afternoon.

Global stock markets were mixed overnight. U.S. stock indexes are lower at midday, on downside corrections. Still, the U.S. stock indexes are in price uptrends on the daily bar charts and the stock index bulls have the overall near-term technical advantage.

 Stock markets are set to crash 37% as 'sucker's rally' ends, gold and silver to 'take off' – Chris Vermeulen

The key outside markets today see the U.S. dollar index firmer. Nymex crude oil futures prices are down and trading around $78.75 a barrel. Oil traders are awaiting an OPEC-plus cartel meeting this Wednesday. Meantime, the yield on the benchmark U.S. 10-year Treasury note is presently fetching 3.557%.

Technically, February gold futures bulls still have the solid overall near-term technical advantage. A three-month-old uptrend is in place on the daily bar chart. Bulls’ next upside price objective is to produce a close above solid resistance at $2,000.00. Bears' next near-term downside price objective is pushing futures prices below solid technical support at $1,885.00. First resistance is seen at today’s high of $1,933.60 and then at the January high of $1,949.80. First support is seen at last week’s low of $1,912.50 and then at $1,900.00. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 8.0

March silver futures bulls have the overall near-term technical advantage. However, trading has been choppy and sideways for weeks. Silver bulls' next upside price objective is closing prices above solid technical resistance at the January high of $24.775. The next downside price objective for the bears is closing prices below solid support at $22.00. First resistance is seen at $24.400 and then at last week’s high of $24.415. Next support is seen at Friday’s low of $23.39 and then at $23.26. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 6.5.

March N.Y. copper closed down 310 points at 419.15 cents today. Prices closed nearer the session low today. Profit taking was featured. The copper bulls still have the solid overall near-term technical advantage. A four-month-old uptrend is in place on the daily bar chart. Copper bulls' next upside price objective is pushing and closing prices above solid technical resistance at 440.00 cents. The next downside price objective for the bears is closing prices below solid technical support at 400.00 cents. First resistance is seen at today’s high of 424.90 cents and then at last week’s high of 430.25 cents. First support is seen at last week’s low of 417.20 cents and then at 411.05 cents. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 7.5.

By Jim Wyckoff

For Kitco News

Time to Buy Gold and Silver

Tim Moseley

The Artist that came out of the Winter