"It really does remain to be seen if this wide gap that we have between the producer price index and the consumer price index closes, and/or whether we end up seeing quite a bit of margin squeeze," said Danielle DiMartino Booth of QI Research.
Danielle DiMartino Booth breaks down the latest US consumer and producer price index data, saying it's important for investors to pay close attention to the American consumer.
The CEO and chief strategist at QI Research also discusses dissent at the US Federal Reserve, and how many times the central bank may cut interest rates in 2025.
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Securities Disclosure: I, Charlotte McLeod, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
Stefan Gleason, CEO of Money Metals, shares his outlook for gold, silver and platinum.
He also weighs in on Tether Investments' recent deal with Elemental Altus Royalties (TSXV:ELE,OTCQX:ELEMF) and advances in US sound money policies.
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Securities Disclosure: I, Charlotte McLeod, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
Matt Geiger, managing partner at MJG Capital Fund, shares his thoughts on the resource sector, honing in on the health of the junior miners.
In his view, after a decade of hit-or-miss performances, the best is yet to come.
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Securities Disclosure: I, Charlotte McLeod, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
The gold price cooled off this week as tariff-related uncertainty reached a resolution.
The yellow metal was thrust into headlines late last week when US Customs and Border Protection told a Swiss refiner that 1 kilogram and 100 ounce gold bars would be subject to Trump administration tariffs that went into effect on August 7.
Gold is one of Switzerland's top exports to the US, and with the country facing a 39 percent levy, questions were rife about what the impact could be. Clarification came on Monday (August 11), when US President Donald Trump said on Truth Social that gold "will not be tariffed."
While the news calmed market participants, Keith Weiner of Monetary Metals believes the incident could have long-term impacts. He said the tariff confusion caused the spread between spot gold and gold futures to blow out, creating difficulties for entities using the market to hedge.
Here's how Weiner explained it:
"Once you've put the scare into everybody, you can't just say, 'Oh, sorry, just kidding.' You can't really do that. And so now we've done damage, and we'll see what happens to that spread over time. We'll see how users of the futures market adapt.
"There are other markets in the world that would be competing for this hedging business — maybe it moves to Singapore, maybe it moves to Dubai, maybe it moves to London, and the US loses not only a little more trust, but also a little bit of volume on what had been the biggest, or what is currently the biggest, futures market."
This week also brought the release of US consumer price index (CPI) and producer price index (PPI) data. On a seasonally adjusted basis, CPI for July was up 0.2 percent from the previous month and 2.7 percent from the year-ago period. Meanwhile, core CPI, which excludes the food and energy categories, was up 0.3 percent month-on-month and 3.1 percent from the same time last year.
While those numbers were largely in line with expectations, seasonally adjusted July PPI figures came in hotter than expected, rising 0.9 percent month-on-month compared to Dow Jones' forecast of 0.2 percent. Core PPI increased 0.9 percent from June compared to an estimated rise of just 0.3 percent.
Speaking about the implications of the data, Danielle DiMartino Booth of QI Research said it shows companies aren't yet passing tariff-related price increases on to consumers.
This is what she said about how these circumstances could develop:
"I do think that we will see where companies feel they can push through price increases — I think we'll see that. We saw quite a bit of food inflation in the PPI, and when you're talking about things like essentials, and especially with very, very low-margin types of sales, we could see what we call the substitution effect begin, where households end up buying other things. The classic is always that they trade down from steak to ground beef, or trade down from beef to chicken.
"We're going to see whether or not that plays out again."
While the PPI data has slightly dampened expectations that the US Federal Reserve will cut interest rates when it meets in September, CME Group's (NASDAQ:CME) FedWatch tool still shows a strong probability of a reduction at that time.
Contemporary Amperex Technology (HKEX:3750,SZSE:300750), better known as CATL, said on Sunday (August 10) that it will halt production at a lithium mine in China for at least three months.
Sources familiar with the matter told Bloomberg that CATL, which is the world's largest electric vehicle battery maker, failed to extend a key mining permit. The company is reportedly in talks about a renewal, but is prepared for a months-long shutdown.
Share prices of lithium miners rose on the news, buoyed by expectations that the CATL mine closure will help reduce oversupply. Excess output has caused Chinese lithium prices to drop 80 percent since the end of 2022, and investors are keen to see a turnaround for the beleaguered battery metal.
Mitsubishi (TSE:8058) is set to acquire a 30 percent stake in Hudbay Minerals' (TSX:HBM,NYSE:HBM) Arizona-based Copper World subsidiary for US$600 million.
Hudbay called Mitsubishi its "strategic partner of choice," while Mitsubishi said the investment will help advance its copper growth plans. A feasibility study is in the works for Copper World, and a definitive feasibility study is expected in mid-2026.
Hudbay shareholders reacted positively to the news, which comes on the back of a strong focus on copper supply after last month's announcement of a 50 percent tariff on US imports of semi-finished copper products and intensive copper derivative products. The company projects that Copper World will result in a direct $1.5 billion investment into the US critical minerals supply chain.
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Securities Disclosure: I, Charlotte McLeod, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
Editorial Disclosure: The Investing News Network does not guarantee the accuracy or thoroughness of the information reported in the interviews it conducts. The opinions expressed in these interviews do not reflect the opinions of the Investing News Network and do not constitute investment advice. All readers are encouraged to perform their own due diligence.
Brien Lundin, editor of Gold Newsletter, shares his thoughts on gold and silver prices, as well as what types of stocks he's focusing on in these sectors.
In his view, the precious metals are set up for a new era.
Click here to sign up for the New Orleans Investment Conference, hosted by Lundin.
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Securities Disclosure: I, Charlotte McLeod, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
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Highlighting the first mineral resource estimate (MRE) at Comet within the Ngami copper project in Botswana, Cobre (ASX:CBE) CEO Adam Woolridge outlines a path toward low-cost, scalable in-situ copper recovery, backed by significant exploration upside.
“You're looking at an exploration target of 200 million to 300 million tonnes at around 0.4 percent copper,” Woolridge said.
“When you start looking at this as an in-situ copper recovery process, you have really good grade continuity. And this has been reflected in the MRE. And it's also come out from just looking at this deposit from a geometry point of view — it's got a really simple geometry, a lot of great continuity, and it's been relatively cost effective to move each tonne of contained copper into category.”
Woolridge noted exploration costs of just over $70 per tonne, placing the project at the low end of global copper exploration costs. He said OPEX for a full-scale in-situ recovery operation is estimated at $1 per pound of copper, based on a conservative 36 percent recovery rate, with recent metallurgical tests suggesting significantly higher potential recoveries.
Watch the full interview with Cobre CEO Adam Wollridge above.
