Editor's Picks: Gold Price Breaks US$3,400, Silver Added to Draft US Critical Minerals List
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Elsewhere in the resource space, top uranium miners Kazatomprom and Cameco announced cuts to their production guidance.
The gold price was on the rise this week, breaking through US$3,400 per ounce once again.
It's been pushed higher by US dollar weakness, as well as Federal Reserve turmoil.
President Donald Trump has been pressuring Fed Chair Jerome Powell to cut interest rates for months, and on Monday (August 25) the situation developed further when Trump posted a letter on his social media platform Truth Social. In it, he said he was removing Lisa Cook from her position on the central bank's board of governors due to allegations of mortgage fraud.
Cook, who has been voting to hold rates steady, was due to serve until 2038; she has now filed a lawsuit asking for Trump's order to be declared "unlawful and void."
The move has spurred questions about whether Trump can actually fire her — while the Federal Reserve Act doesn't allow him to remove Fed officials at will, he can do so "for cause."
For its part, the Fed has said it will abide by any court decision.
The situation is still developing, and gold market watchers are keeping a close eye on how it plays out. The yellow metal tends to fare better when interest rates are low, and some experts believe that a rate cut from the Fed could kick off its next move higher
The Fed's next meeting is scheduled to run from September 16 to 17. Expectations are high that it will cut rates at that time, even though the latest data shows that its preferred measure of inflation, the personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index, was up 2.6 percent year-on-year in July.
Core PCE, which excludes food and energy, saw a rise of 2.9 percent.
Bullet briefing — US drafts new critical minerals list, uranium miners make cuts
US drafts new critical minerals list
The US Department of the Interior has released a new draft critical minerals list, and the recommended additions include silver, as well as potash, silicon, copper, rhenium and lead.
Silver's potential inclusion is turning heads in the mining community as market participants assess the potential impact for the metal. The critical minerals list is designed to guide federal strategy, investment and permitting deals as the US works to lock down supply of key commodities, meaning that silver-focused companies could see benefits such as tax breaks and faster timelines.
In total, the draft list has 54 minerals, with 50 included based on results from an economic effects assessment. Three were selected on the back of a qualitative evaluation, and zirconium is there because of the potential for a single point of failure in the US supply chain.
The list was set up after a 2017 executive order from Trump and is updated every three years.
It's worth noting that silver and the other recommended additions aren't officially critical minerals yet — the draft critical minerals list was posted for public comment on Tuesday (August 26), and feedback will be accepted for 30 days. It's also worth noting that two commodities may be stripped of their critical mineral status — arsenic and tellurium have been recommended for removal.
Critical minerals lists vary from country to country based on individual needs, although in many cases they have similarities. In January 2024, a group of silver industry participants, including many major miners, sent a letter to Canada's energy and natural resources minister proposing that silver be included in the nation's critical minerals list; to date, it has not been added.
Uranium miners cut production guidance
Sweden's government has proposed the removal of the country's ban on uranium mining as it looks to reduce its reliance on imports of the energy fuel.
Uranium mining has been banned in Sweden since 2018, but the country has six operating reactors and generates around one-third of its power from nuclear energy.
The ban is set to be removed on January 1, 2026, and comes as nations increasingly look to nuclear power to fill their energy needs. It also comes amid supply questions — although demand is rising and prices are out of a years-long slump, miners have been slow to ramp back up post-Fukushima.
Just last week, Kazatomprom said it was lowering its 2026 production target compared to earlier estimates, cutting about 8 million pounds. Although the company sees stability in long-term uranium prices and strong sector fundamentals, it isn't prepared to return to 100 percent levels.
Cameco (TSX:CCO,NYSE:CCJ) made a similar statement this week, saying its 2025 output will be impacted by delays in transitioning the Saskatchewan-based McArthur River mine to new mining areas. Production will be 4 million to 5 million pounds lower, although there is a chance for Cigar Lake to partially offset that loss.
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Securities Disclosure: I, Charlotte McLeod, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
