Top Stories This Week: US$6.7 Billion Deal Hits Gold Sector, Price at Highest in a Monthyoutu.be

The gold price traded within a fairly broad range this week, hitting a low of about US$1,830 per ounce on Wednesday (June 1) and a high of just over US$1,870 on Thursday (June 2).

Market watchers blamed the yellow metal's fall on a stronger US dollar and better Treasury yields, while its comeback has been attributed to weakness in the dollar and factors such as private payroll data.

Gold was at around US$1,850 at the time of this writing on Friday (June 3) morning, facing headwinds from dollar strength again, as well as better-than-expected US jobs data, which shows 390,000 jobs were added in May.

Friday's jobs data has generated further discussions about the next steps from the US Federal Reserve. The Fed has hiked rates twice so far in 2022, with two additional 50 basis point increases now widely expected at its next meetings in June and July. The June meeting is coming up in about two weeks, running from the 13th to 14th.

Gold's price activity is always a key topic of discussion, but M&A activity was also in focus this week — Gold Fields (NYSE:GFI,JSE:GFI) announced plans to acquire Yamana Gold (TSX:YRI,NYSE:AUY,LSE:AUY) in a US$6.7 billion deal that would make the combined company the world's fourth largest producer of the yellow metal.

Gold Fields' press release about the acquisition describes Yamana as a "natural fit" for the company, while Yamana's executive chairman said the transaction is an "outstanding opportunity" for his firm's shareholders.

The Financial Post quotes Fahad Tariq of Credit Suisse as saying that like other recent gold deals, the Gold Fields/Yamana tie up will help the combined company achieve more relevance for investors through scale.

Yamana's share price reached a high of C$7.41 on the TSX this week after closing at C$6.75 the day before the deal was announced. It closed Friday up 8.48 percent at C$7.16.

Before we wrap up, I want to briefly hone in on the cannabis sector. INN's Bryan Mc Govern recently attended the Lift & Co. Expo in Toronto, where he had the chance to speak with industry leaders about key themes in the space.

One topic he touched on is the SAFE Banking Act, a piece of legislation that would ease financial business restrictions on US-based cannabis companies. Experts believe that, although it doesn't focus on Canadian players, it could help them in the long run. Notably, Nawan Butt of Purpose Investments said that it would help free up investment capital for Canadian companies, which are currently competing with their American counterparts.

"When Canadians and Americans are not competing for the same pool of capital anymore, and capital in Canada becomes more available for Canadian players, we'll see a lot better financing conditions for smaller players" — Nawan Butt, Purpose Investments

However, this outcome is still a big "if" — the SAFE Banking Act has passed the House multiple times, but has never made it through the Senate.

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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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