Mid-Day Gold & Silver Market Report, 8/23/2012

Brandi Brundidge

8/23/2012 12:20:00 PM

METALS MOVE ON HOPE, STRIFE; SPAIN IN NEGOTIATIONS   

Precious Metals prices continued to move upward as investors continued to view the recently released Federal Reserve policy meeting minutes in a positive light. Hopes continue to grow that the Fed will take some action soon to boost the economy. “The default action has changed from do nothing to do something,” Mitsui Precious Metals analyst David Jollie said. “This means that we can expect to see some action soon, but the latest minutes imply the Jackson Hole and the Sept. 12 and 13 meetings are not likely to see QE3 launched.” The Platinum price is still feeling the effect of labor interruptions as clashes between the police and striking miners in South Africa have resulted in 44 deaths.

Spain has begun negotiations with eurozone partners over the requirements necessary to lower its borrowing costs, but that country has stopped short of requesting an official bailout. The strategy currently in favor includes a combined attack by the European rescue fund (EFSF) and the European Central Bank (ECB) as they purchase Spanish debt in the primary and secondary markets. Spain’s borrowing costs are at record levels since the launch of the euro 13 years ago. “Negotiations have started and are well under way. Right now, the preferred option, the one that is being actively discussed, is for the EFSF to buy bonds on the primary market and for the ECB to buy bonds on the secondary,” one of the sources told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

Concerns over Europe and its debt situation are dragging on American stocks, with the S&P 500 heading toward a weekly decline. “People aren’t willing to invest,” said Stephen Hammers, the chief investment officer at Compass EMP Funds. “If Europe gets worse, U.S. investors will see that as a warning sign.” Adding to the concern are comments from German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, who said that giving Greece more time would not solve its problems and would cost investors.

At 1 p.m. (EDT), the APMEX Precious Metals spot prices were:

• Gold, $1,674.00, Up $35.00.
• Silver, $30.72, Up $1.08.
• Platinum, $1,557.70, Up $30.20.
• Palladium, $657.50, Up $27.30.

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