Gold Silver Reports – In my previous commentaries, I expressed some concern that the lag in the silver price vis-à-vis gold was a slight concern for the nearterm outlook. The path of least resistance for gold and gold mining shares was of course still bullish, but silver’s failure to fully participate in gold’s recent gains was a fly in the ointment.
Solid-Gold Toilet to the Trumps
Gold Silver Reports – Donald and Melania Trump wanted to borrow a Van Gogh painting from a New York museum for their White House private quarters. Instead, The Washington Post reports , the Guggenheim Museum’s chief curator came up with a pointedly satirical counter-offer: a working solid-gold toilet made by an Italian artist.
Gold Futures Post Highest Close Since 2016 in Heavy Trading
Gold Silver Reports – Gold Futures Post Highest Close Since 2016 in Heavy Trading — Gold futures settled at the highest since August 2016, as investors got behind a rally brought on by a falling dollar. Volume soared in the futures market, with trading more than double the daily average.
Asian Stocks Mixed; Dollar Drops to Three-Year Low
Gold Silver Reports – Asian Stocks Mixed; Dollar Drops to Three-Year Low – The rally in Asian stocks stalled Wednesday even after U.S. stocks rose for a third day. The yen strengthened as the dollar resumed its decline.
Long Volatility on U.S. Stocks Before Their Earnings Reports
Gold Silver Reports – Keep a bias toward long volatility on U.S. stocks before their earnings reports, JPMorgan Chase & Co says.
The options market is expecting earnings-related volatility to be roughly in line with the historical average, but a larger-than-normal risypremium is justified by “the important and idiosyncratic tax reform data point accompanying companies’ earnings reports,” JPMorgan strategists Shawn Quigg, Marko Kolanovic and Bram Kaplan wrote in a report.