Metals came back from the long weekend with a bang as money poured into gold and copper. Globex's gold futures (@GC) traded almost 333,000 contracts yesterday, the busiest session since October 11. Prices also advanced 1.7 percent, their biggest gain of the...
A potentially bullish signal has appeared in gold as the market anticipates dovish policy from the Federal Reserve. The 50-day moving average on gold futures (@GC) rose through the 200-day moving average this week. That pattern, ironically known as a "golden cross,"...
What do a soft-drink giant and a precious metal fund have in common? They both have bullish options trades today, that's what. Let's start with Coca-Cola (KO). The soda maker is one of the few members of the Dow Jones Industrial Average with a gain so far this year or...
Political uncertainty and economic jitters have lifted precious metals recently. But which has more upside potential? Silver futures (@SI) are trading near their cheapest ratio to gold futures (@GC) in over 16 years. History may suggest their valuation gap will narrow...
Gold miners are the only winners in this market as mounting worries drive investors to the ultimate safety play. The Dow Jones US Gold Miner Index ($DJUSPM) has gained 5 percent in the last month. That makes the best performer -- and only real gainer -- of more than...
Bears are digging for downside in gold miners, one of the worst-performing major industry groups this year. More than 23,000 December 11 puts were bought yesterday in Barrick Gold (ABX). The first blocks changed hands for $0.10 but premiums rose to $0.12 as the bids...
The Japanese yen is gaining steam as fear sweeps the market. The currency has long been viewed as a safe haven because of Japan's huge trade surplus and low interest rates. Money traditionally flows away from the country when times are "good" and vice versa when times...
Stocks are in the midst of a terrible month but some other areas are rallying. In this post, we'll take a deeper look, and focus on some recent calls by strategists. First, the S&P 500 (@ES) lost 5.6 percent of its value in the first half of October. If it holds...
Attention has focused heavily on China, Italy and NAFTA. But suddenly today another part of the world is in play. The iShares Brazil ETF (EWZ) rallied 6 percent today and has gained 8 percent in the last week. That places it well ahead of the S&P 500 and other...