Gold and Silver Industry & Investing News

Jefferies, a major global investment bank and financial services company known for its market research and analysis, has reduced its year-end S&P 500 target from 6,000 to 5,300, citing concerns about stagflation risks from Trump administration tariffs. While they don’t predict a recession, they expect economic slowdown to impact earnings. The S&P 500 currently sits at 5,406, and Jefferies’ new target is among Wall Street’s most conservative forecasts. Their strategists recommend defensive sectors and identified potential “fallen angel” stocks with solid fundamentals despite recent downturns.

China’s gold market showed strong performance in March 2025, with benchmark prices surging over 8% and concluding an unprecedented first quarter. While wholesale demand fell 36% year-over-year due to weakness in January and February, March saw a rebound in Shanghai Gold Exchange withdrawals. Chinese gold ETFs attracted ¥5.6 billion in new investments, pushing total holdings to 138 tonnes. The People’s Bank of China continued its gold reserve additions for the fifth consecutive month, though gold imports remained tepid during the first two months of the year.

According to Bank of America’s latest monthly survey of fund managers, global investors have drastically cut their exposure to US equities at a historic pace over the past two months. The survey revealed that investors are now a net 36% underweight US stocks – the most in nearly two years – representing a sharp 53 percentage point decline since February, the largest drop in BofA’s records. The poll of 164 investors managing $386 billion identified trade war leading to global recession as the primary market risk. This concern follows President Donald Trump’s aggressive tariff announcements, which have triggered a selloff...

The 21st annual Central Banking survey, sponsored by HSBC, has revealed that currency market intervention by central banks is far more common than publicly acknowledged. Half of the 84 responding central banks, collectively managing $7.1 trillion, confirmed they had intervened in currency markets within the past year. The survey also found that central banks are likely to increase their gold holdings, with 37.5% planning to boost allocations. Despite rising prices, gold remains attractive to central banks, with 37.5% planning to increase their allocations to the precious metal. Notably, while no central banks reported holding cryptocurrencies, 12% acknowledged that digital currencies...

The US dollar has fallen to its lowest level in three years, with the dollar index at approximately 99.5. This decline follows the Trump administration’s announcement of tariff exemptions for tech products, though Commerce Secretary Lutnick indicated these items may face separate levies soon. Despite the dollar dropping 3% last week amid trade tensions and poor consumer sentiment data, Lutnick expressed no concern about the currency’s value.

Boston Fed President Susan Collins stated the Federal Reserve is ready to intervene in financial markets if liquidity issues emerge, though current conditions remain stable despite recent volatility following President Trump’s tariff announcements. While the 10-year Treasury yield has jumped to 4.5% and JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon warned of potential Treasury market disruptions, the Fed maintains it has the necessary tools to address any market instability. Meanwhile, BlackRock’s Larry Fink suggested the U.S. economy may already be in or near recession, though he doesn’t foresee a financial system collapse.

An article from Bloomberg published April 14th, discusses how US Treasury bonds, traditionally considered ultra-safe investments during market turbulence, are behaving unusually amid President Trump’s trade war with China. Instead of rising when stocks fall (their normal pattern), long-term Treasuries are sometimes moving in the same direction as risky assets – falling when stocks fall and rising when stocks rise. This concerning pattern has prompted comparisons to emerging market debt and raised questions about Treasuries’ status as the world’s premier safe haven investment.

Billionaire investor Ray Dalio warned on “Meet the Press” that the US could face “something worse than a recession” if international tariffs aren’t managed properly. He compared current conditions to the 1930s, citing concerns about a breakdown in the monetary order. Dalio urged Congress to reduce the budget deficit to 3% of GDP to avoid serious economic disruption, warning that failure to address these issues could lead to a monetary crisis similar to those in 1971 and 2008.

Gold prices have soared to unprecedented heights in 2025, breaking more than a dozen records and currently trading above $3,200. As investors seek safety amid economic uncertainty, CNBC consulted with financial experts on whether it’s still a good time to buy. Expert opinions remain divided. Sameer Samana of Wells Fargo Investment Institute cautions that gold is “overbought” and investors are “coming late to the party,” suggesting prices may have peaked. However, Jordan Roy-Byrne of The Daily Gold offers a contrasting view, predicting that prices “could accelerate” further in the coming years. For those looking to invest, financial advisors typically recommend...