Gold and silver spot values are maintaining their bearish posture for yet another day on Wednesday. This week has thus far proven to be a bit slower than normal, and this fact alone has, and continues to, work against the value of metals. Though stocks and the USD have not performed particularly well this week either, they are still both very bullish and almost continuously trending higher.

In the United States on Tuesday, William Dudley, president of the New York Federal Reserve, made remarks indicating that interest rate dissenters at the FOMC meeting do not necessarily mean that rates are going to be on the rise sooner than anticipated. In case you missed it, a few FOMC members dissented against the statement made by the group–a move that indicated to many investors the members’ intentions of raising interest rates prior to the June 2015 projections. Dudley’s statements convinced some that June 2015 or even some later date is when interest rates will be raised; this provided gold and silver spot values with a little bit of a boost yesterday.

Market’s Focus Momentarily Turns to Syria

Through the first few days of this week, things have been very quiet due to a lack of economic data that is, in turn, yielding a more subdued economic atmosphere. Because investors have so little to focus on, the attention of the market yesterday turned to reports indicating that the US military was striking (with air power) ISIS targets throughout Syria. Though president Barack Obama announced a few weeks ago that airstrikes against ISIS in Syria were on the table, no one expected him to act on his remarks so quickly.

The onset of the United States’ attacks in Syria caused the marketplace to panic a bit. This ended up helping gold and silver yesterday as safe-haven demand propped metals up for the day. Unfortunately, however, the help provided by the United States’ newest military operation was short-lived to say the least.

As we head into the second half of the week, I expect some attention to continue to be paid to the situation in Syria. After all, with Russia being such close allies with Syria, there is no saying for sure if Vladimir Putin will have any sort of reaction or not. If you can recall to a few weeks ago, Putin made it very clear that any US-led attack in Syria would be perceived by the Kremlin as a US-led attack against Russia itself. While the rest of the week will more than likely remain quiet from an economic perspective, it will, in all likelihood, be active on the geopolitical front.

Precious metals spot values are not partaking in all that much price action during the early morning hours of Wednesday and the marketplace is generally a lot quieter than normal. The reason for this, however, is easy to explain and can be credited to the whole of the marketplace waiting to hear what the FOMC has to say in their post-meeting statement. Though things are quiet as of the writing of this post, both the rest of the day and the rest of the week are shaping up like they will quite exciting.

On the geopolitical front, the ceasefire agreement reached between pro-Russian rebels and Ukrainian military forces appears to still be holding. With almost no fighting taking place across Ukraine’s Eastern half, and Russian troops back on their side of the border, the country is a whole lot calmer now than at any other point over the past 3 months or so. Unfortunately for precious metals, the continued peace in Ukraine has taken away an underlying source of bullish support. It will be interesting to see just how long this ceasefire lasts, because, as we all know, Ukraine is a powder-keg and can blow its top at any given point in time.

Investors Await FOMC Meeting’s Conclusion

Now in its second day, the FOMC meeting is continuing to draw the attention of investors from all over the world. Even though no one from the Fed has made any public remarks quite yet, some investors are seeming to be placing their bets a little early. Judging from the last few days’ movements by precious metals and US equities, it seems as though a small cross-section of voters are under the impression that the Fed will announce that interest rates will not be touched for some time yet. Though there isn’t much concrete evidence to back this up, it seems like a decently safe bet to make at this point.

Still, investors will continue to keep their eyes and ears peeled as the rest of the day wears on. The meeting itself is expected to wrap up at about 2 PM EST today and Janet Yellen is expected to address the media no more than an hour after the meeting’s conclusion. It will be Janet Yellen’s words that the market cares about the most as almost anything she says stands the chance of moving markets in one direction or another.

Tomorrow will bring about Scotland’s referendum on independence, and the outcome of that vote will also be of particular importance to investors. All in all, we should be gearing up for a fairly busy last 2 and a half days of the week.

Precious metals spot values were mixed during early US trading, but were not straying too far in any one direction. This week has thus far proven to be fairly quiet from an economic data standpoint, and as such, the focus of the market has shifted towards the ever-evolving currencies market. The US Dollar has continued to perform well against its rivals and the US is really emerging as one of the safest economies to invest in. As the week plays out, I expect there to be continued focus thrown the way of currency markets and the factors influencing them.

On the geopolitical front, it is clear to see that the ceasefire agreement reached between Russian/pro-Russian and Ukrainian military forces is holding…at least for now. Due to the decrease in violence in Ukraine, precious metals have lost their one and only source for bullish underlying support. Now, metals will have to go it alone in a market atmosphere that is turning increasingly bearish by the day.

Market’s Focus Shifts to Next Week’s FOMC Meeting

Due to this week proving to be inordinately quiet, the market’s focus is already shifting to the possible outcomes of next week’s US Federal Open Market Committee meeting. After a report was released yesterday claiming that a Federal Reserve survey indicated that investors just might be underestimating how quickly the Fed can raise interest rates, the minds of investors are once again convinced that rates will be raised sooner rather than later. As you probably could have guessed, this growing belief is only helping the Dollar gain more strength in the face of its rivals. Against the Euro currency especially, the US Dollar has been doing particularly well. The reason for this is due to the fact that as the US talks about tightening its economic policy, the European Union is actively seeking to loosen theirs. As this plays out, it is highly likely that raised interest rates in the US will translate into even more support for the greenback.

In other news from Europe, a report released during the early morning hours of Wednesday said that Germany was auctioning off 10-year notes for a record low yield of 1.05%. As a result, demand for the notes was robust and consistent. In the wake of the declining Euro, investors have turned to the safer prospect of German sovereign debt.

As the last few days of the week play out, they will, in all likelihood, be as slow as the last three have been. Expect focus to remain on currency markets, and especially the progress of the USD.

After losing considerable value on Tuesday, precious metals bounced back, albeit mildly, on Wednesday. As of the writing of this post, gold and silver spot values were trading upward ever so slightly. This week, shortened though it is, is set to bring about a good amount of economic data, especially from the United States.

Yesterday got the shortened week started, and the data that was made public came in mostly upbeat. As a result, the US Dollar Index rose to a 13-month high while the spot values of gold and silver took huge hits. Though today provided a bit of respite, the rest of the week may not be so accommodating. On Thursday, the ECB is set to convene for their monthly policy meeting while the all-important US jobs figures from August are set to be made public sometime on Friday.

All Eyes Shift Towards Thursday, Friday

All things considered, today was probably the quietest day we are going to experience all week long. Stock indexes and spot values didn’t do all that much moving, and the reason is more than likely due to investors holding their positions until the all-important data expected to be due out in the forthcoming days.

The European Central Bank monthly policy meeting will kick off before US markets open tomorrow, and what happens at that meeting will be especially important to the investing world. If you can recall to a few weeks ago in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, ECB president Mario Draghi stated that he and the rest of the ECB are still considering the implementation of further monetary stimulus. While it is not widely expected that such stimulus measures will be announced this week, the meeting and post-meeting statements may provide a bit of insight with regard to where the ECB plans on heading with their region’s monetary policy.

On Friday, the market’s attention will shift towards the United States’ employment data for the month of August. Despite the fact that August was a particularly slow summer month, preliminary expectations are that at least 200,000 new jobs were created. If Friday’s figures meet or exceed this mark, you can expect that the selling pressure will once again be piled on top of precious metals. After all, Janet Yellen and the rest of the Fed have stated time and time again that they need to see marked improvement on the part of the US labor situation before they even think about raising interest rates.

It will be interesting to see how the rest of this week pans out. After the last few weeks have been extremely quiet, all of the activity we are witnessing during this 4-day trading session is coming as bit of a shock to many. With that said, however, it is extremely likely that things will only continue to pick up over the course of the coming days, weeks, and months.

Precious metals are holding at near even to slightly lower levels on Wednesday amid a market atmosphere that is subdued to say the least. In general, this week is not set to bring about too much in the way of markets-moving economic data, and that alone is what is making this week so boring for so many investors.

There were a few geopolitical developments reported yesterday and earlier today, but they are only providing precious metals with a little bit of support. On the whole, surging US stocks are continuing to limit the buying interest in precious metals.

Interest In Precious Metals Waning

Today saw spot gold sink to its lowest point in 2 months as the metal, along with silver and platinum, is not receiving all that much in the way of investor attention. Despite many people thinking that metals were bound for a rally in the next two or three weeks, it is now becoming clear that the prospect of precious metals as an alternative investment is simply not an attractive one for investors at present. Instead, interest has been firmly planted on US equity markets as well as the US Dollar.

Just two days ago, the S&P 500 crossed over the 2,000 threshold for the first time in its history. It has since been able to keep its head at or above that level, while other stock indexes follow suit. Today saw the USD index decline a bit, but in general, the US Dollar has been making consistent gains over the past few weeks or so. With so much interest being placed on US equities, there really isn’t much room for gold and silver to make gains. Making matters worse is the fact that all of these losses are piling up at a time of year where the market is very subdued in nature. If investors return from their vacations during early September and also want out of the precious metals market, there is no saying when the end of the decline will be for spot values.

There are a few ongoing geopolitical events providing a bit of support for metals from time to time, but these events frequently drift in and out of the headlines. Just this week, a day full of tensions between Russian and Ukraine saw precious metals spot values tick up a bit, but by the next day things were right back to where they were before the market concerned itself with the matters in Eastern Europe.

While there is no real way of telling where the spot values of precious metals will head in the coming weeks, it is clear that we are in the midst of an incredibly interesting market atmosphere. There are a lot of moving parts at present that, as they come together, will help solidify the investing futures for many many people. Until then, however, we and the rest of the investing world can only sit back and speculate with regard to what the future holds for gold, silver, US interest rates, the EU economy, and the plethora of other issues circulating about the world marketplace.

Gold and silver, for yet another day, are feeling a good bit of downside pressure due to a lack of any fresh economic or geopolitical news. In general, this week is devoid of any major economic data, and apart from Friday’s global central bankers meeting, there isn’t all that much for investors to focus on. With that said, today may offer a bit of respite from the subdued market atmosphere thanks to the latest FOMC minutes being made public. It will be interesting to see if the Fed’s report sheds any more light on the future of US interest rates.

FOMC Minutes, Jackson Hole Meeting Catching Marketplace’s Attention

Because we are in the middle of August, it should come as no surprise that the marketplace is as quiet as it is at present. With most investors and businessmen using this part of the summer as a time to take a vacation, the volume of daily trades is simply not like what it is at most other times of the year.

With that said, the market will still find plenty to focus on, and today that focus has shifted to the release of the FOMC’s minutes from their latest meeting. As has been the case for the last two months or so, investors the world over will be looking for any clues with regard to when the Federal Reserve is thinking about raising interest rates in the US. At this point there is a difference of opinion, with some people thinking rates will be risen after next June and others thinking the rate hike will come sometime sooner. While the USD index and US equity markets are on the up and up as of the writing of this post, most people are holding their position ahead of the Fed’s minutes.

Looking ahead to the rest of the week, investors will be paying close attention to the global central bankers meeting being held on Friday in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Some of the world’s most influential bankers will be in attendance and Fed chairperson Janet Yellen is expected to address the crowds. As you probably could have guessed by this point, investors will be paying close attention to anything and everything Ms. Yellen has to say.

ECB president Mario Draghi is also expected to speak in Jackson Hole, and with EU economic data as poor as it has been recently, I have little doubts that investors will be hanging on his every word.

Precious metals are receiving some support during the first half of the day on Wednesday, but such support is doing more in the way of mitigating losses than it is contributing to any gains being made by metals. Seeing as we are now in the middle of the month of August, it should come as no surprise that we are presently witnessing a much quieter market atmosphere than normal. With investors more focused on family vacations and other outdoor activities, there really isn’t a boatload of trading going on this week.

Geopolitics, though in the news already this week, are being monitored by investors more sparingly this week. A potential standoff between Ukrainian troops and a Russian humanitarian truck convoy is in the works, but may not unfold for another day or so yet.

Gold Helped By Stagnant Retail Sales Data

Though by looking at spot values alone it may not seem like it, gold and silver have been helped this morning by weaker than expected retails sales reports from July. After it was reported that retail sales rose by .2% in June, investors and market analysts were expecting to see a similar rise during the month of July. Unfortunately, retail sales didn’t change much at all during July, according to the reports.

This news caused the US Dollar to take a bit of a hit, but as of the writing of this post the greenback was once again beginning to trend a little bit higher.

As we head into the duration of the week, it is very likely that investors will continue to monitor and analyze the plethora of ongoing geopolitical situations throughout the world. Islamic State rebels are still wreaking havoc throughout much of Northern Iraq and Southern Syria, and just last week, US President Barack Obama sanctioned the use of airstrikes against the rebel group.

On Monday, reports began surfacing with regard to a Russian humanitarian aid convoy heading from Moscow to the besieged Ukrainian city of Luhansk. The convoy, which consists of more than 200 vehicles, is said to be loaded with food and medical supplies, but because it has not been inspected or certified by the Red Cross, no one can say for sure what the contents of the convoy are. Ukrainian officials have stated that it will not be allowed into the country and that, if Russia is so intent on helping the people of Luhansk, they should simply lay down the supplies and food at the border and allow Ukrainian forces to physically deliver them. The Russian Federation has not responded to Ukrainian complaints, and has not even verified that the convoy is headed for Luhansk. By week’s end, I anticipate that we will find out much more about this developing situation. With little else for investors to pay attention to, I also anticipate that geopolitics will remain one of the foremost concerns of the investing world.

Precious metals have made massive gains through the first half of the day on Wednesday, fueled by growing fears with regard to the situation in Ukraine. Compared to last week, this 5-day trading session is shaping up to be a great deal quieter. There simply isn’t very much economic data on this week’s slate, and this may not bode well for US equities. That said, US equity markets are doing OK as of the writing of this post.

In case you missed it, last week brought about a good bit of economic data from the United States. On Wednesday, it was reported that the United States’ second-quarter GDP grew by 4% on an annualized basis. This number greatly exceeded the expectations of polled market analysts. After the GDP data was made public, all eyes then turned to the release of July’s employment report. Unfortunately, expectations which held that 230,000 jobs were added to the US economy in July were not reached. Instead, the actual figures showed that only 209,000 new jobs were added to the economy a month ago. This news caused precious metals, at least for a day, to gain some value. Despite the first two days of this week being none too favorable for precious metals, it is clear to see that the tide is turning, perhaps as a result of increased tensions throughout much of Eastern Ukraine.

Russian “Invasion” of Ukraine a Fear for Investors

Since the beginning of this week, the investing world has begun paying more attention to the crisis in Ukraine, specifically because Russia’s military was seen massing just over the country’s Western border. As of now, Russia has announced no plans for an invasion of Ukraine, but many people think that it might happen under the pretext of it being a “humanitarian” mission. As it stands, Russian troops have not crossed over the border, but the world is continuing to watch, expecting something to happen in the coming days.

As of now, gold and silver have been given a decent boost as a result of increased attention being paid to the crisis in Ukraine. This price action is being welcomed with open arms after the last month or so yielded nothing but bad news for precious metals.

As we head into the latter part of the week, it will be interesting to see what direction the tensions in Ukraine head in. Violence in the country has already been intensifying over the last few weeks, and it is looking like things will only get worse before they get any better. That said, so long as the market remains focused on the violence raging around the globe, the spot values of precious metals are likely to continue trending upward.

Gold and silver spot values are trading downwards through the first half of the day on Wednesday, as some US economic data has already been made public. With geopolitics still making headlines, it will be interesting to see how investors weigh the large amount of data they will be receiving over the next few days. Of course, the biggest piece of news today is without a doubt the conclusion of the FOMC’s latest policy meeting.

Big Day of US Economic Data

While the Fed’s most recent policy meeting is scheduled to wrap up sometime this afternoon, this morning brought about the United States’ second-quarter GDP report. Beating all expectations, today’s US GDP report showed that the US economy grew by more than 4% in the second quarter on an annualized basis. Two major reasons behind the US economy’s second-quarter success were an increase in consumer spending as well as a surge in new business investments.

In the wake of this data, US equities were seen mostly rising. However, as the day has worn on, earlier gains are being conceded. Precious metals have been faring poorly all day long and are likely to continue doing so as the post-meeting statement going to be made by Janet Yellen stands the chance of convincing more investors that interest rates in the US will be risen sooner rather than later. As we anxiously await this afternoon’s statement, I expect that most investors will hold their positions and that equities as well as metals will remain where they are now.

In the following few days, there is a good bit more economic data scheduled to be released, including Friday’s US employment report for July. After June’s job figures beat market expectations by a long shot, most are expecting that July’s figures will do the same. If such is the case and this week is wholly positive from an economic data standpoint, I expect gold and silver spot values to continue losing value.

With that said, however, the continued violence in many parts of the world is a factor that very well might help support continued safe-haven demand for precious metals. Just today, more Israeli shelling destroyed part of a UN school turned refugee camp and killed at least 15 people who were taking refuge there. In Ukraine, fighting between Ukrainian military forces and pro-Russian rebels has intensified near the large city of Donetsk, which is near the MH-17 crash site. Russia has also been seen shelling Ukrainian forces from within their own country, an action that is sure to draw the ire of world leaders from the EU and the United States.

Precious metals are still hanging in there on Wednesday, despite conceding some value early on. There isn’t much to talk about from an economic data standpoint this week, but there are plenty of geopolitical happenings catching the attention of worldwide investors. Among them are tensions between Ukraine and Russia as well as the continued fighting taking place on the Gaza Strip.

Tensions Have Eased, But Still Persist

Around this time last week, the spot values of precious metals were seen shooting upward in the wake of reports surrounding the crashing of a Malaysian Airlines Boeing 777. Shortly after news stories broke, it was then found out that Flight MH-17 was actually shot down by surface-to-air missiles originating somewhere over Eastern Ukraine.Because tensions in the region have been high for a majority of this year, it came as no surprise to see investors scrambling to get a hold of safe-haven assets such as gold, silver, the US Dollar, and US Treasuries.

With investors on edge as this week came to a close, most were thinking that the same uneasiness would carry over into this week. However, such was not the case due to a few interesting turn of events over the weekend. For one, the same pro-Russian separatists who are allegedly behind the downing of Flight MH-17 have thus far wholly cooperated with early investigation efforts. Not only did the rebels hand over the victims’ bodies to authorities, but they also located and handed over the two flight recorders which were recovered from the wreckage. I think it is safe to say that most people expected the rebels to make the investigation process as difficult as possible, but things have gone along rather smoothly up to this point. As a result of this weekend’s cooperation by the separatists, investor uneasiness downticked considerably by midday on Monday. This limited interest in precious metals, which is why we have been seeing gold, silver, platinum, and palladium stagnating through the first half of the week.

Still, Israel and Hamas are squaring off in an intense and costly battle that has been going on for a week now. This, in conjunction with raised tensions between the US and Russia are keeping investors on their toes. It will be interesting to see if the violence in the Middle East continues through the end of the week, or if continued efforts at achieving a ceasefire finally reach a breakthrough.