Inflation will also impact the sector’s supply side, as Adam Webb, director of mine supply at Metals Focus, pointed out. “As with gold miners, inflation will push costs up for silver miners,” he said. “However, silver mines often produce significant quantities of by-product metals, usually zinc, lead and gold.” By Georgia Williams for Investing News

Silver’s relation to gold and ties to the base metals sector helped it rally to a year-to-date high in Q2. “After touching a four-month low of US$23.78 at the end of March, silver began to recover, reaching a three-month high of US$28.90 by mid-May, as support emerged from a weaker dollar and from the slide in yields over much of this period,” the annual “Precious Metals Investment Focus” report from Metals Focus reads. By Georgia Williams for Investing News

“If inflation continues to come out strong, that would cement expectations for the start of rate hikes by mid-2022. But the gold market has largely priced such rate hikes, so gold’s decline should be temporary and limited,” said Harshal Barot, a senior research consultant for South Asia at Metals Focus. By Nakul Iyer for Reuters

Metals Focus, one of the world’s leading precious metals consultancies, expects silver to benefit from an improving gold price in early 2022. This was reported in Metals Focus’ recent release of “Precious Metals Investment Focus 2021/2022”, its flagship annual report on investment in gold, silver, platinum and palladium. By Vladimir Basov for Kitco News

According to the latest data from Metals Focus, a leading independent precious metals consultancy, in Q3 2021, the global average gold all-in sustaining cost (AISC) rose by 3.6% q/q to $1,123/oz, its highest level since mid-2013. By Vladimir Basov for Kitco News

“The recovery in silver industrial demand from the pandemic will see this segment achieve a new high of 524 million ounces (Moz). In terms of some of the key segments, we estimate that photovoltaic demand will rise by 13% to over 110 Moz, a new high and highlighting silver’s key role in the green economy,” said analysts at Metals Focus, who conducted the latest research on behalf of the Silver Institute. By Glenn Dyer for Sharecafe.com

Adam Webb, Director of Mine Supply, speaking with the BBC. The interview comes in at 32 minutes 24 seconds. BBC Sounds.

Metals Focus, a leading independent precious metals research consultancy, reported yesterday that it expects over a 40% increase in gold demand in China this year, while domestic industrial silver demand to exceed all-time high in 2021. Kitco News.

“Rate hikes might not be as quick as the markets were initially expecting and inflation continues to be high, creating a supportive macro backdrop for the precious metal to rally,” Harshal Barot, a senior research consultant for South Asia at Metals Focus said. CNBC.

According to Metals Focus, a leading independent precious metals research consultancy, gold production from 16 biggest gold miners has become more energy, carbon, water and land intensive since 2014, Kitco News

Still, silver’s other role as a key commodity in solar panels and electronics is likely to buoy prices over the longer term. Industrial use probably reached a record this year, according to London-based research firm Metals Focus, which forecasts even stronger demand to come and expects prices to hold around this year’s average of about $25 in 2022. Bloomberg.

After declining to a more than two decade-low of 446.4 tons in 2020, sales could rise by as much as 50% for all of 2021, according to Chirag Sheth, a consultant with Metals Focus Ltd. Bloomberg Wealth.

Most of these would have contained a combustion engine. Each million such vehicles uses around 100,000-150,000 ounces of palladium, 40,000-50,000 ounces of platinum and 8,000-10,000 ounces of rhodium, said Wilma Swarts at consultants Metals Focus. ET Auto.com

“Overall, (the) monetary policy background will remain accommodative and there are uncertainties around (the) COVID-19 Delta variant, Chinese slowdown concerns, geopolitical tensions,” said Harshal Barot, a senior research consultant for South Asia at Metals Focus. By Brijesh Patel for Reuters.

While the market faces a turning point, the reality is that real interest rates will remain in negative territory for the foreseeable future. Analysts at Metals Focus recently said in a report that they still see a path for the precious metal to rise back to $1,900 an ounce. Writes Neils Christensen for Kitco News.

The gold market has made some impressive gains since last week’s flash crash, which pushed the price briefly below $1,700 an ounce; however, the precious metal’s performance in the near term could be limited, according to analysts at Metals Focus. Writes Neils Christensen at Kitco.