The worst may be over for the silver price, Bank of America Merrill Lynch Global Research said, though the metal is unlikely to break higher from recent ranges.

Industrial demand has been poor and subdued economic activity in the wake of the financial crisis has had a collateral impact on the metal, it said in a report.

Silver is down nearly 70 percent on the all-time high it hit in 2011 at $49.81 per ounce.

But China’s market potential coupled with expansion plans that include heavy use of solar energy may provide upward impetus
– See more at: read more

China’s solar installations in the first quarter were almost equal to France’s entire supply of power from the sun.

China connected 5.04 gigawatts of solar capacity to grids in the three months ended March 31, the National Energy Administration said in a statement on Monday. The Asian nation now has a total 33 gigawatts of solar-power supply.

China is seeking to approve and install as much as 17.8 gigawatts of solar power this year, or nearly 2 1/2 times the capacity added by the U.S. in 2014.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-04-20/china-adds-solar-the-size-of-france-s-capacity-in-first-quarter

US researchers are investigating ways to extract the gold and precious metals from human faeces.

The group identified gold in waste from American sewage treatment plants at levels which if found in rock could be worth mining.

Details were outlined at the 249th national meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS) in Denver.

Extracting metals from the waste could also help curb the release of toxic substances into the environment.

“The gold we found was at the level of a minimal mineral deposit,” said co-author Dr Kathleen Smith, from the US Geological Survey (USGS).

Read full story

It would be an amazing if the article I have just read is correct. And if it is true then we can expect widespread changes, as the US loses its reserve currency status, that will literally shake our world’s current financial underpinnings.

“So what are China’s real gold holdings? The 30,000 tonne figure has come from Simon Hunt of Simon Hunt Strategic Services (Hunt was the Hunt in Brook Hunt, one of the world’s top metals analytical teams now absorbed into Wood Mackenzie) in his latest ‘Thought for the Day’ letter to his clients in which he comments that “China has much more gold than it is allowing the world to see. As Alasdair Macleod, probably the world’s number one analyst of the gold market, wrote that between 1983 and 2002 China probably accumulated 25,000 tons of gold. Thus, its current gold holdings are probably north of 30,000 tons in contrast to the USA which has either sold or leased most of its gold.” Now this statement coming from one of the usual gold megabulls might be ignorable, but Hunt does not fall into this category and has a good track record of insights into China’s strategic initiatives as far as metals and minerals are concerned.” http://www.mineweb.com/news/gold/could-china-actually-have-30000-tonnes-of-gold-in-reserves/

Personally I have doubts BUT!

Perhaps this is more likely… But even then a Russia_China gold coalition would certainly put the cat amongst the pigeons
The People’s Bank of China may have tripled holdings of bullion since it last updated them in April 2009, to 3,510 metric tons, says Bloomberg Intelligence, based on trade data, domestic output and China Gold Association figures. A stockpile that big would be second only to the 8,133.5 tons in the U.S.

In a key article published on Monday this week, perhaps arguably the most prestigious globaql mainstream financial newspaper of all, the Wall Street Journal, reported that at least 10 major global banks are being investigated for precious metals market rigging by the U.S. authorities.

The paper notes specifically that it has received reliable information that prosecutors in the Justice Department’s antitrust division are scrutinizing the benchmark price-setting process for gold, silver, platinum and palladium in London, while the Commodity Futures Trading Commission has opened a civil investigation, presumably into activities on the major commodities markets.

http://www.miningaustralia.com.au/features/are-banks-rigging-the-gold-and-silver-price

Polish scientists have developed what they claim is a safer alternative – an antibacterial coating that kills microbes using gold.

Developed at the Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw, the coating can reportedly be applied to a wide variety of surfaces. It’s said to be very chemically stable, and is able to withstand repeated washings with detergent.

The coating initially takes the form of liquid boron compounds which contain colloidal gold nanoparticles. The object to be coated is immersed in the solution, and a polymerizing agent is then added. This causes the liquid to form into a nanocomposite polymer, coating the surface of the object within about 12 minutes.

It is hoped that once developed further, the coating could be used on things like wound dressings and other medical applications, along with consumer goods such as sportswear, socks and underwear.

http://www.gizmag.com/gold-antibacterial-coating/36196/?utm_source=Gizmag+Subscribers&utm_campaign=5266fe812a-UA-2235360-4&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_65b67362bd-5266fe812a-90605773

“Beadell’s share price has been sliding for over a year now due to several factors, like a falling gold price and the exceptional rainy season. Even though the company has tackled all problems now, the market hasn’t realized Beadell’s performance in 2015 will be much better.” Read the full article – it is a good analysis IMO.

(pdf download)

Wait for the download to complete then you can navigate it using your mouse to see Australia 🙂