Gavin Wendt

Copper’s price resilience over recent years is a reflection of sound market fundamentals. Demand is being driven by both traditional and new-age applications, whilst the supply-side reflects challenges around a market that’s heavily dependent upon ageing mines. The path of least resistance suggests a continuation of copper’s price strength that began back in late 2015, with prices close to a five year-high.

Silver does not experience the same level of investor awareness as gold. For this reason, silver’s prospects often get ignored by the mainstream media and the investment community generally. Gold dominates investor sentiment in the precious metals space, mainly because the metal is more heavily traded and there are many more listed companies offering exposure to gold than for silver.

Rimfire Mining (ASX: RIM, Share Price: $0.02, Market Cap: $19m) is a NSW gold exploration play that’s managed to sustain measured but active exploration activity on its flagship Fifield gold exploration project in NSW with encouraging results. The negotiation in 2016 of a major farm-out JV deal with Canada’s New Gold underlines the region’s potential and is a vote of confidence in RIM’s work so far.

Given recent headlines and speculation with respect to commodity prices, I thought it worthwhile to outline my views on the near-term picture. Overall, I remain very optimistic with respect to metals prices.

Commodity prices have defied pessimism and rallied solidly over recent weeks on the back of improved Chinese economic prospects, stability on the European political front, some degree of acclimatisation to Trump-related government volatility in the USA and a weaker US dollar.

Let’s talk once again about the staggering level of international debt. I don’t want to depress you, but financial crises are invariably caused by debt. The Bank of International Settlement (BIS) has recently warned that a new financial crisis is looming. Part of this is simply its job and it’s routinely warning against this. But it does have a point.