With nuclear power bouncing back worldwide, and the number of global uranium mines declining, the signs are building that uranium prices are poised to head higher.
After stabilizing under $30 per pound, prices have begun to rebound, posting their largest gain in more than 30 months. Since Aug. 4, the cost of uranium has climbed by 13.91%.
But that could be just the beginning of the move...
The price of gold today skyrocketed when news of more geopolitical tension hit headlines. The safe-haven investment tends to enjoy gains when fear is in the air.
Here's the latest on this geopolitical turmoil, and where it sent today's gold prices...
Gold prices have rallied 8% so far in 2014. It follows that investors in gold stocks - which are closely linked with gold itself - stand to profit. But the first half of 2014's gains aside, pressures shaping the yellow metal right now demand an allocation of gold stocks in a healthy investment portfolio.
In fact, Money Morning Chief Investment Strategist Keith Fitz-Gerald said in May that the case for owning gold has never been stronger.
"Many investors are asking themselves if now is the time to buy gold. I think that's the wrong question," Fitz-Gerald said. "What they should be asking themselves is if they can afford not to buy gold."
Gold prices today (Monday) fell sharply by 2.3% for the biggest one-day drop of 2014.
U.S. gold futures for August delivery were down $30.70 at $1,306.70 an ounce - their biggest one-day drop since December. Spot gold fell $33.50 at $1,305.50 an ounce. The sell-off happened quickly following the Comex futures market open in early U.S. trading according to Kitco, suggesting a big sell order hit the futures market at that time.
While commodities have been dominating our best stocks to buy lists lately, that's not the only asset hitting our radar...
Our new best stocks list includes a blue chip giant that's beating the broader market by roughly 50%, five small-cap stocks on the rise, and one generic drug-maker to buy now.
Get these, plus a full-year outlook on dividend stocks, in this roundup...
Gold price per ounce was on track for a fourth straight weekly gain today (Friday) - our up-to-date gold price chart reflects that the yellow metal is floating around its highest price since mid-April, achieved earlier this week...
Today, gold for August delivery was up $0.50 at $1,317.50 per ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange. Spot gold price per ounce was nearly flat, down $0.10 at $1,317.25. The London a.m. gold fix is up at $1,315.25 compared to the previous p.m. fixing of $1,311.75.
Here’s the top market news affecting gold prices right now…
It's not often a new kid makes it onto the commodities block.
Change can be disrupting... but it can also - in this case - be hugely profitable.
It's acquiring the marketplace qualities of long-traded commodities...
You may have guessed I'm talking about cannabis.
It's been five months since we last checked in on palladium, the precious metal so critical to the consumer electronics we use hundreds of times a day.
At the time I said I was bullish for a number of market reasons.
As it turns out, there were even more...
Now it's time for another close look, since the bullish forces are only picking up speed.
What's more, some new ones have materialized, pointing to a massively profitable palladium spike...Full Story
For nearly 100 years the London gold price fix has been widely used as an industry benchmark.
Its goal was to determine a price for gold that bullion dealers, jewelers, miners, and central banks could use to value their metal.
But it's a process that may have allowed for manipulation, something a recent Financial Times article highlighted thanks to new research.
Ukraine is Europe's most important actor in agriculture. And the Russian standoff over the Crimean region is creating a number of concerns for Europe's breadbasket.
Ukraine also feeds North Africa, and social unrest over food prices in nations like Egypt and Tunisia will heat up again if grain prices continue to soar.
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Markets clearly move in cycles, and commodities are no exception.
In fact, resources as an asset class are prone to the most extreme examples...
The good news is that recognizing and embracing these boom/bust cycles can make for huge profits.
And right now, a boom is clearly taking shape...
A number of commodities subsectors have already erupted on a dramatic surge upward...
And some equally dramatic indicators point to them heading much higher still... Full Story
Back in November we took a close look at the uranium market.
That's because the end of a 20-year milestone agreement was fast approaching...
From 1993 to 2013, the Megatons to Megawatts program saw highly enriched uranium from 20,000 Russian warheads converted into nuclear fuel, supplying American utilities.
At the time I highlighted a uranium investment that could profit from this opportunity, and it's just begun to tap into its upside...
Now we're seeing more bullish developments that point to even bigger gains... Full Story...
It's not surprising that precious metals get the most attention.
They're considered "precious" thanks to their scarcity, beauty, and history as a store of value.
That's all true. But industrial metals do the really hard work.
There's one base metal used worldwide to produce rustproof steel, in a variety of alloys, and even as a health supplement. It's not often spoken of as a great addition to your investment portfolio.
Here's the thing: It's poised to break out of a low multi-year price range and challenge the better-known metals in producing profits.
In fact, a stunning rally is in the works... and a great opportunity to seize an upside that others will miss, blinded by focusing on this metal's shinier counterparts...
One in every 10 lightbulbs in the United States gets its power from Russian fuel. It's been that way ever since 1993, when the Megatons to Megawattsprogram began.
Under this agreement, the highly enriched uranium (HEU) contained in ex-Soviet nuclear weapons was downblended and converted into nuclear fuel.
It was a win-win arrangement. Americans got the nuclear fuel they needed; the Russians got the hard currency they needed. And the world got a cleaner, less dangerous environment, as around 20,000 warheads were stood down.
But this era is rapidly coming to a close. The very last shipment of the program's uranium recently left St. Petersburg, Russia, for Baltimore, Maryland.
By the end of December, the deal that helped provide about half of all commercial nuclear power in the United States... will simply end.
And that's going to open up a fantastic opportunity for us...
We looked at aluminum's profit potential two weeks ago. But the other "forgotten" metal could double, too. It may go up even more.
In fact, this one is already the most-used metal in the world.
That's why my favorite play here could double...
