Lease
Gold Lease Rates Topping Out
Gold Lease Rate Higher, Registered COMEX Gold Lower
Just another update.
Gold Lease Rates are at an all time high again:
Chart 1: Gold Lease Rate |
COMEX registered gold has once declined to even lower levels. J.P. Morgan unloaded its registered gold. Total registered gold at COMEX now stands at: 875713 troy ounces. We are nearing the bottom.
Chart 2: COMEX gold |
Gold Lease Rate
This page is created to monitor the “Gold Lease Rate”.
The gold interest rate earned on fiat gold is commonly referred as the gold “lease” rate.
Red Alert in Gold Lease Rates
Bitcoin Hits All Time High
Just to remind you that the bitcoin price has hit new all time highs at $35.
Chart 1: Bitcoin Price |
With the high correlation between bitcoin and gold, there is no way that gold won’t go higher.
Chart 2: Gold Price |
As a matter of fact, Shanghai silver premiums hit a high of 4.36% today.
Chart 3: Shanghai Silver Premium |
And even better, lease rates are hitting new highs.
Chart 4: Gold Lease Rate |
Chart 5: Gold Forward Rate |
Tightness Continues in the Precious Metals Market
Why are the silver lease rates flat at Kitco?
At last we know the reason why the lease rates for silver were flat for so long (and still are). James Turk told us just recently that the LBMA (London Bullion Market Association) is no longer reporting silver interest rates and silver forward rates.
As you know, the lease rate is LIBOR minus GOFO and the same applies for silver. If they don’t report the silver forward rates, you can’t get the lease rate anymore, because we lost a parameter of the equation. James Turk says that the LBMA is underreporting on the silver forward rate. It’s reporting contango, but actually it should be in backwardation. When gold and silver are in backwardation, that means we will have high probability of getting inflation.
That’s what I’m making of this, unless there is someone who can give another explanation for the flat curve here:
Chart 1: Silver Lease Rate |
Luckily, we still have the gold GOFO and gold lease rates. The GOFO is still in contango (3 month GOFO = 0.42%). So we just use those to “assume” silver forward rate … If we do get a spike down in GOFO, then severe backwardation could show up.
One thing is certain. If gold lease rates go up, the GOFO goes down and that means the gold goes in backwardation. And that also means that silver is going in backwardation. That ultimately means that you should buy silver when silver lease rates go up.
If this event of the LBMA isn’t a reason to buy silver, I don’t know what is.
And finally, isn’t it a coincidence that the silver priced started to move up just when the curve went flat (Chart 1)?
Silver Inventories at CME and Lease Rates
Just a few weeks after I turned bullish on silver, articles are sprouting out of nowhere about silver inventories being historically low.
However, I see signs of a temporary weakness in silver.
1) The silver stocks at the CME aren’t actually going down anymore. They are going upwards (Chart 1).
Chart 1: Silver Stocks CME |
2) The silver lease rates are actually going down, instead of going up. Historically, when silver lease rates plunge, the price of silver will go down a few months later.
Chart 2: Silver Lease Rate |
Conclusion: I would be wary about the price of silver. If this trend continues this way, look out below!
LIBOR scandal and the Significance of it on gold & silver lease rates
The London Interbank Offered Rate is the average interest rate estimated by leading banks in London that they would be charged if borrowing from other banks. GOFO is the interest we need to pay if we swap gold for U.S. dollars. Whenever GOFO goes down (or gold lease rates go up), it means people are craving to get their hands on gold. At the same time, when LIBOR goes up (or gold lease rates go up), it basically means the same: higher gold prices to come.
To read the effect of LIBOR on the gold lease rate in more detail, go to: LIBOR scandal and its effects on gold and silver lease rates.