February 19, 2019 -- Gold and silver prices finished strong on Friday and held on to most of those gains in yesterday’s limited holiday trading. US markets resume normal trading today.

Palladium continues to be the precious metal to watch. It now trades north of $1,475 per ounce – roughly $150 above the gold price.

The continuing physical shortage palladium is driving the price higher. And lease rates remain extraordinarily high. Firms who need actual bars are paying roughly 10% to rent them.

Johnson Matthey, a major manufacturer of emissions control products (and former precious metals refiner), predicts the shortage in palladium will only get worse as we move through the year.

Meanwhile, the firm anticipates another year of surplus in the platinum market. The decline in popularity of diesel engines, following the 2015 revelations that Volkswagen was cheating emissions tests, is hurting demand for platinum.



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