By FXEmpire.com
Introduction:Silver futures are standardized, exchange-traded contracts in which the contract buyer agrees to take delivery, from the seller, a specific quantity of silver (eg. 30000 grams) at a predetermined price on a future delivery date.
Some Facts about Silver
Silver is a soft, shiny and heavy metallic element with a brilliant white luster. A very ductile and malleable metal, its thermal and electrical conductivity is the highest of all known metals.
Besides being used as a store of value, other main uses of silver include applications in areas such as electronics, photography and as antiseptics.
Consumers and producers of silver can manage silver price risk by purchasing and selling silver futures. Silver producers can employ a short hedge to lock in a selling price for the silver they produce while businesses that require silver can utilize a long hedge to secure a purchase price for the commodity they need.
Silver futures are also traded by speculators who assume the price risk that hedgers try to avoid in return for a chance to profit from favorable silver price movement. Speculators buy silver futures when they believe that silver prices will go up. Conversely, they will sell silver futures when they think that silver prices will fall.
Weekly Analysis and Recommendations:
Silver ended the week at 28.837 after bouncing back from the 27.00 price range. Rising fears about global growth, tumbling commodity prices and a sharp pull-back from risky markets means that commodity and emerging market currencies are now coming under the pressure. Silver falls into two categories, that of industrial metal and precious metal. With the slowdown in manufacturing and production the industrial demand for silver is reduced and with risk aversion and markets supporting the USD, there is little support for the metals group.
FxEmpire provides in-depth analysis for each currency and commodity we review. Fundamental analysis is provided in three components. We provide a detailed monthly analysis and forecast at the beginning of each month. Then we provide more recent analysis and information in our weekly reports and we provide daily updates and outlooks.
Major Economic Events for the week of June 19-23, 2012 actual v. forecast
Date |
Time |
Currency |
Importance |
Event |
Actual |
Forecast |
Previous |
Jun. 19 |
02:30 |
AUD |
Monetary Policy Meeting Minutes |
||||
10:00 |
EUR |
German ZEW Economic Sentiment |
-16.9 |
4.0 |
10.8 |
||
Jun. 20 |
09:30 |
GBP |
Claimant Count Change |
8.1K |
-3.0K |
-12.8K |
|
17:30 |
USD |
Interest Rate Decision |
0.25% |
0.25% |
0.25% |
||
19:15 |
USD |
Fed Chairman Bernanke Speaks |
|||||
23:45 |
NZD |
GDP (QoQ) |
1.1% |
0.5% |
0.4% |
||
Jun. 21 |
09:30 |
GBP |
Retail Sales (MoM) |
1.4% |
1.2% |
-2.4% |
|
13:30 |
Core Retail Sales (MoM) |
-0.3% |
0.2% |
0.3% |
|||
13:30 |
USD |
Initial Jobless Claims |
387K |
380K |
389K |
||
15:00 |
USD |
Existing Home Sales |
4.55M |
4.57M |
4.62M |
||
Jun. 22 |
09:00 |
EUR |
German Ifo Business Climate Index |
105.3 |
105.9 |
106.9 |
|
13:30 |
CAD |
Core CPI (MoM) |
0.2% |
0.3% |
0.4% |
Historical:
Highest: 49.813 on Apr 25, 2011
Average: 27.592over this period.
Lowest: 14.655 on Feb 05, 2010
Economic Highlights of the coming week that affect the Euro, GBP, CHF and the USD
Date |
Time |
Currency |
Event |
Previous |
Jun 25 |
6:00 |
EUR |
GfK German Consumer Climate |
5.7 |
25th-30th |
GBP |
Nationwide HPI m/m |
0.3% |
|
14:00 |
USD |
New Home Sales |
343K |
|
Jun 26 |
8:30 |
GBP |
Public Sector Net Borrowing |
-18.8B |
13:00 |
USD |
S&P/CS Composite-20 HPI y/y |
-2.6% |
|
14:00 |
USD |
CB Consumer Confidence |
64.9 |
|
Jun 27 |
All Day |
EUR |
German Prelim CPI m/m |
-0.2% |
8:30 |
GBP |
BBA Mortgage Approvals |
32.4K |
|
10:00 |
GBP |
CBI Realized Sales |
21 |
|
12:30 |
USD |
Durable Goods Orders m/m |
0.2% |
|
14:00 |
USD |
Pending Home Sales m/m |
-5.5% |
|
14:30 |
USD |
Crude Oil Inventories |
||
Jun 28 |
7:55 |
EUR |
German Unemployment Change |
0K |
8:30 |
GBP |
Current Account |
-8.5B |
|
8:30 |
GBP |
BOE Credit Conditions Survey |
||
8:30 |
GBP |
Final GDP q/q |
-0.3% |
|
12:30 |
USD |
Unemployment Claims |
||
12:30 |
USD |
Final GDP q/q |
1.9% |
|
23:01 |
GBP |
GfK Consumer Confidence |
-29 |
|
Jun 29 |
29th-4th |
EUR |
German Retail Sales m/m |
0.6% |
6:45 |
EUR |
French Consumer Spending m/m |
0.6% |
|
7:00 |
CHF |
KOF Economic Barometer |
0.81 |
|
8:00 |
EUR |
M3 Money Supply y/y |
2.5% |
|
9:00 |
EUR |
CPI Flash Estimate y/y |
2.4% |
|
12:30 |
USD |
Core PCE Price Index m/m |
0.1% |
|
12:30 |
USD |
Personal Spending m/m |
0.3% |
|
13:45 |
USD |
Chicago PMI |
52.7 |
|
13:55 |
USD |
Revised UoM Consumer Sentiment |
74.1 |
Click here a current Silver Chart.
Originally posted here