news leaking out....mineweb website, page-2

http://www.commodityonline.com/news/Bet-on-silver-platinum-copper-and-palladium-28145-3-1.html

LONDON (Commodity Online): Gold prices witnessed a new record this week. But do you know, gold has lost its steam against several other metals like silver, platinum, copper and palladium. In fact, even though the world is hailing gold as the safest bet during the times of crisis, silver, platinum, copper and palladium have shown the world that those who put their money in these metals reaped rich dividends.

Again, at a time when doomsayers are predicting a disaster in Europe following the Greek tragedy, there are indications that the global economic recovery is very strong. It is evident from the fact that silver and platinum like metals have gained so much in the past one year, the world is on the right path to recovery. Platinum, at $1,740 an ounce, is up about 50% in the last year following huge auto sales in China, India and the US. It would need to gain another 20% to hit a new all-time high.

Again, copper gained 60% to $3.18 a pound over the last 52 weeks. But it would still have to more than double to hit a record. Silver has gained 65%. But at $19.50 an ounce, silver would have to more than triple to hit a new high. Palladium jumped more 140% over the last year to $542 an ounce, or about 600 bucks below its record.

In this case scenario, just check out gold. It has gained much in May because of the European crisis and the European Unions trillion-dollar rescue package.

Gold has commercial and industrial uses, but mostly the ductile metal just sits around being a store of value, a hedge against bad things happening. On the other hand, copper, silver, platinum and palladium are so widespread and elemental in their uses that they are the global economy.

Optimism abounds in surveys taken in the European business community, suggesting that sentiments favor an increase in demand for exports that a weakened Euro might generate.

Traders of all types, whether in precious metals or foreign currencies, have raced to their trading desks with their respective commodity or forex charts in hand. International crises always create volatility in global markets, and volatility is the harbinger of opportunities to profit from uncertainty. The true silver lining in these events has been a predictable flight of capital to precious metals and currencies perceived as safe havens from which to ride out the storm.

As stocks rise, metals follow suit. Gold has broken out of this correlation occasionally, but silver tends to have more industrial uses than gold, thereby suggesting a trending more in line with industrial stocks. Experts are now saying that metals have severed this linkage and can only move higher in the months to come. Momentum indicators for metals seem to support this logic, although stocks did rebound this week from last weeks plunge.