New bimetallic circulating commemorative:

“Louis Braille”

SPECIFICATIONS
External ring: CuNi
Center disc: 3 layers, Ni-Brass, Ni, Ni-brass
Diameter: 25.75 mm
Width: 2.20 mm
Weight: 8.50 g

Coin values and trends over time are THE key indicators of future potential. See coin prices from past to present, with Buy recommendations for Today! Spend your coin collecting dollars wisely.

Commodity investments push up palladium prices

 LONDON (Commodity Online): Palladium popped above 300/oz in mid-September, with its highest London fix $299/oz, on the 17th of the month. A rally in other precious and base metals, together with a general sense of economic optimism and renewed commodity investment inflows, all helped push palladium prices to their highest since August 2008.

More specific positive factors were a strong August for US car sales and a continuing car boom in China, both of which are palladium-biased autocatalyst markets. The US reclaimed its mantle as largest single car market, with passenger vehicle sales of 1.17m units in August, up from 935,250 units in July and the highest monthly figure since May 2008.

It was also 3.9% higher yearon- year, a remarkable turnaround from earlier this year, when year-on-year sales were at one point some 40% down. Of course, as has been the case in other countries, these US sales were boosted by government incentives, in this case the “cash for clunkers” scheme. That programme ended on 24th August, so what September sales figures reveal will be critical.

There seem to be no such concerns in China (although it too has its own incentive schemes), with August seeing sales of 858,300 passenger vehicles, 90% higher year-on-year. That comparison is flattered by a weak August 2008, but it was nevertheless the second highest month for car sales on record, beaten only by June 2009.

Judging by the steady expansion of exchange-traded fund’s palladium holdings, investors continue to like what they see in prospect for palladium. Total ETF holdings as of 18th September were above 1 Moz, with the UK ETF Securitie’s ETF held 498,212 oz and the Swiss ZKB ETF 546,424 oz, up collectively over 100,000 oz from the position at the end of August, with almost all the fresh inflows into the UK ETF. The ratio of palladium ETF ounces held to platinum hit 1.98, the most in palladium’s favour since March this year.

Palladium Outlook

Palladium’s rally is all down to the rebound in the major car markets, and investors have taken note. But the risks are evenly balanced right now. If the September figures for US new vehicle sales are perceived to be disappointing, then $300/oz will be difficult to cling onto, even with the current boom in Chinese sales.

And, having reached $300/oz, some investors may decide to take some profits. After all, palladium has found cracking $300/oz difficult, even as platinum has kept on rising – the ratio between the two widened from a low of 4.25 on 2nd September to 4.47 by the 17th.

Short-term London pm fix: $265/oz-$310/oz.

Courtesy: Fortis Metals Monthly.

 Platinum, palladium beat gold!

 LONDON (Commodity Online): Even as the world is going ga-ga over the rising gold prices and investors are rushing to possess the yellow metal, there are some small precious metals which are making more profits than gold.

Platinum and palladium, two little known metals, have surged 38% and 56%, respectively, this year beating gold, which climbed by 12% only. Silver is up 42% over the same period.

Platinum and palladium are managing to profit from both jewellery and industrial sectors.

Both the metals have multitude of uses, with the auto industry taking about 60% of each metal’s annual production for catalysts to reduce tailpipe emissions.

Also the metals are a bet on economic recovery, and on the struggling automobile sector in particular.

However, despite cash for clunkers programmes announced by the US to buy gas guzzling cars and sell small cars, analysts still think auto makers’ demand for both metals will decrease this year.

Even with output likely to decline because vital South African mines are plagued with power shortages and labour disputes, both the platinum and palladium markets still confront the threat of a surplus.

One factor supporting prices is the growing appetite from exchange-traded funds that are backed by platinum and palladium.

As investors speculate on commodities, the total amount of the metals held by six such funds — traded in the UK, Switzerland and Australia — hit records last week, with about $1 billion in assets.

China may also have helped prop up the metals, with imports of platinum and palladium up 92% and 63%, respectively, in August from a year earlier, fueled by stronger demand from jewelers and auto makers.

Last year, Chinese jewelers and auto makers accounted for 16% of platinum’s global consumption. China’s jewellery demand for platinum is this year projected to exceed peak purchases seen in 2002, meaning a jump of 43% from last year. However, real demand growth isn’t strong enough to support such explosive imports, suggesting stockpiling..

Today, we wish a Happy Birthday to Enrico Fermi. If he was still alive, Fermi would be 108 years old.Fermi was a Nobel Laureate physicist who is commonly credited with harnessing the nuclear power. Fermi won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1938 “for his demonstrations of the existence of new radioactive elements produced by neutron irradiation, and for his related discovery of nuclear reactions

This is one of the proposed designs for the new Lincoln Cent, which will be the permanent reverse beginning in 2010.

Over the last ten years, US coinage has seen many changes. Starting in 1999, the 50 State Quarters® Program and the DC and US Territories Coin Program has taught us about our country and entertained us with “interesting” designs. The Westward Journey Nickels, Presidential Dollars, and this year’s Lincoln Bicentennial One Cent Redesign have kept us examining our pocket change looking for something

This is one of the proposed designs for the new Lincoln Cent, which will be the permanent reverse beginning in 2010.

Submitted by World Coin News
New bimetallic circulating commemorative:
“Louis Braille”

SPECIFICATIONS
External ring: CuNi
Center disc: 3 layers, Ni-Brass, Ni, Ni-brass
Diameter: 25.75 mm
Width: 2.20 mm
Weight: 8.50 g
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New bimetallic circulating commemorative:

“Louis Braille”

SPECIFICATIONS
External ring: CuNi
Center disc: 3 layers, Ni-Brass, Ni, Ni-brass
Diameter: 25.75 mm
Width: 2.20 mm
Weight: 8.50 g