Gold Pullback in Focus
- Gold surged to $3,500 before a sharp pullback to $3,321.
- Simon breaks down what caused the spike — including comments from Trump about Powell and rate cuts.
- Weekly chart shows potential kangaroo tail reversal — possible zone to watch: $2,800–$3,000.
Gold | Weekly | 23 April 2025
Trump, Powell & IMF Forecast Downgrades
- Trump critiques Powell and Fed policy while possibly setting up a scapegoat.
- IMF cuts global growth forecasts from 3.2% to 2.8%.
- South Africa’s expected GDP is now at 1% — far below Treasury’s 1.9% target.
Rare Earths: Not So Rare, Still Strategic
- China’s dominance in rare earths: 69% production, 90% processing.
- Simon looks at the VanEck Rare Earth/Strategic Metals ETF (REMX) as a thematic play.
- Pros & cons of investing in rare earths — not fully sold on the ETF himself.
Flashback: 5 Years Since Negative Oil
- Remember April 2020? Oil went negative (-$40.32)!
- Breakdown of why it happened (physical settlement, lack of storage).
- One of the wildest moments in market history.
21 April 2020 | WTO goes negative
New Battery Tech from China’s CATL
- Sodium-ion batteries could rival lithium: cheaper, safer, fast-charging.
- CATL is profitable and pays a dividend, but listed in Shenzhen, making access tricky.
Aspen’s R2 Billion Hit
- Brief mention of Aspen’s contract dispute and loss.
- Lack of transparency continues to damage trust in management.
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00:00 Market Overview and Gold Price Dynamics
05:31 Rare Earth Minerals: Opportunities and Challenges
11:46 Oil Market Reflections and Historical Insights
15:46 Emerging Technologies in Battery Production
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JSE – The JSE is a registered trademark of the JSE Limited.
JSE Direct is an independent broadcast and is not endorsed or affiliated with, nor has it been authorised, or otherwise approved by JSE Limited. The views expressed in this programme are solely those of the presenter, and do not necessarily reflect the views of JSE Limited.
Wednesdays are all about hard-core investing and trading with Simon Brown’s famous JSE Direct podcast. JSE Direct started life on ClassicFM in July 2008 and became a podcast in 2011. Every week Simon shares his views on the state of global economies, individual shares and events moving markets.
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JSE – The JSE is a registered trademark of the JSE Limited.
JSE Direct is an independent broadcast and is not endorsed or affiliated with, nor has it been authorised, or otherwise approved by JSE Limited. The views expressed in this programme are solely those of the presenter, and do not necessarily reflect the views of JSE Limited.
