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.

Simon Brown

* I hold ungeared positions.

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