May 27, 2026 While precious metal prices on the exchanges appear to be stagnating, the physical market is showing unprecedented momentum. The British Royal Mint reports the highest trading activity in its history for the past fiscal year. While short-term interest rate fears are slowing down the paper markets, physical investors are consistently using the consolidation to diversify their portfolios—with almost unprecedented momentum in the silver segment. Online trading at the state-owned mint reached an all-time high. Although the Royal Mint traditionally does not disclose absolute tonnages, the percentage increases quarter-over-quarter illustrate the scale: Gold Boom: Sales of capital gains tax-free gold bars and products rose by 94% compared to the same quarter last year. Silver sensation: Demand for physical silver bars skyrocketed by 1,000% during the same period. Online activity: Transaction volume on royalmint.com climbed by 130% year-over-year. The Silver Phenomenon: Profit-taking Meets Massive Buyer Demand Silver attracted particular attention in the first quarter (January through March). Due to the temporarily high prices, some investors locked in profits, causing the value of silver products sold back to the Royal Mint to rise by a spectacular 3,300%. However, there was no broad market pullback. Buyers continued to clearly dominate the market: For every ounce of silver that customers sold back to the Royal Mint, two ounces were newly purchased (a buy-to-sell ratio of 2:1). This underscores the fundamental and long-term optimistic stance of physical investors toward the silver trend. Structural Change: Record Number of New Customers and Digitalization The record figures are based on a massive expansion of the investor base in the 2025/26 fiscal year: Customer Growth: The number of active precious metal buyers and sellers on the platform rose by 49%. New Customer Ratio: A sensational 60% of all active customers in the past year were first-time buyers. The fourth quarter marked the quarter with the highest number of new customers in the history of the Royal Mint. DigiGold as a Driver: The duty- and VAT-free digital offering “DigiGold” is establishing itself as a key pillar and already accounted for 54% of all transactions. The precious metals market is showing a clear dichotomy: on the one hand, there are short-term macroeconomic headwinds such as interest rates. On the other hand, there is a determined, long-term-oriented group of buyers. Stuart O’Reilly, Private Wealth Consultant at the Royal Mint, sees this as a fundamental and lasting shift in asset allocation: Private investors are increasingly viewing gold and silver not as speculative investments, but as strategic protection against inflation and stock market volatility. In his view, the fact that the influx of new customers continues despite the recent price consolidation demonstrates the long-term investment horizon of this new generation of investors. Source： https://goldinvest.de/en/gold-and-silver-royal-mint-reports-unprecedented-demand-for-physical-precious-metals

Futures: Overnight, LME lead opened at $2,011.5/mt, briefly touched a low of $2,010/mt during the Asian session before fluctuating upward; during the European session, it probed a high of $2,022/mt before pulling back slightly, ultimately closing at $2,015.5/mt, up 0.12%. Overnight, the most-traded SHFE lead 2607 contract opened at 16,740 yuan/mt, fluctuating around the intraday moving average, with a low of 16,710 yuan/mt and a high of 16,775 yuan/mt, ultimately closing at 16,745 yuan/mt, down 0.06%. On the macro front: Uzbekistan fully resumed gold exports in April. Malaysia reportedly imposed a 10% tariff on imports of certain gold bars. According to Yonhap News Agency, a South Korean court rejected an injunction request to suspend negotiations with Samsung's main union. Micron Technology's total market capitalization reached $1 trillion, setting a new all-time high again. Since the beginning of this year, Micron Technology has accumulated a gain of 210%. Data from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology showed that in April 2026, mobile phone shipments in the Chinese market reached 25.733 million units, up 2.8% YoY, of which 5G phones accounted for 24.736 million units. : In the Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shanghai market, warrant quotations were limited, and suppliers continued to offer cargoes self-picked up from primary lead smelter production sites. Meanwhile, as SHFE lead retreated after rapid rise, suppliers had mixed sentiments on shipments — some eased their stance on holding prices firm while others held firm on prices for shipments. Mainstream origin primary lead was quoted at premiums of 0-50 yuan/mt against the SMM #1 lead average price, with a few regions at premiums of 120-200 yuan/mt. Additionally, secondary lead smelters continued to operate at a loss, and their quotations remained relatively firm, with secondary refined lead quoted at premiums of 0-50 yuan/mt against SMM #1 lead on an ex-factory basis. Downstream enterprises had limited rigid demand, especially with lead prices fluctuating at highs, and downstream enterprises made few inquiries, with spot market transactions turning sluggish. Inventory: On May 26, LME lead inventory decreased by 775 mt to 285,700 mt; as of May 25, SMM lead ingot social inventory across five locations decreased by 3,200 mt compared with May 18. Lead Price Forecast for Today: Consumption side, the lead-acid battery market remained in off-season mode, with downstream enterprises' rigid demand still limited. Combined with lead prices rebounding, downstream enterprises became more cautious in procurement. Supply side, primary lead and secondary lead enterprises maintained stable to slightly rising production, with secondary lead losses beginning to recover and market circulating supply increasing, as spot lead trading gradually shifted to discounts (against SMM #1 lead). Meanwhile, tight supply of high-grade lead ingots in the Southeast Asian market has yet to ease, while Australian lead-zinc smelters are ramping up production. With bullish and bearish factors coexisting, lead prices are expected to continue fluctuating at highs. Data Source Statement: All data other than public information is SMM processed data based on public information, market communication, and SMM's internal database model, for reference only and does not constitute decision-making advice.

Gold and silver market update — May 11, 2026 Key Takeaways The gold/silver ratio measures how many ounces of silver it takes to buy one ounce of gold — as of May 11, 2026, it stands at 54.94, down from 62.05 just one week earlier Silver surged 7.1% to $86.10/oz today while gold barely moved at $4,730 — the catalyst is a US-China 90-day tariff truce that directly reprices silver’s industrial demand outlook (prices per nFusion Solutions, ~3:49 PM ET) According to the Silver Institute, silver has run a supply deficit for six consecutive years, with roughly 762 million troy ounces drawn from above-ground stockpiles since 2021 — the structural case for silver was in place long before this week The gold/silver ratio measures how many ounces of silver it takes to buy one ounce of gold. When it falls, silver is outperforming. Right now it’s falling fast — from 62.05 a week ago to 54.94 today — after silver surged 7.1% to $86.10 on a US-China tariff truce. That kind of compression in under a week is rare. It tends to happen when a catalyst hits a metal that was already primed to move. Silver was primed: according to the Silver Institute, it has run a supply deficit for six consecutive years. What Is the Gold/Silver Ratio — and What Does 54.94 Actually Mean? The gold silver ratio doesn’t tell you whether to buy. It tells you relative value. A ratio of 55 means one ounce of gold currently buys 55 ounces of silver, while at 88 — where it stood in early 2024 — silver was cheap relative to gold. The lower the ratio, the more ground silver has reclaimed. In normal markets, the ratio has historically ranged from roughly 40 to 80. Extremes revert. It hit 125 in March 2020 — a pandemic-panic outlier — before compressing back to the mid-60s by August of that year. At 54.94 today, the ratio is near the low end of its historical range. That’s not a buy signal. It’s context: silver has already closed a lot of ground, which makes the next directional move meaningful. Why Is Silver Outperforming Gold Right Now? Two forces hit silver simultaneously this week. They reinforce each other. The first force is trade: the US and China announced a 90-day tariff truce over the weekend. US tariffs on Chinese goods dropped from 145% to 30%; Chinese tariffs on US goods fell from 125% to 10%. For gold, that news is roughly neutral. Silver, however, gets a direct demand signal. According to the Silver Institute, approximately 60% of silver’s annual consumption is industrial — solar panels, electric vehicle batteries, and semiconductors. Most of that supply chain runs through China. When the tariffs came down, traders immediately repriced silver’s demand outlook. The 7% single-session move is that repricing happening in real time. Underlying that trade catalyst is a second, structural force. According to the Silver Institute, silver has run a supply deficit for six consecutive years — the world consumes more than it mines. The 2026 deficit is projected at 46.3 million ounces, up 15% from 2025. Since 2021, roughly 762 million troy ounces have been drawn from above-ground stockpiles. The trade truce lit the match. Six years of deficits was the fuel. Has a Ratio This Low Ever Predicted a Bigger Silver Move? It has — though the setup matters as much as the level. The clearest recent parallel is 2020, when the pandemic pushed the ratio to 125 in March — an extreme by any historical measure. As the shock faded, silver rallied roughly 45% over the following months while the ratio compressed back to the mid-60s by August. The starting point this time is far less extreme. But the direction and velocity are similar. The fair pushback: a 90-day truce is not a trade deal. If US-China negotiations break down before the deadline, silver’s industrial demand thesis softens and the ratio can re-expand quickly. That’s a real risk. But six years of supply deficits, documented by the Silver Institute, don’t evaporate on a failed negotiation. The structural bid existed before this week. All the truce did was remove a ceiling — it didn’t create the floor. What Does the Ratio Tell Long-Term Precious Metals Holders? Not what to do today — what to understand about where we are. Silver’s dual nature is the point. It’s part monetary metal, part industrial feedstock. When real yields fall, gold tends to lead. As industrial activity picks up, silver tends to overshoot. Right now both conditions are present, which is why silver is moving faster. A ratio of 54.94 means silver has been closing the gap with gold since early 2024, when it sat at 88. Fiat currency systems erode purchasing power gradually, through inflation and monetary expansion. Gold and silver both resist that erosion — but they don’t always move in lockstep. The ratio is the scoreboard. Right now, silver is catching up. That’s not alarming. That’s the system working the way it’s supposed to. Prices as of May 11, 2026, approximately 3:49 PM ET. Source： https://goldsilver.com/industry-news/goldsilver-news/why-the-gold-silver-ratio-is-falling-and-what-it-means/

2026/05/06 16:04 A commentary from the Asia-Pacific Investment Director’s Office of the bank pointed out that gold prices have declined for two consecutive weeks, mainly due to rising energy prices, a stronger US dollar, and higher real yields. However, institutional and retail investor demand for gold remains strong, indicating that there is still upside potential for gold prices. Data from the World Gold Council shows that demand for gold bars and coins surged by 42%, reaching a record high for individual physical gold purchases in a single quarter, mainly driven by the Asian market. Central bank gold purchases have also remained at high levels, with annual purchases expected to reach 900 to 1,000 tonnes. UBS Wealth Management believes that ongoing demand from central banks and Middle Eastern sovereign wealth funds will continue to support gold prices. In addition, factors such as political uncertainty, concerns over fiscal deficits, and a possible weakening US dollar at the end of the year make gold an attractive tool for value storage. Source: https://www.bitget.com/news/detail/12560605399400

Although recent conflicts in the Middle East have caused short-term volatility in gold prices, the medium- and long-term outlook remains positive as high geopolitical risks, increasing fiscal deficits, and continued buying by central banks will continue to support the price of the precious metal.

The Chinese gold market is a tale of two sectors. The jewelry sector is struggling due to high prices, while gold investment has been red-hot.