The International Resource Journal: Market Spotlight: GFMS

Market Spotlight: GFMS
================================================================================
admin on 18 December, 2009 06:32:00
 
GFMS Ltd. (formerly Gold Fields Mineral Services) is the world’s foremost
precious metal consultancy, specialising in research into the global gold,
silver, platinum and palladium markets. The company also provides consultancy
services in the form of tailor-made research into selected areas of the precious
metals markets. GFMS Ltd. has three sister companies under the parent GFMS
Group: GFMS Metals Consulting—focusing on base metals and steel; GFMS
Mining & Exploration Consulting—mining and exploration; and GFMS
Analytics—immediate market analysis. Founded in 1989, in 2002, GFMS became
the first research company to become an associate member of the London Bullion
Market Association (LBMA).
The international reach of GFMS is unparal­leled. Based in London, U.K.,
GFMS is also rep­resented in Australia, India, China, Germany, France, Spain
and Russia and has contacts and associates across the world. Last year alone,
GFMS visited 49 countries, and they have permanent analysts in Russia, China,
Australia and India.
GFMS publishes a three-year price forecast once a quarter for clients who wish
to gain insight on the latest developments and trends on the supply, demand and
price for gold, silver, platinum and palladium. These reports build on the
propri­etary analysis of the precious metals markets and aim to provide
projections on all the key supply and demand components, with particular
emphasis placed on the extent to which variation in prices will influence the
various components and vice versa. This publication is credited with producing
some of the more authoritative assessments of the global supply and demand. The
reliable and consistent data and analysis of production, trading, fabrication
and consumption places a crucial role on GFMS in the markets.
GFMS uses a highly comprehensive database built up over decades, which is
actively maintained by the GFMS team of 15 full-time analysts and two
consultants. Projects include statistical analysis of the long-term trends in
gold mine production costs in major producing countries and reports on
un­locking value through vertical integration in various stages of resource
mining.
GFMS are credited with producing then most authoritative assessments of the
global supply and demand of the above metals, as set out in the Gold Survey (our
first, having begun in 1968), the World Silver Survey and the Platinum &
Palladium Survey. These surveys provide an in-depth analysis of
devel­opments in individual markets and contain a wealth of historical
statistics on production, recycling, trading, fabrication and consump­tion.
By providing reliable and consistent data and analysis of the highest quality,
GFMS fulfil a crucial role in the markets, a fact recognised by the
company’s admission into the London Bullion Market Association as an
associate member.