Core Insights - Silver has experienced its worst price collapse in history, indicating a significant downturn in the market for this precious metal [1] - The decline marks the largest percentage drop since the 1980s, highlighting a critical moment for investors and stakeholders in the silver industry [1] Industry Summary - The current market conditions for silver are unprecedented, with historical comparisons showing a drastic shift in pricing dynamics [1] - Investors may need to reassess their strategies in light of this significant price decline, as it could impact future demand and supply scenarios in the silver market [1]

Group 1 - Precious metal stocks experienced a significant pre-market decline, with First Majestic Silver (AG.US) dropping nearly 13% [1] - Endeavour Silver (EXK.US) fell over 12%, while Pan American Silver (PAAS.US) and Harmony Gold (HMY.US) both declined nearly 10% [1] - Newmont Corporation (NEM.US) saw a decline of nearly 8% [1] Group 2 - Spot gold prices plummeted, breaking below the $5000.00 per ounce mark, with a daily drop of 7% [1] - The latest COMEX gold futures reported at $5027.80 per ounce, reflecting a daily decrease of 6.11% [1] - London spot silver fell over 16%, currently priced at $98.60 [1]

Core Viewpoint - U.S. stock futures showed mixed performance, with Dow futures slightly up by 0.1% on Friday, while PennyMac Financial Services Inc experienced a significant decline in pre-market trading due to disappointing quarterly financial results [1]. Company Summary - PennyMac Financial Services reported quarterly earnings of $1.96 per share, which fell short of the analyst consensus estimate of $3.24 per share [1]. - The company’s quarterly sales were reported at $538.005 million, missing the analyst consensus estimate of $642.528 million [1]. - In pre-market trading, PennyMac Financial shares dropped by 21.8%, reaching a price of $117.00 [2]. Industry Summary - The overall U.S. stock market exhibited mixed signals, indicating varied investor sentiment across different sectors [1].

Core Viewpoint - The precious metals market experienced significant declines, with gold and silver prices dropping sharply, impacting related stocks negatively [1] Group 1: Gold Market - Spot gold fell below three key psychological levels, reaching a low of $5105.83, a drop of over $400 from its intraday high [1] - The decline in gold prices reflects broader market volatility and investor sentiment [1] Group 2: Silver Market - Spot silver saw a drastic decline of 8% during the day, after briefly surpassing $121 per ounce, falling over $15 to currently trade at $108.23 per ounce [1] - The sharp drop in silver prices indicates a significant shift in market dynamics and investor confidence [1] Group 3: Mining Stocks - Precious metal mining stocks experienced notable declines, with Endeavour Silver (EXK.US) and First Majestic Silver (AG.US) both dropping over 8% [1] - Pan American Silver (PAAS.US) fell more than 6.7%, Newmont Corporation (NEM.US) decreased over 5%, and Harmony Gold (HMY.US) dropped over 8% [1]

Core Viewpoint - Silver prices have significantly increased due to demand outpacing supply, benefiting companies like First Majestic Silver, which has seen substantial stock price growth [1][2]. Industry Overview - Silver prices have surged 280% since the start of 2025, with First Majestic's stock rising 364% in the same period [1][2]. - Industrial silver demand has increased by 33% since 2020, with expectations of double-digit growth driven by applications in technology such as AI, solar panels, and electric vehicles [4]. Company Performance - First Majestic Silver has a market capitalization of $13 billion, with a current stock price of $26.25 and a gross margin of 25.72% [3]. - The company reported mine operating earnings of $99 million in Q3, attributed to higher silver production and a 31% increase in the average realized silver price [7]. - The company generates 57% of its revenue from silver, with precious metals accounting for 90% of total revenue [5]. Production and Reserves - First Majestic acquired a 70% stake in the Cerra Los Gatos Mine, which adds significant production capacity, contributing 2.1 million silver equivalent ounces in Q3 [6]. - The company faces a silver deficit, with annual consumption at approximately 1,150 million ounces against production of about 835 million ounces, marking the fifth consecutive year of shortfall [4]. Future Outlook - Analysts project earnings growth of 52% in 2026 and 47% in 2027 for First Majestic, as rising silver prices are expected to enhance earnings and margins [8]. - The company is positioned as a leveraged play on silver prices, benefiting from the ongoing demand and supply dynamics in the silver market [8].

Investors with a lot of money to spend have taken a bearish stance on First Majestic Silver (NYSE:AG).And retail traders should know.We noticed this today when the trades showed up on publicly available options history that we track here at Benzinga.Whether these are institutions or just wealthy individuals, we don't know. But when something this big happens with AG, it often means somebody knows something is about to happen.So how do we know what these investors just did? Today, Benzinga's options scanner ...

Core Viewpoint - Precious metal stocks experienced a significant pre-market rally, with notable increases in share prices for several companies as gold and silver prices reached historical highs [1] Group 1: Company Performance - First Majestic Silver (AG.US) rose over 5% [1] - Pan American Silver (PAAS.US) increased by over 4% [1] - Endeavour Silver (EXK.US) saw a nearly 4% rise [1] - Newmont Corporation (NEM.US) gained over 2% [1] - Harmony Gold Mining (HMY.US) was up over 1% [1] Group 2: Market Trends - On January 26, London spot gold prices briefly surpassed $5,100 per ounce, marking a historical peak [1] - London spot silver also strengthened, with prices rising over 5% to exceed $110 per ounce [1]

Group 1 - China Aluminum International (02068) saw a mid-day increase of over 2.4% after announcing a joint venture to undertake a new electrolytic aluminum project with an annual capacity of 394,000 tons, with the first phase set at 294,000 tons [1] - CGN Mining (01164) rose over 8.3% following the submission of a preliminary prospectus for a trust that plans to issue up to $2 billion in transferable, non-redeemable trust shares over 25 months, with annual uranium procurement not exceeding 9 million pounds [1] - China Shengmu Organic Milk (01432) increased nearly 6% after a joint announcement regarding a potential conditional cash offer to acquire all issued shares of the company [1] Group 2 - Yijun Group Holdings (02442) surged over 18%, with a cumulative increase of nearly 500% since its resumption of trading in December, following the sale of shares by its controlling shareholder [2] - China Rare Earth Holdings (03788) rose over 10%, reaching a historical high of 5.49 HKD, after announcing the termination of its gold spin-off plan to focus on gold business [2] - Laopuqin Gold (06181) increased over 7.3% as consumer demand is expected to rise during the upcoming Spring Festival, driven by higher gold prices and anticipated price increases [2] Group 3 - Oil stocks continued to rise, with CNOOC (02883) up 4.19%, Sinopec (00386) up 2.54%, and PetroChina (00857) up 3.68%, amid escalating geopolitical tensions in Iran and Cuba [3] - Changfei Optical Fiber (06869) saw a rise of over 15.4% due to significant price increases and supply tightness in the G.652.D optical fiber market, with major manufacturers unable to meet their own orders [3] Group 4 - Nanshan Aluminum International (02610) increased over 2.6% after announcing plans to start construction on a 250,000-ton electrolytic aluminum project in 2026, with an investment of $437 million [4] - Xindong Company (02400) saw a slight increase of 0.43% as its mobile game "Xindong Town" surpassed 10 million downloads, indicating strong user growth [4] Group 5 - EquipmentShare.com (EQPT.US) debuted on the US stock market with an IPO price of $24.5, closing up 32.9% on its first day [5] - The solar energy sector saw initial gains, with JinkoSolar (JKS.US) up 9.03% and Canadian Solar (CSIQ.US) up 4.57%, following discussions at the Davos Forum [5] - Silver-related stocks experienced gains, with First Majestic Silver (AG.US) rising 5.04% as spot silver prices surpassed $100 [5] Group 6 - Lithium mining stocks mostly rose, with Sigma Lithium (SGML.US) up 17.54% after announcing additional sales of high-purity lithium powder [6] - Bank stocks declined, with Goldman Sachs (GS.US) down 3.75% amid legal issues involving President Trump and JPMorgan [6] - Redwire (RDW.US) increased by 4.51% following comments from Elon Musk about SpaceX's plans for reusable rocket technology [6] Group 7 - Semiconductor stocks showed strength, with AMD (AMD.US) up 2.35% and Nvidia (NVDA.US) up 1.53%, as Nvidia's CEO visited China to discuss future plans [7] - Ericsson (ERIC.US) rose 8.87% after reporting strong fourth-quarter earnings, with adjusted EBITA reaching 12.7 billion SEK, a 24% increase year-over-year [8] - Intel (INTC.US) fell 17.03% due to disappointing performance outlooks and manufacturing issues [8]

Group 1 - First Majestic Silver Corp. is recognized as one of the 15 best performing silver stocks to buy [1] - BMO Capital has maintained a Market Perform rating on First Majestic Silver Corp. and raised its price target from C$22 to C$26 [2] - H.C. Wainwright reaffirmed its Buy rating and increased the price target from $17.50 to $24.50 following the release of year-end production statistics [2] Group 2 - In Q4 2025, First Majestic produced 7.8 million silver equivalent ounces, including 4.2 million ounces of silver, marking a 77% year-on-year increase in silver production [3] - Total production for 2025 reached 31.1 million silver equivalent ounces, exceeding expectations [3] - The company sold the Del Toro mine for up to $60 million and completed 57,305 meters of drilling in Q4 [3] Group 3 - First Majestic Silver Corp. focuses on the production, development, exploration, and acquisition of mineral properties in North America, primarily targeting silver and gold [4]

Group 1 - Sanhua Intelligent Control (02050) saw a decline of over 3.4% after announcing a share reduction plan involving the actual controller and several directors, with a total of up to approximately 10.2 million A-shares to be sold between February 24, 2026, and May 23, 2026 [1] - Tuo Yun Biotechnology (01332) experienced a significant drop of over 60%, nearly erasing gains since October 2022, following stock movements involving major shareholders [1] - Zhongwei New Materials (02579) increased by over 5% as the company announced securing 5-6 billion wet tons of nickel ore resources and establishing four nickel raw material industrial bases in Indonesia [1] Group 2 - InnoCare Pharma (03696) rose over 6%, reaching a new high of 62.9 HKD, after receiving FDA approval for its oral NLRP3 inhibitor ISM8969 for Parkinson's disease treatment [2] - Solar stocks surged, with Kaisa New Energy (01108) up 17.85% and other companies like Fuyao Glass (06865) and Xinyi Solar (00968) also showing significant gains, driven by a report indicating a new phase in commercial space deployment [2] - Jiangnan Buyi (03306) fell nearly 7% after announcing a placement of 14.535 million shares at a discount to the market price [2] Group 3 - Lithium stocks rose, with Ganfeng Lithium (01772) up 5.22% and Tianqi Lithium (09696) up 2.88%, following a report of a significant increase in lithium carbonate contract prices [3] - Rongchang Bio (09995) increased nearly 2% after UBS expressed a positive outlook on its collaboration with AbbVie, which includes substantial milestone payments [4] - DCH Holdings (00179) fell nearly 7% as it reported a slight decline in revenue for the nine months ending December 31, 2025 [4] Group 4 - Gold stocks rebounded, with Chifeng Jilong Gold Mining (06693) up 6.99% and others also showing gains, as spot gold prices reached a new high of over $4,960 per ounce [4] - Bitgo Holdings (BTGO.US) debuted on the US stock market, rising 2.72% as a leading cryptocurrency custody provider [5] - Rare earth stocks surged, with USA Rare Earth (USAR.US) up 17.49% after announcing partnerships to advance its Round Top project [5] Group 5 - The Nasdaq Golden Dragon China Index opened up 1.6%, with major Chinese stocks like Li Auto (LI.US) and Alibaba (BABA.US) showing gains, supported by comments from the People's Bank of China regarding potential monetary easing [6] - Abbott (ABT.US) fell 10.04% after reporting lower-than-expected sales for Q4 2025, despite a year-over-year increase in adjusted EPS [7] - Alibaba (BABA.US) rose 5.05% as it plans to list its semiconductor division, benefiting from investor interest in competing with Nvidia [7]