SMASH Recycling Morning Metals Report – August 3, 2026

Prices as of August 03, 2026 at 07:31 AM CDT.

Market screen levels only — not yard pay prices. Actual buy prices at the scale will differ based on grade, moisture, contamination, and freight. The scrolling ticker at the top of this page shows live prices and may differ from the snapshot below.

Jump to:

• Gold — $4,051/oz ▲
• Silver — $57.65/oz ▲
• PGMs — Rh ▸ $8,250 · Pt ▼ $1,621 · Pd ▼ $1,243
• Copper — $6.49/lb ▼
• Aluminum — $1.45/lb ▲
• Steel Scrap — $413.00/mt ▸
• Macro Backdrop
• CAD — USD/CAD 1.4029

SMASH Recycling Takeaways for Today

• Gold & Silver — With both ticking higher, move clean, documented boards and jewelry now; don’t sit on mixed, low-yield lots.
• PGMs — With platinum and palladium down and rhodium flat, sort cats by code and condition and auction them, not one-buyer them.
• Copper — Price slipped a couple cents; push clean #1 and stripped wire while it’s still strong, avoid hoarding low-grade.
• Aluminum — Up again; tighten your sorting and photo documentation on extrusions and sheet to capture better bids today.
• Big Picture — Mixed board: 3 metals up, 3 down, 2 flat — keep material moving and use competitive auctions for real price discovery.

Macro Backdrop — Energy and Risk

Brent Crude Oil: $82.86/bbl, down $7.26 (-8.06%) day-over-day.

US Dollar Index (DXY): 99.75, down 1.05 (-1.04%) day-over-day.

**Oil just took a big hit. That’s a warning light, not a green light.**

Brent is down hard to **$82.86**, off more than **8%**, so fuel and trucking costs may ease a bit, but big moves like this usually mean demand worries, not cheap diesel party time.[3][19] The **U.S. dollar index slipped to 99.75**, with **USD/CAD at 1.4029**, so FX is slightly friendlier for export cats and non‑ferrous, but it’s not a game‑changer yet.[8]

Yields are still high with the **10‑year at 4.68%** and real yields around **2.40%**, which keeps pressure on risk assets and supports gold on pullbacks.[6] Auto production and industrial output are inching higher, but consumer sentiment is still weak, so you should treat this backdrop as “cautious risk‑on” at best, not a broad boom.

Gold — Safe-Haven Indicator

• Spot Gold (XAU): $4,051/oz, up +$9.70 (+0.24%) day-over-day. Previous close: $4,042/oz.
• 5-day trend: ↑ 3 of last 5 sessions.

**Gold is still firm at $4,051/oz, but the move is small.** It is up just $9.70 today, and the 5-day trend shows 3 green sessions, so scrap sellers should keep an eye on price, not chase it. The weaker dollar can help support gold, but with oil under pressure and the macro tone soft, this is not a blowout market.

Silver — Industrial & Precious Hybrid

• Spot Silver (XAG): $57.65/oz, up +$0.0625 (+0.11%) day-over-day. Previous close: $57.59/oz.
• 5-day trend: ↑ 3 of last 5 sessions.
• Gold/Silver ratio: 70.3:1.

**Silver is nudging higher, but it’s not ripping.** Silver is at **$57.65/oz**, up about **6 cents** today, with 3 up days in the last 5 sessions. The gold/silver ratio is around **70:1**, so silver still looks cheap versus gold, but after my wrong “grind higher” call, you should focus on moving clean, documented silver scrap when bids look solid, not wait around hoping for a big spike.

Precious Metals (PGM) — Screen Indicators

• Platinum (Pt): $1,621/oz, down $23.00 (-1.40%) day-over-day. Previous close: $1,644/oz. MoM: +0.3%.
• Platinum 5-day trend: ↓ 3 of last 5 sessions.
• Palladium (Pd): $1,243/oz, down $13.00 (-1.04%) day-over-day. Previous close: $1,256/oz. MoM: -0.6%.
• Palladium 5-day trend: ↓ 3 of last 5 sessions.
• Rhodium (Rh): $8,250/oz, flat day-over-day. Previous close: $8,250/oz. MoM: +1.9%.
• Rhodium 5-day trend: → flat over last 5 sessions.

**PGM prices are still soft, so converters are not getting much lift.** Platinum is at **$1,621/oz** and palladium is **$1,243/oz**, both down on the day, while rhodium is flat at **$8,250/oz**.[2] With oil weaker and the dollar also easing, sellers should stay tight on cat grades and move clean, known material first.[2]

Copper — Current Indicators

• COMEX/Spot Copper: $6.49/lb, down $0.0180 (-0.28%) day-over-day. Previous close: $6.51/lb.
• 5-day trend: ↑ 3 of last 5 sessions.

**Copper’s still strong, even with today’s tiny dip.** Copper is about **$6.49/lb**, down just **2 cents** today, but it’s risen in **3 of the last 5 sessions**, so the trend is still firm for scrap sellers. With the dollar easing and oil under pressure, this kind of steady, high copper level keeps the window open to move clean wire and tubing with confidence.

Aluminum — Current Indicators

• LME Aluminum: $3,206/tonne ($1.45/lb), up +$0.0053 (+0.37%) day-over-day. Previous close: $1.45/lb.
• 5-day trend: ↑ 4 of last 5 sessions.

**Aluminum is edging up, but not by much.** It’s at **$1.45/lb**, up less than a cent, and the chart has been higher in **4 of the last 5 sessions**. Stronger action is showing up in clean, sorted loads, while the softer macro tone and weaker oil are keeping a lid on bigger moves.

Steel Scrap (Shredded (SHS), scrapmonster) — Current Indicators

• Steel Scrap Shredded (SHS) (SCRAP-SHS): $413.00/mt, flat day-over-day. Previous close: $413.00/mt.
• 5-day trend: → flat over last 5 sessions.
• HMS 1&2 (80:20) (SCRAP-HM): $385.50/mt (up +$19.50 (+5.33%) day-over-day).

Want to move PGM-bearing material, copper, aluminum, or steel scrap through competitive bidding? List your lots on SMASH Recycling and let vetted Canadian buyers compete for your scrap.