SMASH Recycling Morning Metals Report – July 17, 2026

Prices as of July 17, 2026 at 07:30 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.

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• Gold — $3,984/oz ▲
• Silver — $55.44/oz ▼
• PGMs — Rh ▲ $8,250 · Pt ▼ $1,568 · Pd ▼ $1,219
• Copper — $6.21/lb ▼
• Aluminum — $1.43/lb ▼
• Steel Scrap — $413.00/mt ▸
• Macro Backdrop
• CAD — USD/CAD 1.4038

SMASH Recycling Takeaways for Today

• Gold & Silver — Gold’s up again: tighten your spreads and move clean, documented gold scrap now; hold firm on silver bids, tape is soft but today’s move is basically flat.
• PGMs — Rhodium’s climbing while platinum and palladium drop: prioritize rhodium-heavy cats and cores, and be ready for picky bids on mixed PGM loads—good photos and serial tracking will help you get paid.
• Copper — Copper slipped about 8 cents: don’t sit on bright, heavy copper; build full loads, document inventory in SMASH, and use auctions to see where buyers really are instead of guessing off yesterday’s print.
• Aluminum — Aluminum eased but only about a penny: keep moving clean extrusion and sheet, but separate dirty and mixed material tighter—buyers will still nitpick, so good packing lists and photos matter.
• Big Picture — 2 of 8 metals higher (Gold, Rhodium), 4 lower (Platinum, Palladium, Copper, Aluminum), 2 flat (Silver, Steel) — expect cautious but competitive bids, with more interest in well-documented precious and rhodium-bearing loads.

Macro Backdrop — Energy and Risk

Brent Crude Oil: $86.14/bbl, up $1.22 (+1.44%) day-over-day.

US Dollar Index (DXY): 100.80, down 0.48 (-0.47%) day-over-day.

**Energy is hot again. Risk is creeping up with it.**

Brent is holding above **$86**, up about 1.5% on the day and still higher than last week’s prints. That keeps fuel costs firm for shred, torch work, and trucking. LNG prices in Asia just jumped 10% on Hormuz tension, so the whole energy complex is on edge.

The U.S. dollar is a bit softer, with DXY under 101 and USD broad index ticking down. That helps exporters, but real 10‑year yields are still above 2%, which is a headwind for gold and silver even as Middle East headlines keep traders nervous. Net: energy is telling you to respect cost risk, FX is giving you a small break, and macro rates say “stay disciplined” on inventory.

Gold — Safe-Haven Indicator

• Spot Gold (XAU): $3,984/oz, up +$11.30 (+0.28%) day-over-day. Previous close: $3,973/oz.
• 5-day trend: ↑ 3 of last 5 sessions.

**Gold is grinding higher again, not spiking — steady tape, cautious bids.** Gold is around **$3,984/oz**, up about **0.28%** today and higher in 3 of the last 5 sessions.\[4\] With the dollar soft and energy hot, gold has a bit of support, but buyers still pick through gold-bearing scrap and cats carefully, paying up for clean, documented loads and holding the line on anything messy.\[2\]\[3\]

Silver — Industrial & Precious Hybrid

• Spot Silver (XAG): $55.44/oz, down $0.0265 (-0.05%) day-over-day. Previous close: $55.47/oz.
• 5-day trend: ↓ 4 of last 5 sessions.
• Gold/Silver ratio: 71.9:1.

**Silver is soft again, and that matters if you’re sitting on scrap.** Spot silver is $55.44 an ounce, down about 3 cents, and the metal has fallen in 4 of the last 5 sessions. The gold/silver ratio is still high at 71.9:1, so buyers may stay picky on silver-bearing loads until the tape firms up.

Precious Metals (PGM) — Screen Indicators

• Platinum (Pt): $1,568/oz, down $45.00 (-2.79%) day-over-day. Previous close: $1,613/oz. MoM: -10.0%.
• Platinum 5-day trend: ↓ 3 of last 5 sessions.
• Palladium (Pd): $1,219/oz, down $17.00 (-1.38%) day-over-day. Previous close: $1,236/oz. MoM: -6.4%.
• Palladium 5-day trend: ↓ 3 of last 5 sessions.
• Rhodium (Rh): $8,250/oz, up +$50.00 (+0.61%) day-over-day. Previous close: $8,200/oz. MoM: +3.1%.
• Rhodium 5-day trend: ↑ 2 of last 5 sessions.

**PGM sellers are seeing a mixed tape, but the bias is still soft.** Platinum is down to **$1,568/oz** and palladium to **$1,219/oz**, while rhodium is the only one with a small lift at **$8,250/oz**. With Brent crude still firm at **$86.14/bbl** and energy hot again, buyers may stay selective and push harder on clean, well-documented cat loads.

Copper — Current Indicators

• COMEX/Spot Copper: $6.21/lb, down $0.0790 (-1.26%) day-over-day. Previous close: $6.29/lb.
• 5-day trend: ↓ 3 of last 5 sessions.

**Copper is softer today, and the tape says sellers need to stay sharp.** Copper sits at **$6.21/lb**, down about **8 cents** on the day, and it has fallen in **3 of the last 5 sessions**. With **Brent crude still firm at $86.14/bbl** and energy hot again, the market has support, but copper is not catching a clean bid right now.

Aluminum — Current Indicators

• LME Aluminum: $3,147/tonne ($1.43/lb), down $0.0142 (-0.98%) day-over-day. Previous close: $1.44/lb.
• 5-day trend: ↑ 3 of last 5 sessions.

**Aluminum is slightly softer today, but the tape still has some fight in it.** Aluminum is around **$1.43/lb**, down about a cent, so buyers may lean on bids a bit. Five-day trend is still **up in 3 of the last 5 sessions**, and with energy hot again and Brent near **$86/bbl**, you should expect a choppy market, not a crash.

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): $366.00/mt (flat 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.