Futures: Uranium futures were about $77.40 per pound on July 3, according to online analysis firm Trading Economics. The company noted that the price held “most of the rally that topped at a seven-month high of $79 on June 27th as markets continued to assess how increased fund buying will impact bidding prices by utilities.”
Purchases: Toronto-based global asset management firm Sprott Physical Uranium Trust announced last month that it intends to purchase $200 million worth of physical uranium. That figure is twice the amount the company previously indicated it would buy in an agreement with Canaccord Genuity. Uranium acquisitions by Sprott, which holds most of its uranium as yellowcake, have triggered rallies in prices, according to Trading Economics. The Sprott move followed an approximate 6 percent jump in yellowcake prices during May as the Trump administration signaled it would support domestic uranium enrichment capacity, cut regulations, accelerate licenses for reactors, and maintain trade restrictions on major nuclear fuel exporters.
Kazatomprom: Another issue influencing the uranium market is production setbacks for Kazatomprom, the world’s largest uranium producer. The company recently announced that it would achieve a midpoint production of 14 million pounds, about 20 percent below its guidance from late 2023.