Gold and silver prices hit new highs on Monday amid increased demand for safe-haven assets due to the situation surrounding Greenland.
Traders fear that increased pressure from US President Donald Trump, who is laying claim to Greenland, will provoke a large-scale trade war between the US and Europe.
On Saturday, Trump announced that he would impose 10% tariffs on a number of European countries that support Denmark and Greenland starting in February. From June 1, 2026, the tariffs for these countries will be 25% and will remain in effect “until an agreement is reached on the full purchase of Greenland by Washington,” Trump said.
European countries are ready for a coordinated response to the introduction of US tariffs, said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. According to the Financial Times, EU countries are considering imposing tariffs on US goods worth €93 billion or a series of restrictions on American companies.
The trade tensions surrounding Greenland are different from last year’s situation with the US imposing large-scale tariffs, notes Charu Chanan, chief investment strategist at Saxo Markets in Singapore.
“The use of tariff threats within NATO is a kind of blow to confidence that could provoke a more persistent risk premium on asset values,” she says.
The spot price of gold rose 1.6% to $4,670.47 per ounce by 9:30 a.m. on Monday, while silver rose 3.4% to $93.1755 per ounce. During the session, the price of gold rose to a record $4,690.59 per ounce, and silver to $94.1213 per ounce.
“Geopolitical risks are intensifying,” said Kyle Rodda, an analyst at Capital.com Inc. in Melbourne. “New trade uncertainty is clouding the growth outlook, and US foreign policy is undermining confidence in the dollar. This is the perfect set of conditions for gold and silver prices to rise.”
US stock index futures are down 0.8-1.3% on Monday. Trading activity on the futures market is weak as US exchanges are closed for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.
Reference: The Experts Club analytical center previously released a video analysis of the twenty largest silver-producing countries and their competition for leadership in 1971-2024 – https://www.youtube.com/shorts/HvKK-YET8vs
The Experts Club also previously presented an analysis of the world’s leading gold-producing countries — https://youtube.com/shorts/DWbzJ1e2tJc?si=BywddHO-JFWFqUFA
Passenger traffic across Ukraine’s border in the second week after the New Year, from January 10 to 16, fell by 19.2% to 483,000, according to data from the State Border Service.
According to the data, the number of border crossings for departure decreased to 235,000 from 295,000 a week earlier, while for entry – to 248,000 from 303,000.
The number of vehicles and trucks carrying humanitarian cargo that passed through checkpoints this week remained at the previous level – 109,000 and 394, respectively.
According to the State Border Service, as of 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, there were queues at only two checkpoints along the entire western border: Ustyluh on the border with Poland (15 cars) and Mamalyga on the border with Moldova (30 cars).
The total number of border crossings this week is lower than last year. At that time, 245,000 people left Ukraine and 270,000 entered the country in a similar 7-day period. The flow of cars was also higher last year – 120,000, which may be due to weather conditions.
Last year, a 13.3% drop in passenger traffic was recorded this week, and another 12% drop the following week.
As reported, from May 10, 2022, the outflow of refugees from Ukraine, which began with the start of the war, was replaced by an influx that lasted until September 23, 2022, and amounted to 409,000 people. However, since the end of September, possibly influenced by news of mobilization in Russia and “pseudo-referendums” in the occupied territories, followed by massive shelling of energy infrastructure, the number of those leaving exceeded the number of those entering. In total, from the end of September 2022 to the first anniversary of the full-scale war, it reached 223,000 people.
In the second year of the full-scale war, the number of border crossings to leave Ukraine, according to the State Border Service, exceeded the number of crossings to enter by 25,000, in the third year by 187,000, and since the beginning of the fourth year by 182,000.
In its July inflation report, the National Bank of Ukraine worsened its migration forecast: while in April it expected a net inflow of 0.2 million people to Ukraine in 2026, it now forecasts a net outflow of 0.2 million, which corresponds to the estimate of the net outflow for this year. “Net return will only begin in 2027 (about 0.1 million people, compared to 0.5 million people in the previous forecast),” the NBU added and confirmed this forecast at the end of October. In absolute terms, the National Bank estimates the number of migrants currently remaining abroad at about 5.8 million.
According to updated UNHCR data, the number of Ukrainian refugees in Europe as of January 16, 2026, was estimated at 5.349 million (5.311 million as of December 11), and 5.898 million (5.860 million) worldwide.
In Ukraine itself, according to the latest UN data for July this year, there are 3.340 million internally displaced persons (IDPs), compared to 3.757 million in April.
On January 21, 2026, PJSC Nizhnednistrovskaya HPP (Chernivtsi region) will hold an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders in a remote format – by means of a poll, according to a report in the SMIDA information disclosure system of the National Securities and Stock Market Commission (NSSMC).
The draft agenda includes, in particular, the approval of the company’s annual financial plan for 2026, the approval of the provisions on the supervisory board and the remuneration of the executive body, the election of members of the supervisory board and the approval of the terms of contracts with them, as well as the distribution of profits for 2024 and the approval of the amount of annual dividends (the draft decision specifies that 90% of net profit will be allocated to dividends).
The meeting was convened by PJSC Ukrhydroenergo, which owns more than 5% of the voting shares of Nizhnednistrovskaya HPP.
PJSC Nizhnednistrovskaya HPP (EDRPOU code 30149623) was registered in 1999 in Novodnistrovsk (Chernivtsi region). The company is the successor to OJSC Dnister Pumped Storage Power Plant; the company’s documents indicate that Nizhnednistrovskaya HPP is designed to equalize uneven water discharges from the Dnister Reservoir and form a lower basin for the operation of the Dnister Pumped Storage Power Plant; average annual production is estimated at 55 million kWh. According to public records, the authorized capital is UAH 475.33 million.
A pilot agricultural project for growing olive trees has been launched in the Kherson region in cooperation with local farmers, according to local media reports citing the head of the Kherson Regional State Administration, Alexander Prokudin.
Canadian organizations MetaCluster TIASI and GREEK CHALLENGE are involved in the initiative, and the launch of the project is linked to changing climatic conditions that are reducing the yield of crops traditional to the region.
According to the Kherson Regional State Administration, Greek partners have already delivered the first seedlings for planting in pre-determined greenhouses. This stage is necessary to test the suitability of the region’s climate, as the crop requires a specific temperature regime and care system.
The project is being implemented in a test format on a small area: olive cultivation requires an appropriate temperature regime, irrigation system, and fertilizers. In the spring, the seedlings are planned to be transplanted into open ground, and the first results of the experiment are expected next winter.
Earlier it was reported that in 2025, farmers on the right bank of the Kherson region lost almost 60,000 hectares of crops.
Ukrzaliznytsia JSC has announced changes to train schedules, including suburban trains, starting January 22, due to the need to minimize delays caused by increased traffic on the Fastiv section, which was damaged by Russia in December.
According to the company’s statement, changes have also been made to certain routes for safety reasons.
Ukrzaliznytsia specified that in total, more than 100 suburban train schedules throughout Ukraine have been revised, which should “unload” the most intense sections and reduce delays.
The company noted that trains will run according to the updated schedules starting on the night of January 21-22 and urged passengers to pay attention to the date of the schedule when choosing a flight – “дійсний з 22.01.2026” (valid from 22.01.2026).
Ukrzaliznytsia also warned that until the new schedules come into effect, delays of 1-2 hours are possible, depending on the intensity of traffic on the Fastiv section.
The company recommends checking the current suburban train schedules on the South-Western Railway website.
The Transcarpathian Regional State Administration announced the start of deeper cooperation with Slovakia’s Košice Region in the field of physical culture and sports, in particular regarding the exchange of experience in holding marathons and launching joint sporting events.
According to the Regional State Administration, the prospects for the projects were discussed during a working meeting between the deputy head of the Transcarpathian Regional State Administration, Yuriy Guzynets, and Slovak partners visiting the region. Guzynets noted that the region is developing its sports infrastructure, holding charity runs, and promoting adaptive sports.
According to regional media reports citing the Regional State Administration, a separate topic of discussion was the possibility of holding the first Ukrainian-Slovak marathon. The meetings were also attended by Branislav Koniar, director of the Košice World Marathon, and Heinrich Sasai, Consul General of Slovakia in Uzhhorod.
According to published information, the Transcarpathian Grand Run 2025 series of charity races in 2025 brought together about 3,500 participants and raised almost UAH 13.5 million in support of Ukraine. It is also noted that the charity fund of the Košice Peace Marathon allocated 4,000 euros to Ukraine, which was decided to be used for the development of the sports base of Uzhhorod Lyceum No. 15, where a certificate and part of the equipment have already been transferred.
