Tagged: Andrew Cochineas

Andrew Cochineas

How is Gold Holding Up to the Coronavirus?

Andrew Cochineas of Pallion Group

It’s all over the news–coronavirus cases are increasing around the world and the public is beginning to panic.  The economy is taking a hit as a result, with stocks dropping and the market plummeting.  Investors are far from at ease at the moment, unsure of the future of the market as a result of the spreading coronavirus. Andrew Cochineas, CEO of Pallion Group, which provides metal services, shares thoughts on the status of gold as the economy feels the effects of the coronavirus.

Mr. Cochineas notes that gold tends to be one of the less risky investment options, and some individuals believe it will not suffer greatly as a result of the coronavirus.  Goldman Sachs argues that gold is resistant to the shockwave from the disease.  During economic challenges in the past, the value of gold did not waver greatly, even when markets were vulnerable.  It seems to Andrew Cochineas that gold can, in many cases, hold up to obstacles affecting the market.

Although gold is a more resilient investment option, the coronavirus recently caused gold prices to drop to their lowest point in seven years.  The cause of this was investors and traders seeking to gather liquidity from their assets while they could, before the economy fell any further.  Andrew Cochineas notes that the prices of gold are already rising following the drop.  Thanks to the Federal Reserve’s slicing of rates as protection against a major economic crisis, the value of gold has grown.  While gold prices suffered momentarily, the current status is promising compared to other forms of investment.

Ultimately, while wavering for a moment, gold is holding up well to the coronavirus’ impact on the economy.  Major services like airplane flights and cruises are coming to a halt with rising fears of the spread of the epidemic, causing the value of involved companies to plunge.  When individuals fear leaving their homes or states, portions of society shut down and are put on hold.  Individuals with shares in companies that provide travel services are suddenly seeing their financial portfolios at risk.  Being a more stable and immune option, gold is holding its ground for the most part, and may be a smart area of the market for investors to work with.

Andrew Cochineas

Andrew Cochineas Explains Metal Refining and The Importance of Safety

Andrew Cochineas

Andrew Cochineas is the CEO of Pallion Group. Andrew Cochineas is a world-renowned leader of the largest precious metal services group in all of Australia. There are more than eight different industry leading companies that are a part of Pallion Group. Andrew Cochineas oversees just amount every aspect of precious metal service. Overseeing a lot of metal refining, Andrew Cochineas works tirelessly to ensure that the best methods are used in the safest ways possible.

Andrew Cochineas explains that metal refining has been the go-to method in the industry dating all the way back to ancient Rome. The biggest difference in modern methods is that the chemicals utilized in the process are now down to an exact science. All refining of metals is done in a series of different chemical and physical reactions. The final product is metal containing trace amounts of impurities.

There are two main processes to refine metals. These two processes are called pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical. The first utilizes the process to use heat to separate all desired metals from other materials. Andrew Cochineas explains that this is possible as science has shown the proper melting points, vapor pressures, oxidation potentials, densities and more. Hydrometallurgical technologies live up to their name as it involves water-based solutions. The techniques utilized in this process involves leveraging electrochemical properties or constituent solubilities in order to separate all desired metals from foreign material.

As Andrew Cochineas is a CEO, his primary concern when it comes to metal refining is ensuring that everyone who is entrusted with applying the above techniques does so in the safest way possible. This can be done with proper preparation. For starters, everyone who walks through a manufacturing station should be a trained professional. No one should ever have access to machinery and/or chemicals if they are not properly trained and certified. Next, the design and placement of all process equipment is pivotal. There must always be clear escape routes in a manufacturing building, and it should be easy to perform maintenance with plenty of room.

Andrew Cochineas believes that safety training is something that must be apart of a good team culture. As technology improves, employees must be trained on how to utilize it properly. If an accident occurs, everyone should know the proper protocol. For instance, if air contamination happens, everyone should know how to isolate the issue. Every employee should know how to report an issue, and everyone should feel comfortable that the powers that be are monitoring the situation closely.