What this desk is

Mark and Metal is an independent editorial desk. It is not a broker, not an exchange, not a licensed adviser, and it holds no client money. This page sets out what the desk collects, what it does not collect, how it is paid, and how to write about data questions.

What this desk collects, and what it does not

The site collects nothing of its own. No accounts, no login, no newsletter, no comment form, no cookie of its own, no analytics, nothing stored in the reader's browser. The pages are served by a hosting provider which, like any web host, keeps its own technical request logs. The site's publisher does not read a reader's personal data out of them. A reader can open every page and check every figure without leaving a trace on this site.

This matters because the desk's subject is a measurement, not a relationship. The figures are taken from named public sources and republished with the date and the hour they were read. The sources are named under every table, with a link, so a reader can check the figure at its publisher. The desk does not need to know who is reading. It needs to show where the number came from, and it does.

Figures are measurements, not advice

Nothing on the site is investment advice, a recommendation or an offer. The figures describe what things cost, not what a reader should do. A price for a mark of gold is a fact about the market, not a suggestion to buy or sell. The desk publishes the measurement and the source. It does not tell a reader whether to act on it, and it does not answer questions about what a reader should do with the metal.

The desk cannot promise that a figure is right for a reader's purpose. It can promise that the figure is read from a named source at a named hour, and that a reader can check the same source. That is the limit of the desk's work. A reader who wants advice should look elsewhere. A reader who wants the measurement, with its source and its time, is in the right place.

Affiliate link to one broker

The site links to one broker, FxPro, through an affiliate link. If a reader follows that link and opens an account there, the desk is paid a commission. The reader pays nothing to this site and nothing extra at the broker. The link is marked, and it is the only broker link on the site. The desk does not sell data, does not charge for access, and does not take money from readers.

This arrangement does not change the figures. The desk's subject is one measurement, taken from public sources. The broker's own site is operated by someone else, under its own terms and its own privacy policy. Following the link leaves this site. A reader who does not want to follow the link can still read every figure on this site. The affiliate link is a separate matter from the editorial work, and it is stated plainly.

Writing to the editor

The contact address is [email protected]. Writing to that address reaches the editor. Corrections are the reason the address exists: a figure that is wrong is corrected and the correction is dated. The desk does not answer questions about what a reader should do with the metal. It does answer questions about a figure, a source, or a correction.

Responsibility sits with the publication's editorial desk: Mark and Metal editorial desk. The desk reads the sources, checks the tables, and answers corrections. No person is named, because no person's name is needed. The desk is the author of the page and the point of contact for a reader who wants to report a figure. Write to the address, and the desk will read it.