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Gold has moved in tandem to a certain degree with the euro

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Gold prices oscillated between gains and losses near $1,750 per ounce on Wednesday as the yellow metal remained in consolidation mode.  The price of gold held in a narrow range between $1,744 and $1,755 in overnight trading despite further weakness in the U.S. dollar.  The euro currency climbed 0.5% to 1.3125 against the dollar, its highest level in a month, after Moody’s rating agency chose not to downgrade Spain’s credit rating to non­investment grade status. The gold price held steady alongside the broader commodity and equity markets across the globe on Wednesday as investors continued to await a potential bailout for Spain.  While Moody’s affirmed the nation’s investment grade credit rating, speculation has grown that Spain will request financial assistance from the euro zone in the near future.  Most recently, reports surfaced that Germany is open to a possible line of credit for Spain. Commenting on the implications of the situation in Eur...

Gold Price Firm, Buy are Still There

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The gold price rebounded on Tuesday following declines in six of the past seven trading sessions as the U.S. dollar turned lower in this morning. Gold prices showed a modestly favorable response to the latest reading on U.S. inflation, as the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for September increased 2.0%.  The report was slightly above the 1.9% consensus estimate among economists.  However, excluding food and energy prices, to which the Federal Reserve gives more credence, the CPI met economists’ expectations of 2.0% growth. Although the gold price has retreated in recent weeks, it has advanced for four consecutive months and remains higher by 11.8% on a year-to-date basis.  Credit Suisse analyst Tobias Merath wrote in a recent note to clients that “Particularly for investors and central banks, the incentives to buy gold are still there.  Quantitative easing, low interest rates, counterparty risk concerns, all these factors are in place, and investment in...

Gold prices were pressured by strength in the U.S. dollar

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The gold price turned sharply lower on Monday as the recent weakness in precious metals carried into this week.  The spot price of gold fell as much as $20.77, or 1.2%, to $1,734.14 per ounce, its lowest level since September 13th.  Gold prices were pressured by strength in the U.S. dollar – which coincided with a better than expected report on U.S. retail sales and further sovereign debt concerns in Europe. Looking ahead, Hansen contended that the gold price needs to “Hold on to the $1,737 low in order to avoid a deeper correction at this time.  Either OMT in Europe or a weaker dollar seem to be what we are lacking at the moment, so we could see investors… take some chips off the table while they wait for a better level to re-enter.” The OMT, Outright Monetary Transactions, refers to the European Central Bank’s (ECB) bond buying program that President Mario Draghi announced last month.  While the ECB has yet to implement the program, it stands ready...

The gold price also was buoyed by ongoing sovereign debt concerns in Europe

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The gold price pared its gains on Thursday after a better than expected report on the U.S. labor market.  The price of gold climbed as much as $13.34, or 0.8%, to $1,776.54 per ounce in overnight trading, but fell back toward $1,770 after weekly jobless claims dropped to more than a four-year low. Financial markets across North America and Europe extended their gains following the weekly jobless claims data, which came in at 339,000.  In doing so, the figure fell to its lowest level since February 2008 and well below the 370,000 consensus estimate among economists. However, the U.S. Labor Department noted that one state accounted for the large majority of the improved data and cautioned that investors and economists should not read too much into only this week’s data.  This announcement helped provide support for the price of gold, which generally moves inversely to U.S. economic data due to the Federal Reserve’s monetary stimulus response to such situa...

The gold price fluctuated between gains and losses

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The gold price fluctuated between gains and losses on Wednesday as precious metals remained in consolidation mode for the third straight week.  Gold price held in a narrow range in overnight trading, between $1,760 and $1,770, amid relative stability in the U.S. dollar and broader currency markets. In comments on the recent consolidation in the gold price, Ross Norman – CEO of bullion broker Sharps Pixley – stated that “Bearing in mind where the dollar is, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see more weakness before moving higher, but generally speaking the market has moved back into the doldrums.” Norman added that “The markets are light and people are sitting on their hands trying to take a good reading of broadly what is going on. For investors to re-immerse themselves massively behind the current gold price, they are looking for clarity about where the economy is really going.” With regard to the U.S. economy, all eyes will be on the release this afternoon of the...

Gold price were supported by a report from the International Monetary Fund (IMF)

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The gold price stabilized near $1,775 per ounce on Tuesday despite further strength in the U.S. dollar.  Gold price were supported by a report from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) which lowered its forecasts for global economic growth in 2012 and 2013 and highlighted an “alarmingly high” risk of a more significant slowdown.  The spot price of gold held in a narrow range between $1,773 and $1,782 in overnight trading, while the U.S. Dollar Index (DXY) advanced 0.3% to 79.788. The IMF’s report reduced its 2012 target of global GDP growth to 3.3% from 3.5%, and its 2013 projection to 3.6% from 3.9%.  In addition, the firm noted that its forecast implies a 15% possibility of recession in the United States in 2013, a 25% chance in Japan, and a more than 80% likelihood in the euro zone.  The IMF pointed specifically to Greece and Spain as nations where the economic challenges are most acute. In its report, the IMF cited government spending cuts, stre...

Recent sell-offs in gold have been muted by the extremely accommodative monetary policy

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The gold price was weighed down on Monday by a stronger U.S. dollar as financial markets continued to digest the impact of last Friday’s better than expected U.S. employment report.  The spot price of gold fell $12.94, or 0.7%, to an overnight low of $1,768.34 per ounce, but pared its decline this morning as it bounced back to near $1,775.  The U.S. Dollar Index advanced 0.4% to 79.612 as markets around the world moved into risk-off mode to begin the week. While the gold price advanced to an 11-month high of $1,798.03 last week, it turned sharply lower after the non-farm payrolls data showed that the U.S. unemployment rate fell to 7.8% – its lowest level since January 2009.  Although a portion of the improved jobs report was due to more workers dropping out of the labor force, the encouraging data was also the result of a better hiring environment in recent months. Nonetheless, the recent sell-offs in gold have been muted by the extremely accommodative...