« Sotheby's Auction Nets 24 Mil. | Main | Why Do I See the Same Diamond Listed by Many Internet Diamond Sites? »
Gold Fever Rages! Hits $530 on Friday.
Gold fever took prices as high as $530.40 an ounce for the first time in nearly a quarter of a century on Friday as investors, particularly in Asia, rushed to buy an asset that has gained over 16 percent in the past month.
"This buying is just more of the same of what we have been seeing. I suspect also that it may be central bank buying that is supporting it on the dips," Paul Merrick of RBC Capital Markets said.
Spot gold was at $529.70/530.50 an ounce by 1604 GMT, up two percent from $519.50/520.30 last quoted in New York on Thursday. The metal has soared $75, or 16.4 percent, since November 7.
Gold's tight supply, strong global demand, worries about inflation and growing fund interest in precious metals and other commodities have unleashed a wave of speculative buying, defying warnings that the market was overbought.
"The activity in the bullion market remains very impressive, with aggressive buying of any dips and a dearth of selling in the rallies helping to create a bullish chart pattern of higher lows and higher highs, thereby attracting more momentum-based fund buying," Alan Williamson of HSBC said.
Fund managers were buying as part of a strategy to diversify portfolios, while some investors were speculating about potential purchases from some of the word's central banks -- previously long-time sellers
"I strongly believe that Asia and China are buying -- but we will not know until they've finished buying or are close to it, for sure," said Juerg Kiener, chief investment officer at Singapore-based hedge fund Swiss Asia Capital, referring to central banks in the region.
A spokesman at the China Gold Exchange said: "We have encouraged the Bank of China to buy more gold, or if not, to relax the barriers and allow more Chinese people to do so."
Gold finished Friday Trading in New York at $529.85, Platinum at $1004, and Silver at $9.04
