Many of the banks, now predicting gold’s bull market will end in 2013, never predicted gold’s bull market in the first place. Most were bearish on gold in the early to mid years of the bull market and most only became bullish quite recently.
Many of these banks' primary focus is short term profit, often trading profits, and therefore they do not understand the long term, passive diversification benefits of gold in a portfolio or as financial insurance.
Gold climbed $5.70 or 0.34% in New York yesterday and closed at $1,673.50/oz. Silver inched up to $31.86 in Asia, then it fell back to $31.38, and then rose to a high of $31.91, but eased off in afternoon trade and finished with a loss of 0.35%.
Gold rose to a new record nominal high on the TOCOM at 0.156 million yen per ounce. The resignation of Bank of Japan Governor, Shirakawa on March 19 is pressuring the yen as is increased tensions in the Pacific between China and Japan - Japan accused China of targeting a Japanese naval vessel and helicopter.
Gold rose $13.80 or 0.83% in New York yesterday and closed at $1,676.50/oz. Silver slipped to a low of $31.24 in the morning, but it then ran up to a high of $32.24 and finished with a gain of 2.01%.
Gold hovered nearly unchanged after surprise GDP figures showed that the U.S. economy contracted and the U.S. Federal Reserve maintained asset purchases. Platinum is on track for its most stellar month’s performance in a year.
Gold fell $4.00 or 0.24% in New York yesterday and closed at $1,654.90/oz. Silver climbed to $31.30 in Asia before it eased off to $30.73 and finished with a loss of 1.09%.
Gold edged up and Tokyo gold hit a record multiyear high after the Bank of Japan announced a bold, some would say reckless, $117 billion ‘stimulus’ program as expected. The BOJ’ package included doubling its inflation target to 2% and making an open-ended commitment to asset purchases from next year.
This open ended policy surprised some that expected a small rise in the BOJ's $1.1 trillion asset-buying and lending program.
On Wednesday, there is a scheduled vote in the U.S. Congress proposed by Republicans on the U.S. borrowing limit.
“Gold, the way we look at it, is anywhere from being undervalued to being seriously undervalued,” Kaye said. “We’re in the early stages, in our judgment, of what would likely be the world’s largest short squeeze in any instrument.”
Gold dropped $8.20 or 0.49% in New York on Friday and closed at $1,656.30/oz. Silver slipped to as low as $29.22 in London, but it then rallied to as high as $30.25 in New York and finished with a gain of 0.2%. Gold finished down 0.05% for the week, while silver was up 0.53%.
Friday’s U.S. nonfarm payrolls for December were 155K, 150K was expected and this was down from the previous data of 161K. The unemployment rate was still an elevated 7.8% suggesting a frail U.S. jobs market.
The far more substantial risk from the pending budget negotiations remains as does the appalling US national debt and unfunded liability situation – both of which offer long term support to gold and silver.
The market lustily greeted the deal that U.S. Congress passed to raise taxes on the wealthy and spare the middle and lower income earners.
However, the very necessary cutting of budgets in various sectors, military and domestic, will no doubt fuel many more political battles as the nation’s finances continue to deteriorate.
Gold and silver are up 9.3% and 19% respectively so far this year – thereby outperforming many asset classes again in 2012.
In time, 2012 may be seen as a year of correction and consolidation for the precious metals after the sharp gains and record nominal highs seen in 2011.
The title above is a quote from Sir Thomas More’s classic, Utopia, describing a people’s overconfidence in their capacity for navigation given the compass for the first time.
Gold fell $3.10 or 0.18% in New York yesterday and closed at $1,693.60/oz. Silver climbed to $33.24 then slid to $32.51, but finished after an afternoon rally with a loss of 0.33%.
Gold inched down on Thursday, near the monthly low reached in the prior session under pressure from a stronger greenback as players await the European Central Bank rate decision at 1245 GMT and US Initial Jobless Claims at 1330 GMT.
Physical buying of gold bullion has increased on the dip, particularly in Asia, and many are seeing these levels as a floor for prices.
Silver remains the most under appreciated and under reported on asset in the world despite continuing positive fundamentals.
The Telegraph published an unusually bullish article on silver yesterday which suggests that silver might rise by over five times in the next few years. Emma Wall interviews fund manager Ian Williams who says that "silver is about to enter a sustained bull market that will take the price from the current level of $32 an ounce to $165 an ounce and we expect this price to be hit at the end of October 2015."
