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Gold Futures Rise to 10-Week High as Iran Tensions Mount; Silver GainsJuly 1st, 2008Gold futures rose to a 10-week high on speculation that mounting tensions over Iran's nuclear program will spur investor demand for a haven from market turmoil. Silver also gained. Crude-oil futures, which doubled to a record in 12 months, jumped as much as 2.4 percent today after ABC News reported Israel is likely to attack Iran, OPEC's second-largest producer. The Dow Jones Industrial Average has tumbled into bear-market territory. Gold has rallied 45 percent in the past year, and UBS AG increased its price forecast for the metal. ``Gold is always a safe-haven asset,'' said Matt Zeman, a metals trader at LaSalle Futures Group Inc. in Chicago. ``You've got inflation, geopolitical risk, extremely high oil prices and a weak economy. All the pieces of the puzzle are there for gold to go higher.'' Gold futures for August delivery climbed $17.10, or 1.8 percent, to $945.40 an ounce at 11:55 a.m. on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange. Earlier, the price reached $947.70, the highest since April 18. Silver futures for September delivery climbed 58.5 cents, or 3.3 percent, to $18.095 an ounce. The metal rose 1.2 percent in the second quarter while gold climbed 0.7 percent. Israel may bomb Iran if the nation acquires enough uranium to build a weapon, potentially threatening Mideast oil supplies, ABC said, citing a Pentagon official it didn't name. Almost a quarter of the world's oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway between Iran and Oman at the mouth of the Persian Gulf. IEA ForecastOil futures rose as high as $143.33 a barrel after reaching a record $143.67 yesterday. The International Energy Agency said supplies may not keep up with demand through 2013.``Crude-oil prices remain in the driver's seat in the markets and are still seen as the primary factor impacting the dollar, gold, stocks and readings on inflation,'' Jon Nadler, an analyst at Kitco Minerals & Metals Inc. in Montreal said in a report. Gold reached a record $1,033.90 on March 17 as the Federal Reserve reduced U.S. borrowing costs, sending the dollar to an all-time low against the euro and commodities such as corn, wheat and copper to the highest prices ever. UBS said today gold will average $895 an ounce in 2008, up from a forecast of $851. Still, the metal's rally may be limited after seven straight annual gains, analysts said. ``You can't eat gold or put it in your gas tank, so how much more do investors feel there is in this?'' Miguel Perez- Santalla, a vice president at Heraeus Precious Metals Management in New York, said in an e-mail. Gold will average $800 in 2009 and $730 in 2010, UBS said. ``With UBS' views that the dollar will firm in 2008, inflation will decline and that the worst of the credit crunch should be felt this year, we expect some of this unusually strong investment demand will slow and even reverse,'' UBS said. - Pham-Duy Nguyen in Seattle at Bloomberg. Click here for your Free Gold Futures Trading eGuide | |