Investors, central banks scramble to purchase gold

Bloomberg News

September 27, 2012

SINGAPORE: Gold advanced for the first time in three days, extending the best quarterly gain in more than two years, as central banks and investors bought the metal to hedge against the prospect of weaker currencies and slowing growth.

Spot gold rose as much as 0.3 per cent to $1,765.20 an ounce and was at $1,763.50 in Singapore. The metal reached $1,787.52 on September 21, the highest price since February 29, and is 10 per cent higher since the end of June. That's set for its biggest quarterly climb since the three months to June 2010.
Spot gold rose as much as 0.3 per cent to $1,765.20 an ounce and was at $1,763.50 in Singapore. The metal reached $1,787.52 on September 21, the highest price since February 29, and is 10 per cent higher since the end of June. That's set for its biggest quarterly climb since the three months to June 2010.

Bullion has rallied after central banks from the United States to Japan took steps to boost their economies, driving investor holdings in exchange-traded products to a record. The Federal Reserve announced on September 13 a third round of debt purchases to bolster the largest economy, potentially weakening the dollar.

"A poor economic backdrop will keep global stimulus measures on the cards for a while and gold is set to profit from that,- Sun Yonggang, a macroeconomic strategist at Everbright Futures, a unit of China's largest state-owned investment group. 

December-delivery gold was little changed at $1,766 an ounce on the Comex, after dropping 0.3 per cent. Holdings in gold-backed ETPs climbed to 2,551.859 metric tonnes on Tuesday.

Kazakhstan expanded its gold reserves for a 13th month in August, buying 1.4 tonnes, data on the International Monetary Fund's website showed. South Korea bought 16 tonnes in July, and Paraguay purchased 7.5 tonnes that month.

In China, cash gold of 99.99 per cent purity on the Shanghai Gold Exchange fell 0.2 per cent to 358 yuan a gram ($1,765.39 an ounce) up 11 per cent this quarter and set for the biggest such gain since the period to December 2009. 
Silver rose as much as 0.8 per cent to $34.0425 an ounce and was at $33.9425.

The metal is set for a quarterly gain of 23.5 per cent, the best since the three months to December 2010.
Spot platinum gained for a second day, climbing as much as 0.5 per cent to $1,636.50 an ounce. The metal is up 13 percent since the end of June as labor disputes halted supplies in South Africa, the world's largest producer. ETP holdings tracked were at a record 47.438 tonnes on Tuesday.

Palladium fell for a third day, dropping 0.4 per cent to $636.45 an ounce, trimming monthly and quarterly advances. 

Source:  http://www.timesofoman.com/innercat.aspx?detail=13146#

How Gold & Silver Provide a Safe Haven

BY DR. JEFFREY LEWIS

The reasons for holding precious metals as a relatively safe haven for one’s personal wealth are numerous.

One common investing thesis for buying precious metals is that these intrinsically valuable commodities can hold their value in times of rising price levels. This characteristic can help American savers keep pace with credit expansion and paper currency debasement.

Diversify Out of the Dollar

For example, precious metals can provide a safe haven in terms of the diversification they offer relative to holding US dollars in cash or dollar-denominated assets.

Physical gold and silver investments can take up a core position in an investment portfolio since they offer an easy way to have some wealth stashed out of dollar-denominated assets. These hard assets also provide a viable alternative to holding foreign currencies or foreign equities.

Basically, precious metals allow investors to engage in a new way of thinking, where investment priorities are anchored to real value and permit advance planning for troubled times.

When the Dollar Bubble Bursts

In much the same way that market bubbles have been blown in various asset classes over the last 40 years, largely via Fed sanctioned interest rate manipulation, the overvalued US dollar seems like yet another bubble waiting to burst.

Basically, the value of silver has been artificially deflated in US dollar terms via price control implemented using contracts traded at global futures exchanges. The symbolic investigation of this so-called conspiracy by the CFTC just passed its fourth year.

Underpriced assets like silver will eventually lead the way back to what will very likely be the largest bubble the world has ever seen. The US Dollar and the US bond market appear destined for a long overdue crash.

Various factors point to this outcome. They include such things as: intrinsically worthless paper wealth, high frequency trading, a world where MF Globals can exist, the threat of taxation, and rampant money printing — otherwise known as Quantitative Easing.

Competing With the Banks for Credit

Major international banks have benefited disproportionately compared to the individual investor from credit expansion in recent years. Banks enjoy better profits from cheap money and can buy future cash flows very inexpensively.

Meanwhile, consumer credit has contracted leaving consumers holding the bag in many cases. People are also unable to consume as much because of a rise in general price levels and the failure of the troubled financial system to purge itself of bad debt.

If at any point the American consumer and banks are equalized with additional credit infusions, the tide will then begin to turn. Consumers can then free up more discretionary income as America goes back to work.

Nevertheless, until the two groups are made equal, credit will neither expand nor contract. Instead, credit supplies will stay constant, although prices will continue to rise relative to consumer incomes.

Precious metals provide a safe haven investment that can often help compensate an investor for such price rises. Furthermore, if at any point the system balances and allows for credit expansion to extend to Main Street, then precious metals investors will typically benefit.

Source: http://www.resourceinvestor.com/2012/09/25/how-gold-silver-provide-a-safe-haven?ref=rss