U.S. employers last month added 204,000 workers, more than forecast by analysts, government data showed Nov. 8. Atlanta Fed President Dennis Lockhart, who backed record stimulus, said today in a Bloomberg Radio interview that discussions on scaling back $85 billion in monthly bond purchases may occur next month.
“Tapering has become the centerpiece again,” Frank McGhee, the head dealer at Integrated Brokerage Services LLC in Chicago, said in a telephone interview. “There is no reason for gold to go higher in the current environment.”
Gold futures for December delivery fell 0.8 percent to close at $1,271.20 an ounce at 1:46 p.m. on the Comex in New York. After the settlement, the price touched $1,262.30, the lowest for a most-active contract since Oct. 15.
This year, gold has dropped 24 percent, heading for the first annual drop since 2000. Some investors lost faith in the metal as a store of value amid a U.S. equity rally and low inflation.
Silver futures for December delivery dropped 2.4 percent to $20.778 an ounce. After the settlement, the price touched $20.60, the lowest since Oct. 15.
On the New York Mercantile Exchange, palladium futures for December delivery fell 1.6 percent to $742.35 an ounce. The metal dropped for the fourth straight session, the longest slump since Sept. 5.
Platinum futures for January delivery rose 0.5 percent to $1,439.60 an ounce. This year, demand will exceed supply by the most since 1999, London-based Johnson Matthey Plc said today in a report.
In South Africa, a strike by the National Union of Mineworkers continued at Northam Platinum Ltd. The walkout began Nov. 4.
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