Gold set for best week in two months on U.S. stimulus hopes

SINGAPORE, Reuters(18/10) -- Gold, trading near one-week highs on Friday, was headed for its best weekly gain in two months on hopes that uncertainties in Washington would delay a stimulus tapering after U.S. lawmakers reached only a temporary budget deal.

Spot gold eased 0.2 percent to $1,316.31 an ounce by 0015 GMT, after gaining 3 percent in the previous session. Gold has added 3.5 percent for the week, largely on Thursday's gains. After Congress ended a 16-day government shutdown and stepped back from the edge of an unprecedented debt default,
U.S. lawmakers launched an effort on Thursday to resolve budget
differences in a less confrontational fashion.

Many feared that lawmakers have set the stage for another standoff in the months to come as the deal reached earlier this week only lasts till early next year.

The Federal Reserve will likely defer any decision to trim its massive bond buys until at least December, two top Fed officials suggested. Economists said the tapering could be delayed until early 2014 as the U.S. recovers from the impact of the government shutdown. 

Investment management firm FinEx Group and the Moscow Exchange said they had launched Russia's first gold-backed exchange-traded fund as part of a bid to turn Moscow into an international financial centre.

SPDR Gold Trust, the world's largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, said its holdings fell 3.3 tonnes to 882.23 tonnes on Thursday.
 

Saham A.S Naik Lebih Tinggi, Rekor Penutupan S&P

NEW YORK (18/10) - MarketWatch – Sebagian besar saham A.S naik dihari Kamis, membawa index S&P 500 menuju kepada sebuah rekor penutupan, seiring dengan beralihnya Wall Street dari drama fiskal yang terkini pada Capitol Hill hingga laba perusahaan yang termasuk hasil yang melebihi ekspektasi dari Verizon Communications Inc.

Sementara itu saham Dow Jones Industrial Average melemah 2.18 poin berada dilevel 15,371.65, index S&P 500 bertambah 0.7% sebanyak 11.61 poin ke level 1,733.15 dan index Nasdaq Composite gain 0.6% sebanyak 23.71 poin menuju ke level 3,863.15.(tito)

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/us-stocks-mostly-higher-record-finish-for-sp-2013-10-17
 

U.S. stocks mostly higher; record finish for S&P

NEW YORK (18/10) - MarketWatch -- U.S. stocks mostly rose on Thursday, carrying the S&P 500 to a record close, as Wall Street turned from the latest fiscal drama on Capitol Hill to corporate earnings that included better-than-expected results from Verizon Communications Inc.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was off 2.18 points at 15,371.65. The S&P 500 index added 11.61 points, or 0.7%, to 1,733.15. The Nasdaq Composite gained 23.71 points, or 0.6%, to 3,863.15.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/us-stocks-mostly-higher-record-finish-for-sp-2013-10-17
 

The Fed, Evan Katakan Terlalu Cepat untuk Langkah Pengurangan

WASHINGTON (18/10) - MarketWatch – Masih terlalu dini bagi pihak the Fed untuk mengurangi laju dari program pembelian asset, menurut pernyataan dari Charles Evans, ketua dari the Fed Chicago dihari Kamis.

“Data yang ada masih kurang definitif untuk mengatakan bahwa saat ini waktu untuk menyesuaikan tingkat arus pembelian QE3,” dalam pidatonya pada konferensi real estate di Madison, Wis.

Evan mengatakan bahwa bukannya tidak mungkin untuk memprediksi penempatan waktu dari perubahan bagi program pembelian asset karena tergantung pada kemajuan kondisi ekonomi yang ada.

Evan juga mengatakan bahwa beliau secara pribadi berkeinginan untuk melihat “pertumbuhan solid, yang lebih kuat” dalam data GDP untuk menjadi lebih yakin dalam mempertahankan penguatan dari market tenaga kerja, Evan merupakan seorang anggota voting dari komite pembuatan kebijakan the Fed pada tahun ini, beliau adalah salah satu dari pendukung utama dari program pembelian asset pada bank sentral.(tito)

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/feds-evans-says-still-too-soon-to-taper-2013-10-17
 

Fed's Evans says still too soon to taper

WASHINGTON (18/10) - MarketWatch - It is still too soon for the Federal Reserve to reduce the pace of its asset purchase program, said Charles Evans, the president of the Chicago Fed, on Thursday.

'The data are still not definitive enough to say that now is time to adjust the QE3 flow purchase rate,' Evans said in a speech to a real estate conference in Madison,Wis.

Evans said it is not possible to predict the timing of changes to the asset purchase program because it depends on the progress the economy makes.

Evans said he would personally like to see 'more steady, solid growth' in GDP data to be confident in the enduring strength of the labor market.

Evans is a voting member of the Fed's policy-making committee this year. He is one of the leading supporters of the asset purchase program at the central bank.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/feds-evans-says-still-too-soon-to-taper-2013-10-17