Gold Slides as European Central Bank Snubs Bullion Purchases

---

Gold futures dropped after the European Central Bank said it wouldnt consider adding to bullion purchases.

The ECB discussed buying all assets except the metal as it plans to reassess stimulus next quarter, President Mario Draghi said today. The comments come after Executive Board member Yves Mersch said last month that the bank could œtheoretically buy bullion.

Gold has rebounded 6.8 percent since touching a four-year low on Nov. 7 amid speculation that lower prices would start to attract increased physical purchases, including from central banks. Investor demand for precious metals has waned amid a rally for equities and the dollar and as inflation remained low.

Gold futures for February delivery slipped 0.1 percent to settle at $1,207.70 an ounce at 1:43 p.m. on the Comex in New York, dropping for the second time in three days.

Source : Bloomberg

Gold Retreat as Dollar Holds Advance Before ECB Policy Meeting

---

Gold retreated as the dollar traded near a five-year high before a European Central Bank meeting today that may give indications on further stimulus.

The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index was little changed before data due tomorrow thats forecast to show U.S. jobs growth and amid speculation ECB policy makers will signal more stimulus. President Mario Draghi said last month they are open to buying a wide variety of assets.

The greenback has strengthened as the Federal Reserve considers raising borrowing costs while other central banks take steps to spur growth. A stronger dollar and higher U.S. interest rates reduce golds allure because the metal generally offers investors returns only through price gains.

Gold for February delivery fell 0.5 percent to $1,202.20 an ounce by 7:18 a.m. on the Comex in New York. Bullion for immediate delivery declined 0.6 percent to $1,202.25 in London, according to Bloomberg generic pricing.

Source : Bloomberg

Bursa Saham AS Ditutup Melemah 0.1% Terkait Stimulus ECB & Penurunan Saham Energi

---

Bursa Saham AS melemah, setelah kemarin indeks acuan terebut ditutup pada rekornya, pelemahan hari ini akibat penurunan saham perusahaan energi dan ECB (European Central Bank) menyatakan akan menunggu hingga kuartal berikutnya sebelum mempertimbangkan kebijakan stimulus tambahan.

Chevron Corp. tergelincir 1.3% akibat saham energi turun tajam diantara grup lainnya di S&P 500. Microsoft Corp. menguat 1.6% setelah Barnes & Noble Inc. menyatakan akan membeli kembali kepemilikan perusahaanya pada bisnisnya di Nook.

Indeks Standard & Poor 500 melemah 0.1% ke level 2,071.57 pukul 4 sore waktu New York.

Presiden ECB Mario Draghi menyatakan bahwa para pembuat kebijakan akan menunggu hingga kuartal berikutnya sebelum mempertimbangkan apabila kebijakan stimulus tambahan diperlukan. Komentarnya menurunkan spekulasi bahwa bank sentral bersiap untuk memulai program pembelian obligasi atau yang dikenal sebagai pelonggaran kuantitatif. (bgs)

Sumber : Bloomberg

U.S. Stocks Drop on ECB Stimulus Plans as Energy Shares Retreat

---

U.S. stocks fell, after benchmark indexes closed at records yesterday, as energy shares slumped and the European Central Bank said it will wait until next quarter before considering additional stimulus measures.

Exxon Mobil Corp. and Chevron Corp. slid at least 1.5 percent for the biggest losses in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Microsoft Corp. rose 1.4 percent as Barnes & Noble Inc. said it will buy back the companys stake in its Nook business.

The Standard & Poors 500 fell 0.3 percent to 2,068.42 at 11:57 a.m. in New York. The Dow slipped 53.67 points, or 0.3 percent, to 17,858.95. Trading in S&P 500 companies was 10 percent below the 30-day average for this time of the day.

Equities fell as ECB President Mario Draghi said policy makers will wait until next quarter before assessing if additional stimulus measures are needed. His comments damped speculation the central bank was poised to start a program of sovereign-debt purchases known as quantitative easing, or QE.

Draghi also unveiled œsubstantially lower forecasts for inflation and growth. With euro-area inflation well below the ECBs target, Draghi has warned of a deflationary spiral of falling prices and households postponing spending. While he pledged last month to raise inflation œas fast as possible, multiple policy makers have since urged a wait-and-see approach to gauge the effect of current stimulus.

Source : Bloomberg

European Stocks Drop Most in Seven Weeks After Draghi’s Comments

---

European stocks fell after Mario Draghi said the European Central Bank will gauge the need for further stimulus early next year, quelling speculation the lender would start buying sovereign bonds soon.

The Stoxx Europe 600 Index slid 1.3 percent to 344.84 at the close of trading in London. The ECB also lowered its forecasts for euro-area inflation and gross domestic product through 2016. The stocks gauge gained as much as 0.5 percent, before losing as much as 1.4 percent.

The Stoxx 600 rallied 13 percent from a low in October through yesterday amid optimism the ECB will eventually embark on government-bond purchases, while central banks in China and Japan boosted stimulus. Since June, the central bank has cut interest rates twice, offered cheap loans to banks to spur lending and started purchase programs for covered bonds and asset-backed securities.

The ECB and the Bank of England left their interest rates unchanged, as predicted by economists in a Bloomberg survey.

Source : Bloomberg