Gold sinks to lowest in 15 months on robust US data

Markets
Gold tumbled to its lowest level in about 15 months yesterday after better than expected United States jobs data boosted the dollar, dampening safe-haven appetite for bullion and pushing silver and platinum to multiyear lows.

SINGAPORE – Gold tumbled to its lowest level in about 15 months yesterday after better than expected United States jobs data boosted the dollar, dampening safe-haven appetite for bullion and pushing silver and platinum to multiyear lows.

Gold, which often influences other precious metals, has also failed to capitalise on geopolitical tension caused by military conflict between Russia and Ukraine and the rise of Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

Cash gold had fallen 0,20% to $1 188,37/oz by 3:25am. It earlier dropped to $1 183,46/oz, its weakest since June 2013.

Platinum touched its lowest since 2009, silver fell to its weakest since 2010, and palladium hit an eight-month low.

“A strong dollar is a major problem for gold. Sentiment is very bearish but I think we expect some kind of rebound,” Lee Cheong Gold Dealers chief dealer Ronald Leung said in Hong Kong. He pegged support at $1 180/oz.

“There’s a little bit of physical buying, but premiums haven’t changed. We have to see what happens later in the day. If demand is coming, of course, it will push up the premiums.”

Premiums for gold were quoted at $1,20-$1,60/oz to the spot London prices, unchanged from last week, despite a sharp drop in cash gold prices.

The absence of main gold consumer China is weighing on the physical market, which usually sees a pick up in demand from jewellers and retail investors when prices fall.

Chinese markets have been shut for national holidays and will reopen tomorrow.

US gold was at $1 189/oz, down 0,33%.

The dollar started the week on a strong note in early Asian trade on Monday, holding near a more than four-year high touched after an upbeat US nonfarm payrolls report increased speculation that the Federal Reserve would raise interest rates in mid-2015 or earlier.

Data from the Labour Department on Friday showed US nonfarm payrolls rose 248 000 in September and the jobless rate fell to 5,9%, the lowest since July 2008, underscoring that the US economy continues to improve.

In Tokyo, sellers pushed up premiums for gold bars to 25c to spot London prices from zero last week to offset the decline in global prices.

“At this moment, demand is not good. But maybe when the holiday in China is over, the premiums may go up further,” said a dealer in Tokyo.

Markets in Singapore, a key bullion trading centre in South-east Asia, were also closed for a public holiday.

– Reuters