Gold Price Gains "Entering America's Consciousness" as Traders Target $1500 by April

The Gold Price rose further in Asian and London trade for Dollar investors on Thursday but edged back from yesterday's new all-time highs vs. the Euro and Sterling as the US currency slipped on the forex market.

US Dollar Gold Prices touched a 3-week high just shy of all-time records at $1415 per ounce, and the Silver Price reached new 30-year highs at $30.89.

German and UK government bonds meantime ticked higher as European stock markets extended yesterday's drop.

Commodity markets were mixed, with crude oil holding near 28-month highs, palm oil trading at 15-year highs, and copper adding to Wednesday's new record highs near $9,500 per tonne – some 27% higher for 2010.

The US Dollar meantime set new multi-year lows against a raft of currencies including the Australian Dollar, South African Rand and Chinese Yuan.

"It is seemingly impossible at this time to fight the Fed's printing presses," writes Fred Hickey in his widely followed and much respected High Tech Strategist letter, noting the resilience of US stock markets thanks to $600 billion of new quantitative easing – planned to run until June 2011 –feeding into asset prices rather than the economy.

"The Fed is printing money at a prodigious pace [and so] little by little, gold is entering the consciousness of the American public."

"Market players are [also] continuing to position themselves for further gains in price through 2011," writes GFMS Analytics' Rhona O'Connell for MineWeb.

Studying the structure of open interest in US Comex Gold Futures and options, it "points to more volatility and the risk...is very much to the upside," says O'Connell, concluding that professional traders are looking for a Gold Price of $1500 or even $1600 by the start of April.

Meantime in India – the world's No.1 gold consumer market – "If one looks back, prices have not posted a negative annual return since the year 2000," says M.Jhaverimal, a gold retailer in Mumbai, also quoted at MineWeb.

"A sizeable chunk of the Indian population may still be living below the poverty line, but when it comes to Buying Gold, we are right up there in the front," says bullion trader Ashish Shah.

But "China is the biggest bullish factor in the gold market," reckons Yuichi Ikemizu at Standard Bank in Tokyo, pointing to the fast-growing demand from the world's No.2 consumer market.

New data from HSBC and Markit Economics today showed Chinese manufacturing activity slowing in Nov. for the first time in 5 months, because "Inflation rather than growth still remains as the top policy concern," according to HSBC's Hong Kong-based economist Qu Hongbin.

Last weekend's interest-rate hike by the People's Bank of China affected bank loans, not deposit rates – still standing at just 2.25% despite official consumer price inflation of 5.5% per year.

"There's no 'safe' currency at the moment, so investors choose to park their money in gold," says Beijing Zhong Jing trader Liu Yangyi, speaking to Bloomberg.

"Gold will continue to do well as inflationary pressures build on rising commodity prices."

source: http://goldnews.bullionvault.com

Agihan ASB 2010 meningkat 2 sen

AHMAD SARJI dan Hamad Kama Piah (kanan) mengumumkan pengagihan pendapatan dan bonus ASB, di Kuala Lumpur, semalam.

KUALA LUMPUR: Amanah Saham Nasional Bhd (ASNB) mengumumkan agihan pendapatan 7.5 sen dan bonus 1.25 sen seunit untuk Skim Amanah Saham Bumiputera (ASB) bagi tahun kewangan berakhir 31 Disember 2010, peningkatan dua sen seunit berbanding 7.3 sen seunit pada tahun lalu.

Pengerusi Perbadanan Nasional Berhad (PNB), Tan Sri Ahmad Sarji Abdul Hamid, berkata 7.04 juta pemegang saham yang melanggan lebih 82.72 bilion unit ASB akan menerima pengagihan pendapatan dan bonus yang dikreditkan secara automatik dalam akaun pelaburan masing-masing. 

sumber: Berita Harian

New Product Announcement - Public Gold

250g gold bullion bar (Cold Cast Bar) is now available for booking.

Metal : Au
Weight (g) : 250
Size (WxL,mm) : 34 x 70
Thickness (mm) : 5
Purity : 999.9

Gold price predictions for 2011

NEW YORK (Commodity Online): It is the season for greetings and predictions. The one commodity that is attracting an overwhelming number of predictions is gold these days. As the year gets to a close, dozens of gold price forecasts for the year 2011 have come in.

Gold at $1500, $1700, $1800, $2000 an ounce: which among these prices will you believe in? It is hard to put your confidence and money into commodities-especially into gold-when forecasts on gold price vary in widening values.

But that said, one thing is certain: gold price is certainly going to skyrocket in the coming months of 2011.

So, it is now time to take stock of all the gold price predictions that investors, readers, bullion dealers and governments have been subjected to in the last few weeks.

Here are some prominent gold price predictions for 2011:

Bullion Research Desk of Commodity Online: "Gold price to hover around $1500-$1600 range in 2011. Gold price will go up in 2011, driven by the fluctuations in US dollar and other currencies, dwindling productions, increasing mining problems and rising demand for jewellery and investment for the yellow metal. Gold price is definitely going to cross the $1500 mark per ounce in 2011 and it will remain in the range of $1500-$1600."

Global commodities guru Jim Rogers: "Gold price would eventually rise above $2,000 an ounce. Gold will be $2,000 certainly in the decade, it'll probably be much higher than $2,000 in the decade but maybe even sooner I don't know. But to me it seems pretty clear that it'll go to at least $2,000. If you adjust the old high back in 1980 for inflation, gold should be over $2,000 now."

Saxo Bank: "Gold price will be at $1800 per ounce in 2011 if the US Dollar strengthens, sparking fresh currency wars across the Pacific. Pressure piles on China and as investors flee to metals in search of some stability, gold shoots up to $1800 an ounce."

Henderson: "Gold price will rise to $1600 in 2011."

PricewaterhouseCoopers: A new survey of 44 investors and gold mining executives conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers's Canadian Mining Group forecasts a peak of $1500 per ounce for 2011.

BNP Paribas: Has forecast an average of $1,500 in 2011.

Goldman Sachs: It has set a 12-month target of $1690 per ounce.

Capital Economist: "As inflation fears mount, the price of the precious metal will be pushed to £1,600 in 2011 and reach $2,000 by the end of 2012, it has been forecast, as investors clamour to buy safe haven assets."

ABN AMRO/ VM Group: It has raised its previous average 2011 gold forecast by $35 to $1,459, up from $1,424 in November.

Source: http://www.commodityonline.com

The End of America

How to survive the inevitable collapse of the United States' credit...

The INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND estimates the 20 largest industrial nations (known as the G20) are on course to see their combined government debt exceed 100% of their combined GDP within three years, write Porter Stansberry and Braden Copeland at Daily Wealth.

Debts of this size simply cannot be financed, let alone repaid. The first step in this great unraveling is underway - the collapse of the Euro.

Back in March 2010, I wrote:

"Like dominoes, the highly indebted economies of Europe are going to topple. Greece was first. But plenty more problems are coming. Italy has no way to meet its obligations. Nor do Portugal or Spain...

"Events over the past two weeks in Greece should give you plenty of warning governments all over the world have too much debt.

"What will the US do when a major European financial institution fails? If the resulting contagion causes one of America's major banks to fail, what will the US government do?

"The answer, my friends, is simple: It will print, print, print, and print. Here's the important fact to remember...

"The United States is the only government in the world that can actually afford to underwrite the world's banking system. That's not because we have any real savings, but because we control the world's reserve currency. It's a paper standard, which means we can always print more of it."

The US announced exactly that last month, setting up an enormous $1 trillion bailout fund for the Euro via the IMF and beginning a new round of quantative easing - this time $600 billion of new Dollar reserves will be injected into the US Treasury market.

Despite the enormous buying of Treasurys by the Fed, long-term Treasury bond rates have soared on these announcements. Investors have begun to flee the US Dollar into all other forms of savings:

• Coal and oil are trading at two-year highs;
• Corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton, and sugar are trading at multiyear highs;
• Gold and copper are trading at record highs;
• Silver is trading at a 30-year high;
• Even long-depressed natural gas is now rallying.

This list sums up the arguments and warnings we've been giving for years. We are not going to have a crisis. We are in a crisis right now.

What's the best way to protect yourself?

Well, if you had done nothing this year but buy real money (gold) and short US Treasury bonds, you would be sitting on a significant profit.

Gold is up about 23% in the last year. The TLT Treasury bond fund is flat. It was keeping pace...right up until the US Federal Reserve announced its latest slug of quantitative easing...all $800 billion of it.

The credit of the US, which backs every bankrupt government in the western world, must soon collapse. Our ongoing debts and deficits are too big to be financed in sound money. Thus, the Fed is turning on the printing presses, and they will be running for a long time.

The time to act is now.

It's critical you orient your investments so you're long real money and real assets and short bad credits - starting with the US government. Buy the things people need - food, energy, and money. Sell things that are vastly encumbered - especially the stocks of corporations that are deeply in debt.

As you look through your portfolio, the first thing you ought to consider adding is silver. Silver is the best hedge against paper money for one simple reason: When it's not used as money, there's very little demand for it. When it is used as money, there's a tremendous demand for it.

I expect gold will continue to move higher, too...much higher. If you wanted to put the US Dollar on a 10% gold-reserve standard, the price of gold would have to reach nearly $10,000 an ounce to back all the outstanding money of zero maturity. Assuming gold reaches this price, the price of silver at its full monetary value (at a 15:1 ratio to gold) would be around $650 an ounce.

I know these prices seem ludicrous today...but those numbers are real.

Remember, we're a long way from the end of this crisis. Most people don't even own any gold or silver yet. So now is the best time to hedge your portfolio...before the rest of the world realizes a massive inflation is underway.

 

Source: http://goldnews.bullionvault.com

The U.S. Dollar Will Collapse in 24 Months

Investors have been shuffling currencies around faster than a game of three-card Monte as the true value of world's paper money is being exposed.

But in the end, the only real winners would have walked away from the table long ago, their pockets stuffed with the only currency that really matters: gold.

The consequences of decades of abuse to the system of credit in the United States are coming to a head. And the gray clouds that loom over the skies of the dollar are growing bolder by the day and darker by the minute.

The cold hard fact is I expect the U.S. dollar to ultimately collapse within 24 short months.

This failure will likely push gold prices to over $5,000 an ounce. Meaning that, even at $1,400 an ounce, gold is still dirt cheap.

Every investor should own gold right now as the ultimate store of wealth that will protect hard work and savings.

As the world begins to learn the true nature of the world's funny money, masses of new buyers will come flooding into the gold market. And this surging demand will be the catalyst that launches the price of gold into the stratosphere.

It's pretty simple...

Most investors are unaware, but the gold market is incredibly small.

There have only been about 175,000 tonnes of gold ever mined. That means there is only 0.9 of an ounce of gold for every person on the planet.

That's why they call it precious! Simply owning a single ounce of gold puts you in a much higher global economic class.

When the oceans of fiat money suddenly try to take a part in the gold market, the law of supply and demand will fundamentally force prices much higher.

But don't put all your eggs in the gold basket

While the price of gold will soar and get most of the attention, it's silver that typically outperforms gold, dollar for dollar invested.

In certain instances when gold prices have doubled, the price of silver has outperformed gold by a factor of more than six-to-one!

The only problem with silver is that it's not as portable as gold.

You can hold $50,000 worth of gold with your two hands cupped in front of you. You could put that gold into your coat pockets and walk down the street without anybody knowing what you are carrying...

On the other hand, $50,000 worth of silver would take a hand truck to move.

Investors should also consider owning silver for the potential use to buy day-to-day items such as bread and prescriptions drugs, preparing for the time the government declares a “bank holiday” as the crisis in the banking sector exacerbates.

During a bank holiday, checks and credit cards will no longer be accepted as payment for goods and services.

For this reason, I also recommend keeping some cash on hand at all times. I'm not recommending stuffing the mattresses; but it's probably smart to keep a few thousand dollars in 1s, 5s, 10s and 20s around the house.

U.S. Silver Eagles would also be very useful in such an event, as they are considered legal tender in the United States and could be used to purchase groceries.

Why lose sleep?

Ownership of gold and silver will become one of the hottest investments on the planet.

The early adopters — those who wisely purchased their positions before the masses come — will sleep well at night while others fret as they watch the purchasing power of their savings evaporate like water in the Sahara.

Good Investing,

Greg McCoach
Editor, Wealth Daily
Investment Director, Mining Speculator and Insider Alert

source: http://www.wealthdaily.com

World Silver Investment Demand

Investment demand for silver has skyrocketed 522% since 2007. World governments are hoarding silver; official sales have plummeted 83% in the past three years. Above-ground silver supplies dropped 86% last year. Industrial demand for silver has increased over the past decade, despite a 236% increase in prices.

Gold Price "Will Hit New Highs in 2011" on US Rates, Euro Crisis & Chinese Inflation; Silver Price Already Hurting Industry

Wholesale-market Gold Investment bullion-bar prices slipped back to an overnight low beneath $1380 per ounce Thursday lunchtime in London, trading 0.5% down for the week as world equities crept higher and the US Dollar eased back on the forex market.

Commodity prices were little changed, with crude oil holding above $88 per barrel.
Silver Bullion ticked back above $29 per ounce – a 30-year high when first breached four weeks ago.

"[The] recent soaring costs of such materials as silver" will force Japan's Fujifilm Corp. to raise its photographic film prices by 20% next month, it said this week.

Eastman Kodak Co. blamed falling profit margins on rising Silver Prices in Oct., while Tuesday this week saw medical-imagining firm Carestream Health Inc. hike its film prices by up to 25%.

"We don't make [Silver Price] predictions here, but I've seen people say there's another five years to go," says Michael DiRienzo, executive director of the Washington-based Silver Institute to New York state's Rochester Democrat & Chronicle.
Silver Prices have risen 7-fold from a decade ago. Well over 50% of annual demand comes from industrial users. That compares with less than 15% in the gold market.

"We expect gold to enter another bullish year in 2011," says Swiss refinery MKS's finance division in a note, "as global economic uncertainties and inflation concerns will most probably boost" Gold Investment further.

"Every other currency could be at risk of losing...value."

Since 18 March 2009, "the day that the [US] Fed announced it would engage in a money printing campaign, the Gold Price has soared 60%," notes the VM Group consultancy in London today.

"The fact that it has not gone higher is simply a result of looming deflation, still the largest threat to the US economy," says VM in its monthly Precious Metals analysis for ABN Amro Bank.

"Gold will rise for the tenth consecutive year this year and probably in 2011 too, to break new records.

"Eurozone debt default is another cause of concern for wary investors, while Chinese Gold Investment demand is also growing strongly."

Today's Financial Times reports that "At Beijing's largest gold shop, the queues to buy bullion mini bars have turned into scrums as...Chinese investors, worried about inflation, want in on the trend."

European finance ministers meantime meet today in Brussels to discuss a "permanent" mechanism for weaker states to avoid the soaring borrowing costs and deficit crises which have hit Greece and Ireland this year.

German chancellor Angela Merkel again denied overnight that she has any intention of helping create pan-Eurozone sovereign bonds, to be used for financing government deficits jointly.

Spanish bond buyers today demanded a 13-year record high of 5.44% per year to fund a €1.7 billion auction of 10-year debt.

German and UK government debt prices also slipped further, but US Treasury bond prices rallied, nudging the 10-year yield back down to 3.49%.

"As long as real interest rates [after inflation] are low, gold should find buying support," says Walter de Wet at Standard Bank today, noting that – even as 10-year US Treasury bonds have jumped to 3.5% – inflation rates implied by bond-market prices has also jumped to a 7-month high at 2.3%.

"This leaves the 10-year real interest rate still at a very low 1.2%."

"Despite the savagery of the recent rise in yields, again let’s put this into some sort of longerterm, bull market context," says Societe Generale strategist Albert Edwards.

"[Ten-year US] yields would have to rise above 4.25% before the bond bull market [starting in 1981] was to be seriously challenged."

As for the equity market, says Edwards, "The notion that we are in a sustainable economic recovery is as ludicrous as it was in 2005-2007. But investors are back on the dance floor, waltzing their way towards the next, inevitable implosion."

Adrian Ash, 16 Dec '10

source: http://goldnews.bullionvault.com

The One Reason to Own Gold and Silver

By Jordan Roy-Byrne Dec 15, 2010 9:20 am
Editor's Note: Jordan Roy-Byrne, CMT (aka 'Trendsman') is the proprietor of Trendsman Research, which provides investment research to private clients and the general public. Trendsman Research authors several newsletters covering trends in stock markets, bonds, commodities, gold, and silver. See more of his content at  The Daily Gold

Analysts and pundits provide various reasons for the bull market in gold. This includes emerging-market demand, low interest rates, money printing, central bank accumulation, central bank policies, and falling gold production. These are all good reasons but there's one reason that stands apart and will drive precious metals to amazing heights. It's the impending sovereign debt default of the West, led by the great USA.

Government finances have reached a point where default and/or bankruptcy is unavoidable. After all, we've already started to monetize the debt. The inflection point is when total debt reaches a point where the interest on the debt accumulates in an exponential fashion, engulfing the government's budget. When this occurs at a time when the economy is already weak and running deficits, there essentially is no way out.


Significant runaway inflation and currency depreciation result from a government that essentially can no longer fund itself. It starts when the market sees the problem and moves rates higher. The government then has to monetize its debts to prevent interest rates from rising. Let me explain where we are and why severe inflation is unavoidable and likely coming in the next two to three years.
In fiscal year 2010, the government paid $414 billion in interest expenses, which equates to 17% of revenue. When you account for the $14 trillion in total debt, that works out to be 2.96% in interest. In fiscal year 2007, total debt was $8.95 trillion, but the interest expense was $430 billion and 17% of revenue. That accounts for an interest rate of 4.80%. Luckily, rates have stayed low for the past two years.

 However, in the next 24 months the situation could grow dire. At least $2 trillion will be added to the national debt. At an interest rate of only 4.0%, the interest expense would be $600 billion. Even if we assume 7% growth in tax revenue, the interest expense would total 22% of the budget. An interest rate of 4.5% would equate to 26% of the budget.

As far as what level of interest expense is the threshold for pain, Russ Winter writes:

Once interest payments take 30% of tax revenues, a country has an out-of-control debt trap issue. When you think clearly about it, this just makes sense, as the ability to dodge, weave, and defer is pretty much removed, as is the logic that it will be repaid in a low-risk manner. The world is going to be a different place when the US is perceived to be in a debt trap.

Is there any way out of this? Either the economy needs to start growing very fast or interest rates need to stay below 3% until the economy can recover. Clearly, neither is likely. As you can tell from the calculations, interest rates are now the most important variable. If rates stay above 4% or 4.5% for an extended period of time, then there is no turning back.

Judging from the chart below, the secular decline in interest rates is likely over. It's hard to argue with a double bottom, one of the most reliable reversal patterns.

 

In 2011 and 2012, the Fed will have two new problems on its hands. First, the Federal Reserve will be fighting a new bear market in bonds. It will be fighting the trend. It didn't have that problem in 2008-2010. Furthermore, the interest on the debt will exceed 20% of revenue, so the Fed will have to monetize more as it is. Ironically, the greater monetization will only put more upward pressure on interest rates, the very thing Captain Ben and company will be fighting against.

As you can see, there's really no way out of this mess, which also includes the states, Europe, and Japan. This is why gold and silver are acting stronger than at any other point in this bull market. They've performed great when rates were low but are likely to perform even better when rates start to rise.

Source: http://www.minyanville.com

How Do I Buy Gold and Silver?

By Greg Hunter's USAWatchdog.com
I am hearing more and more questions about how to buy gold and silver:
How do you buy it?
Why should I buy gold and silver?
What kind of gold and silver should I buy?
What is the difference between numismatic and bullion coins?
Including the following important questions:
Will the government confiscate my gold and silver?
Can the government make owning gold illegal?
How do I know if my gold and silver dealer is reputable?
Do buyers get some kind of confirmation that what they are buying from these shops is real and certified?
These are just some of the questions I will try to answer in this post.

Why You Should Own Gold and Silver
First off, why should you own precious metals?  Read this:
"In the absence of the gold standard, there is no way to protect savings from confiscation through inflation. There is no safe store of value. If there were, the government would have to make its holding illegal, as was done in the case of gold. If everyone decided, for example, to convert all his bank deposits to silver or copper or any other good, and thereafter declined to accept checks as payment for goods, bank deposits would lose their purchasing power and government-created bank credit would be worthless as a claim on goods. The financial policy of the welfare state requires that there be no way for the owners of wealth to protect themselves.

This is the shabby secret of the welfare statists' tirades against gold. Deficit spending is simply a scheme for the "hidden" confiscation of wealth. Gold stands in the way of this insidious process. It stands as a protector of property rights. If one grasps this, one has no difficulty in understanding the statists' antagonism toward the gold standard."
Who do you think this was written by?  If you guessed former Fed Chief Alan Greenspan, you would be correct.  It is titled "Gold and Economic Freedom," and it was originally published in 1966.  (Click here to read the entire Greenspan article.) After reading this, it is hard to believe he was the Chairman of the Federal Reserve for nearly 20 years.  Gold is the antithesis of the Federal Reserve Note.
Greenspan's article is the time tested reason for owning gold.  For more current reasons, look no further than "The Seven "Ds" of the Developing Disaster," written by gold expert Alf Field.  In short:
- Deficits
- Dollar
- Devaluations
- Debt
- Demographics
- Derivatives (this is the big one)
- Devolution

The above are the reasons why Field says gold and silver are bound to rise over the long term.  (Click here to read the complete article from Field.)

How To Buy Gold and Silver
Now that you know the "why," let's get into the "how" of buying gold.  First of all, gold and silver are sold by the "Troy" ounce.  A "Troy" ounce weighs more than the ounce used to measure milk or meat.  A Troy ounce is 31.1 grams, which is more than the 28.35 gram ounces you come across in everyday life.  By the way, because a Troy ounce weighs more than a regular ounce, it only takes 12 Troy ounces to make a pound.  However, you buy precious metals by the ounce not the pound.

Gold and Silver Numismatic or Bullion?
When you are buying physical gold or silver, you can buy numismatic or just plain bullion.  Numismatic coins are for experienced coin collectors.  There are numismatic gold coins and silver coins.  The value is determined on things such as date it was issued, rarity, condition and even the mint where it was produced.

There is a great learning curve to be an investor in numismatic coins. You must also have a trusted and knowledgeable coin dealer to work with.  If you are a beginner or if you are just trying to protect your wealth and buying power of your money, then invest in bullion.  There are two main types of bullion products:  bars and coins.  I prefer gold eagle coins and silver eagle coins the best when buying bullion.  Let me explain why.
First, let's just talk about bullion in coin form.  A coin is a universally recognized unit of weight, and many consider gold and silver coins to be money.  No, you cannot go to the supermarket with a gold or silver coin and buy groceries, but coins are the most liquid way to own bullion.  Unlike jewelry, you know the exact amount of gold or silver in the coin.  It is minted by a government, and that makes it very difficult to counterfeit.  These features make gold coins and silver coins easy to cash in and trade.

Gold Bars and Silver Bars
I don't recommend gold bars or silver bars of any kind.  Bars can range from a few grams to 600 ounces.  Small bars do not carry the same prestige as a minted coin.  Multiple ounce bars cannot be broken up, and you are forced to sell the entire bar if you want to liquidate it.  Large bars are usually for extremely wealthy people investing large amounts of money.  The only advantage to buying gold or silver in bars is you pay smaller premiums (or commissions) per ounce.  Don't get me wrong, gold and silver bars are valuable, but they are not as easy to sell or trade as coins.

Depending on the market and supply and demand, premiums (or commissions) can range from a few percent to 10 percent of the spot value of the quantity of gold sold.   (If the mint shuts down, or there is some severe shortage in bullion, or there is systemic financial failure, then all bets are off and the sky is the limit on bullion commissions.) The spot value is the raw market price of refined gold or silver. Premiums are charged in addition to spot gold prices and silver prices.  The price of gold and the price of silver can fluctuate every second of every business day on the open market.  Many experts say to worry less about the commission you pay and more about the product you are buying.

Advantages of Owning Coins vs Bars
Still another advantage for coins-multiple ounce bars cannot be broken up.  You are forced to sell the entire bar if you want to liquidate-it's all or nothing.  With coins, you can sell small, medium or large quantities when you want to cash out.
Yet another advantage of coins over bars is their acceptability. Once again, coins are better than bars because bars (small or large) do not carry the same prestige as a minted coin.  Even when prices rise dramatically, coins will likely be accepted without question or assay.   An assay is a scientific measurement of the amount of gold in a coin or bar.
In short, base your purchase on the future sale of the gold price or silver price, not saving a few bucks on premiums (or commissions) when you buy.  Here's another way to look at it.  If you decided to sell some of your gold at $10,000 per ounce, what do you think would be more desirable: a Gold Eagle or a stamped 1 ounce bar?  The Gold Eagle will win out every time.  That does not mean that a 1 ounce bar is not valuable-it is.  It is just not as valuable or sellable as a 1 ounce coin.  Think of the "sell" when you buy, and pay a little more for quality.  If you are buying gold or silver-buy coins. (If you are a beginner, I do not recommend proof coins because it's easy for the beginner to pay too much for them.)

Buying Silver
When it comes to silver, there are two main ways to buy it.  Once again, you can purchase bars or coins and, once again, coins win out.  I'll give you the same reasons as discussed above when I talked about gold.  Bars do not carry the same prestige as coins, and you cannot break them up.  There are two types of bullion coins you can buy to accumulate silver-one ounce silver coins and "Junk" silver coins.  First, let's talk about one ounce silver coins.   One ounce minted coins are made by several governments including the U.S.  Most governments do not mint fractional silver coins.  I do not recommend non-government minted coins, only officially government minted silver coins.

Junk Silver
Then, there is "Junk" silver.  "Junk" silver is any U.S. dime, quarter or half-dollar minted on or before 1964.   1964 and earlier dimes, quarters and half-dollars had 90% silver content.  "Junk" is sold by face value of the coin.
The most popular way to buy "Junk" silver is a 55 pound bag.  A 55 pound bag is $1,000 in face value of the coins, but that also equals 715 ounces of silver.  So, for example, a bag of dimes may have a face value of $1,000, but you pay the same as you would if you paid for 715 ounces of silver.  You always pay the spot price of silver plus a commission.  The advantage of buying "Junk" silver is you pay less commission per ounce than a 1 ounce silver coin, but you still have coins.  It is the cheapest way to buy quality silver coins officially minted by the government.

You can also buy "Junk" silver in much smaller increments.  Just remember that $1.50 in change equals about an ounce.  So, 15 dimes of "Junk" silver is an ounce and so on.  This way, you can always figure out how much you are paying per ounce when you buy "Junk" silver.  The most desirable "Junk" from best to least are half- dollars, quarters and dimes.  There are a few later years of coins after 1964 that had 40% silver, but those are extremely bulky and are the least desirable "Junk" silver coins.

Gold or Silver Exchange Traded Funds (ETF)
What about gold or silver Exchange Traded Funds (ETF)?  Are ETF's as good as physical gold or silver? ETF's are not just as good as physical gold or silver.  There have been questions about how much precious metals they actually hold.  Nothing is as safe as holding the physical metal in your possession.  If you are going to buy gold and silver mining stocks, you must do your homework.  You must also constantly keep track of the mining company.  Again, nothing is as good as physical gold or silver.

Jewellery vs Owning Gold and Silver Coins
Is jewellery the same as owning gold or silver coins?  No, because there is no uniformity in jewellery.  It does not have a uniform weight or metal content.  Jewellery has to be melted down.  When most people trade in their gold jewellery, they commonly get 50% or less of the actual gold weight.  That is why coins are the preferred way to own gold.  They are uniform in weight and content.

Will Gold and Silver Be Confiscated?
Will the government confiscate my gold and silver?   The government can make owning gold illegal, but it probably won't.  The last time it was confiscated, we actually used gold as currency. The $20 gold piece was used right up until 1933.  FDR confiscated them because he stopped the use of the coin and raised the price of gold to $35 per ounce.  It was a move that was supposed to help The Great Depression economy.  We do not use gold as currency today, so a confiscation is a lot less likely.  You will be required to report the gain when you sell, and you will be required to pay taxes. Also, make sure you save your receipts, because you will only have to pay taxes on the gains, not on the total purchase price of your precious metal coins.

Gold and Silver Storage
When it comes to storage, you can use a bank safety deposit box.  Just be sure to check your bank's rating on a regular basis. If your bank's rating starts to fall, you will probably want to move your precious metals.
Delivery of Gold and Silver
Finally, when buying silver or gold coins, you should always take physical delivery.  Do not let third parties hold your precious metals on a permanent basis. Your property is best held by you.  Be sure you know and understand exactly what you are buying, and you will do just fine.  Good luck and good fortune with your gold or silver coin purchase.

Source: http://usawatchdog.com

Physical Buying Steadies Gold

China's move to further tighten its monetary policy and upbeat US economic data weighed on sentiment, strong physical buying buoyed prices
Author: Rujun Shen (Reuters)
Posted:  Monday , 13 Dec 2010

SINGAPORE (REUTERS) - 
Spot gold held steady on Monday as healthy physical demand helped buoy prices, while China's move to further tighten its monetary policy and upbeat U.S. economic data weighed on sentiment.
China raised banks' reserve requirement ratio on Friday, as the country's inflation soared to a 28-month high in November and put pressure on the government to step up efforts to curb inflation.
 "There's the possibility that China would tighten its policy further," said Ong Yi Ling, an analyst at Philip Futures. "It could affect demand for commodities, and gold could be caught in a sell-off."  
 The dollar edged higher against a basket of currencies, supported by higher Treasury yields after improving U.S. data late last week.      
 A rise in U.S. consumer confidence to its highest in six months and a much bigger-than-expected contraction in the country's trade deficit pointed to a firmer economic recovery on Friday.    
Spot gold gained by 0.2 percent to $1,385.29 an ounce by 0304 GMT, after falling by 2.2 percent last week.     
U.S. gold futures edged up 0.1 percent to $1,386.6 an ounce.     
Spot gold is biased to fall even though it is range-bound between $1,371 to $1,395 per ounce, said Wang Tao, a Reuter's market analyst.      
Robust physical demand in the region helped support prices, dealers said.    
"The physical market is very good. Bullion traders and some jewellers are buying, as well as some individual customers who prefer to sell currency and buy gold," said Peter Fung, head of dealing department at Wing Fung Precious Metals in Hong Kong.    
India and China have both shown strong appetite, due to seasonal rise in demand, he added.     
 nvestors are eyeing a Federal Reserve meeting on Tuesday to see whether the proposed $600 billion stimulus plan would be carried out, or if further stimulus would be considered to jump-start the economy.
"If the Fed hints further QE (quantitative easing), it would provide some bullish support to gold," said Ong of Philip Futures. 
"On the longer term, some investors could be buying on dips, which also provides support to prices."   
Platinum group metals rose more than one percent, following strength in the industrial metals complex.  
 Spot platinum rose one percent to $1,682.99 an ounce, and palladium gained more than one percent to $736.97.    
 Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange gained more than one percent, while LME zinc rose more than two percent.

Source: http://www.mineweb.com

Jim Rogers: Gold to Eventually Rise Above $2000

Published on: December 10 2010 12:20 GMT
NEW YORK (Commodity Online): Legendary commodities investor and global investment expert Jim Rogers says people should continue to invest in commodities whether economies in the world go worse or better. Rogers said that eventually gold-the hottest commodity-would rise above $2,000 an ounce.

Speaking at the Reuters 2011 Investment Outlook Summit this week, billionaire investor Jim Rogers, who is chairman of Rogers Holdings, said that owning commodities is the best investing bet whether global economy gets better or worse because of shortages developing and the central bank printing more money.

Rogers said: "Throughout history we've had long periods when the financial centers were in charge. But we've also had long periods when people who produced real goods were in charge - the farmers and the miners. The way you build an economy, a thriving economy is you save and invest."

He said: "Whenever people have printed money, it has led to good things for silver, for rice, for natural gas, for real assets."

Rogers, who predicted the global bull market in commodities, pointed out that trading in real, tangible goods-commodities-remains the way for investing for the future.

Rogers covered a wide variety of topics during the Summit that included the rising debt of developed nations, currency debasement, investment in gold and land, commodity futures and the economic stability of major nations.

The commodities investment legend said that China is the most promising nations in the world, given its heavy emphasis on saving and infrastructure investment, its massive production base and its relatively stable currency.

Reuters reported that Rogers did agree with the assessment that China's coastal regions are in the middle of a property bubble, but believed that it would be less harmful than the United States' credit bubble.

Rogers pointed out that politicians are afraid to bite the fiscal bullet and will opt to debase their country's currency. He called the Chinese renminbi the world's safest currency and again said gold would eventually rise above $2,000 an ounce.

Comex gold futures prices were trading modestly higher in late dealings on Thursday. The market steadied and saw some bargain-hunting buying interest after two days of selling pressure that did produce some near-term technical damage. A firmer US dollar did somewhat limit buying interest in gold. February Comex gold last traded up $6.80 at $1,390.20 an ounce. Spot gold last traded up $7.90 at $1,389.50.
Source: http://www.commodityonline.com

Gold, Silver Still Best Bet In Short Term

CAPITALS: Precious metals continue to be a favorite among investors, according to Peter Cooper, Editor, ArabianMoney, the only independent investment newsletter in the region.
      "Silver, and by implication gold, look set to surge into the New Year. Indeed, gold could easily hit Jim Sinclair's 1,650 US dollar prediction, one that the gold guru mooted m  ore than eight years ago. This was stated in a press release on Wednesday.
    "The current bull market has gold priced at all-time high, presently around $1,430" said Cooper.
Meanwhile, silver is now above $30 an ounce, up 70 percent in 12 months.
     "While gold seems to still be the first choice of investors, it is silver's turn to offer higher rates of return."
       Cooper suggested that silver will drive the market until mid-January. He first predicted a rise in silver prices earlier this year when he observed that silver is repeating the patterns seen in 1980 when it reached $50, an all-time high that has not been repeated since then.
      "Silver has always been highly speculative as an investment class but history has a habit of repeating itself, if only because investors read history and act on it.
     "The best guide to the silver price is to track gold. If the forecast from Sinclair for $1,650 gold by mid-January is correct then silver ought to peak around the same time."
Looking ahead, Cooper reckons that the financial markets will fall back until the summer, and then recover with local bourses repeating this year's Ramadan rally.
He suggested that precious metals, oil or a quality fund of the same are long-term sound investments after the correction early next year.
      "Low-risk investment, diversification and caution are the watchword but at the right moments some speculation could pay off. Fortunes are made - and lost in such turmoil," concluded Cooper.

 

Source: http://alwatandaily.kuwait.tt

Gold likely to hit $1,600 in 2011 - Credit Suisse

Many of the drivers that have been pushing prices higher throughout 2010 are expected to persist and demand from China will be a major factor

Author: Geoff Candy

Posted:  Wednesday , 08 Dec 2010

GRONINGEN -

Many of the factors that have pushed gold higher over the course of 2010 are expected to continue into 2011, which should see gold prices trading as high as $1,600 before year-end.

This is the view of Tom Kendall, Vice President for commodities research at Credit Suisse. Speaking on Mineweb.com's Gold Weekly podcast, Kendall said the bank remains rather bullish about gold's prospects for 2011 but, he wouldn't be surprised if things quieten down in the run-up to the new year.

He says there has already been some evidence of this in the key Indian market and the Middle East has also been fairly quiet.

He adds, "As the prices ticked up back about $1,400 we've seen a push up in scrap volumes coming through into the market as well.  So from the physical side there are reasons to be a little bit cautious as we go through to the close of the year.  But from the investment side of the market still a lot of interest from shorter-term players.

"Technically the chart looks pretty good for gold both in US dollar terms and in euro terms and although some of the bigger macro funds will be reducing risk ahead of the close of the year, we've probably got another week to ten days or so of decent activity in the shorter term money flows."

Asked about the question of real interest rates and whether or not, Credit Suisse expects them to turn any time soon, Kendall, said, "The question of real interest rates is always there at the back of one's mind when looking at the gold market but from what we see out of the United States in terms of monetary policy in recent statements by Ben Bernanke and by the members of the FOMC it's clear to us and to our strategists in the United States that we are going to remain in a very low or even negative real interest rate environment in the United States for some considerable time to come and by that I mean at least 18 months and potentially much longer.

Moving into 2011, Kendall says the other big factor he is going to be watching is the developments within the Chinese market.

"I was in Shanghai last week and it is clear that there is a considerable amount of bullishness within the Chinese market about gold and the market is expanding and developing and evolving quite rapidly both in terms of the number of players coming in and in terms of the products that are available to investors and that's going to be one of the key themes as we go through 2011.

But, he cautions, while we are seeing a change in the investment market in places like China in that there is a strong pickup in demand from retail accounts for gold investment products primarily backed by physical gold, there is also a strong speculative element in the market.

And, lot of it "is also relative to what's going on in other asset classes so you have to keep an eye on what's happening in the property markets and the equity markets there as well."

Source: www.mineweb.co.za

Gold At New Record Again - Gold:Silver Ratio Down To 47

Gold has risen to a new record in London today, benefiting from end-of year push into commodities - and silver at new 30-year high too before both came off sharply in New York

Author: Amanda Cooper
Posted:  Tuesday , 07 Dec 2010

LONDON(Reuters) - 

Gold hit record highs for a second successive day on Tuesday, driven by fund buying ahead of the end of the year, the prospect of more U.S. monetary easing and investor nervousness over the European debt crisis.

 Silver hit a 30-year high for the seventh consecutive day, driven by a weakening dollar and a push into commodities by the investment community ahead of the end of the year. Gold in euros also hovered near record highs as tension on the bond markets ran high.

 Spot gold rose to an all-time high at $1,428.15 an ounce before tracking back to $1,425.51 an ounce at 1042 GMT, up from $1,422.85 the day before. U.S. gold futures for February delivery were up $10.70 an ounce at $1,426.80.

 "There is generally a good appetite for commodities, almost a feeling of missing the boat, as we see the predictions for 2011 starting to arrive and painting a pretty rosy picture for the sector as a whole," said Ole Hansen, a senior manager at Saxo Bank.

 Germany and other fellow euro zone states have resisted calls from the International Monetary Fund to do more to quell the currency bloc's debt crisis and say the existing emergency fund is sufficient, although the euro edged higher on the back of optimism that Ireland would pass an austerity budget.

 Gold has also got a boost from evidence the U.S. economy is not creating jobs quickly enough to bring down unemployment and from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's signal last week that the central bank could expand its existing policy-easing programme by buying more government bonds.

TWO STEPS FORWARD, ONE BACK

 With the U.S. dollar set to come under more pressure from the prospect of rising money supply, gold should reap the benefits of investors seeking an alternative to volatile currencies, analysts said.

 However, the end of the year traditionally brings with it less liquidity and greater potential for rapid shifts in price direction, meaning that gold could see more setbacks before resuming its uptrend.

 "Tactical investors have turned positive on gold and silver and increased their long exposure. In our view, positioning does not look excessive, suggesting that the sector could attract further near-term flows," said Credit Suisse analysts in a note.

 "However, with markets closing in on critical price levels, risks of investors' taking profits have increased as well."  

In investment news for gold, China's Lion Fund Management Co., which is launching the country's first gold fund worth up to $500 million, is examining a dozen gold-backed exchange-traded funds on the global market as potential targets.

 Holdings of gold in the SPDR Gold Trust, the world's largest gold-backed ETF, were unchanged on Tuesday, having risen by over 11 tonnes so far this month, compared with a 1 tonne increase over the same period last month..

 Silver rallied for a seventh day in a row, earlier rising by nearly 1 percent to fresh 30-year highs at $30.42 an ounce, and were trading at $30.35, up from $30.14 the day before.

 The world's largest silver-backed exchange-traded fund, iShares Silver Trust, said its holdings rose to 10,816.69 tonnes by Dec. 6 from 10,778.68 on Dec. 2. The holdings jumped to an all-time high of 10,893.68 tonnes on Nov. 23.

 The number of ounces of silver needed to buy one ounce of gold hit its lowest level since February 2007 at just 46.99, having declined from a seven-month high this February at 70.91.

 Platinum was virtually flat at $1,720.49 an ounce, while palladium was up 0.9 percent at $762.00.

 

Source: www.mineweb.com

Stock Collection Notice - December

Gold, Silver and Crude Rally Higher Amid Weakening Greenback

GOLD broke above 1400 level last Friday, after US job data showed a climb in unemployment rate to 9.8%.

The increase in unemployment rate also weakened the greenback further, as the increase suggested a persistent weakness that is fundamental to the US economy.

Additionally, this may also prompt the Fed to launch an additional round (or rounds) of quantitative easing in the near future.

This week, the Korean peninsula tensions and European sovereign debt crisis will remain as the main concerns for investors.

Technically, gold has broken a strong resistance level around 1400 regions last week, and closed the week very bullish at 1413 regions.

For this week, gold is likely to retest the all-time high at 1424 regions and consolidate. However, if the level is violated convincingly, the yellow metal may rally further and potentially reach 1455 regions by next week. This scenario is likely triggered by fundamental concerns.

Silver, on the other hand, hit a new 30-year high last Friday, and closed at high near 29.4 regions. Similar to gold, silver may rally further if the price did not come back below 29.3 regions, and may potentially reach 31.6-32.0 regions before consolidating.

Uncertainties in financial and geopolitical situations increase further the appeal of precious metals, such as gold and silver, as a safe haven.

Silver is also being supported by strong investment demand and growth in industrial consumption.

Meanwhile, WTI Crude advanced to a new two-year high at 89.3 despite an increase in US unemployment rate. The appreciation is mainly contributed by the weakening US dollar, as it is not so much fundamentally driven by factors such as economic growth.

The market also did not respond to the increase in crude oil inventories, which rose 1.1 million barrels to 359.7 million against forecasted decline of 0.8 million barrels.

This week, we reckon WTI Crude will likely consolidate and retrace below 87.0 regions, as the rally so far cannot be justified fundamentally.

However, further deterioration of the US dollar may pull the WTI Crude prices slightly higher this week to a resistance major level at 90.2 regions before consolidating.

Breaking above this level, the next resistance level will be at 100 dollar psychological level.

source: thestar.com

Pelaburan Emas

PETALING JAYA: Public Fine Gold international Sdn Bhd (Public Gold), memberi pilihan kepada orang ramai untuk membuat pelaburan dengan menggunakan emas sebagai aset pelaburan masa kini, sekali gus menjamin pulangan lebih tinggi pada masa depan.

Pengarahnya Dr Umar Ibrahim Vadillo, berkata, emas lebih baik daripada mata wang dan disebabkan itulah nilainya sentiasa bertambah.

Menurutnya, pelaburan dinar emas yang diketengahkan pihaknya adalah sebagai pengganti kepada pelaburan dalam bentuk mata wang masa kini yang tidak bersifat stabil dan bergantung kepada kedudukan ekonomi dunia.

Katanya, Public Gold menawarkan emas fizikal dalam bentuk jongkong dan syiling emas dengan kadar ketulenan 999.9 peratus selain dinar emas 916 yang boleh dijual mengikut harga emas antarabangsa.

“Kami bukan berhasrat untuk menggantikan penggunaan wang tunai sebagai pelaburan dengan dinar emas, sebaliknya adalah dengan memberi pilihan kepada orang ramai untuk melabur.

“Pelaburan dalam bentuk aliran wang mempunyai kelemahan kerana ia bergantung kepada nilainya yang kadangkala menyusut dan kadangkala meningkat,” katanya dalam sidang akhbar pada Seminar Keadilan Kewangan: Anda, Emas dan Dinar, di Petaling Jaya, kelmarin.

Hadir sama Pengerusi Eksekutif Public Gold, Louis Ng.

Umar yang juga Pengerusi Persatuan Dagangan Dunia Islam berkata, emas sudah lama digunakan masyarakat terdahulu dan dalam menghadapi krisis ekonomi, pelaburan dalam bentuk emas mampu menjamin masa depan seseorang itu.

“Di masa depan, kita tidak tahu apa yang berlaku terhadap nilai mata wang yang kita miliki kerana jika kita melabur dalam jumlah yang banyak sekalipun, jika nilainya jatuh, maka itu bermakna kita akan rugi,” katanya.

“Ini tidak berlaku kepada emas kerana kesan perang sekalipun tidak akan menyusutkan nilainya yang mempunyai permintaan di seluruh dunia,” katanya.

Sementara itu, dalam Seminar Keadilan Kewangan: Anda, Emas dan Dinar yang diadakan kelmarin, sebanyak tiga panel penceramah diundang membabitkan Dekan Pusat Pengajian Siswazah, Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia (UIAM), Prof Madya Dr Hassanuddeen Abdul Aziz, Pengurus Public Dinar Sdn Bhd, Syukor Hashim dan Prof Madya Dr Mohamad Hakimi Ibrahim.

Seminar yang dihadiri kira-kira 300 peserta itu membentangkan kepentingan pelaburan dalam bentuk emas selain peranannya menghadapi krisis ekonomi dunia Orang ramai yang berminat untuk mendapatkan maklumat mengenai pelaburan dinar emas boleh melayari laman web www.publicjewellery.com.my atau dengan mengunjungi Public Fine Gold International Sdn Bhd, di 12E Ground Floor, Jalan Rumbia 11900 Bukit Jambul, Pulau Pinang atau menghubungi 04-6449999 mana-mana cawangan yang berdekatan.

sumber: harianmetro

Why Buy Silver Now?

IF YOU'VE NOT yet taken our repeated advice to Buy Silver, the market just gave you an extraordinary reason to take action...right now, says Brian Hunt, editor in chief at Stansberry & Associates, in Steve Sjuggerud's Daily Wealth.

Back in mid-October, I wrote about a coming rally in the US Dollar. Bearish bets against the currency were near record levels...and Fed chairman Ben Bernanke was telling the world he was ready to print money to prop up the economy.

Now, when a trade gets extremely popular, it's like a boat's passengers crowding themselves on one side of the ship. It's natural for the ship to tip over and throw them all into the water, then lurch in the opposite direction.

As you can see from the chart below, that rally has come...and the Dollar is screaming higher.

Nowadays, stocks, precious metals, and commodities all tend to trade inversely with the US Dollar. When the Dollar sinks, those three typically soar. When the Dollar rises, those three typically decline. That's exactly what has happened with stocks and commodities lately...

Since the Dollar is rallying, the rallies in stocks and commodities (which we predicted in September) have sputtered.

This is what makes the recent action in silver all the more impressive. You see, while silver was "supposed" to decline like stocks and commodities did, it actually soared to its highest price all year.

There's something important we need to take away from this situation.

When an asset doesn't decline when it is "supposed to" – if a company jumps 5% after it releases terrible earnings... or if a commodity shoots 10% higher after a major consumer says it won't use much of it in the coming year – it's a big bullish signal for that asset.

It tells you what you hear in the press or see at first glance isn't the whole picture. It tells you the fundamentals driving the asset are strengthening...

This is what just happened in the Silver Bullion market.

More people are waking up to the fact that governments around the world have wrecked their finances...and that they plan to print money in order to pay for bailouts, entitlements, and welfare programs.

Now that folks are watching whole countries go bankrupt on the nightly news and reading how US government spending is exploding, they are waking up to the idea of owning gold and silver as a "real money" way to protect themselves from these disasters.

Indians, Chinese, Europeans, Americans...you name it. They're Buying Gold and silver. They're buying these metals in such volume, you get situations in silver like we're seeing. It won't decline even when it is "supposed to"...!

This isn't to say that the Silver Price can't suffer a correction. Silver is a volatile asset. It's in its nature to go through booms and busts. But the long-term outlook is solid. I don't see any political will to stop the big spending and bailouts you hear about every day.

So if you haven't bought silver, go ahead and buy. Sure, it's climbed a lot in the past few months. But as we've seen in the past few weeks, there are incredible forces driving the metal up. As more people flock to "real money", I believe, silver is going to go higher.

source: http://goldnews.bullionvault.com

STRONG OUTLOOK FOR GOLD DEMAND FOR REMAINDER OF 2010

Global gold consumption for 2010 will be higher than 2009 as a result of increasing levels of demand in India and China, sustained global demand for gold investment, together with growth in jewellery and industrial demand, the World Gold Council (“WGC”) said.
According to the WGC’s Gold Demand Trends report for Q3 2010, published today, demand for gold in the final quarter of 2010 will be driven by the following factors:

• Increasing demand by the world’s two largest markets, India and China, as rising income levels, high savings rates and strong economic growth continue to push up consumption.
• Gold jewellery demand is likely to exceed that of 2009 due to an anticipated recovery in India, the most significant gold jewellery market, and continuing strength in China. While jewellery demand may face challenges ahead, the latest figures show that demand in key markets has shown resilience in the face of higher prices levels.
• Concern over fiscal imbalances and currency tensions will continue to support investment demand for gold. Aside from the recent additional US$600 billion of quantitative easing by the US, the weakening of the US dollar and associated fears of inflation, demand is also likely to be driven by higher gold price expectations, as well as increasing availability and accessibility of gold investment products to retail investors.
• Industrial demand, which has returned to long-term levels, is expected to remain firm on the back of renewed growth in the electronics industry, due to the majority of semi-conductors being wired by gold.

Marcus Grubb, Managing Director, Investment at the WGC commented:
“Healthy gold demand growth in the third quarter occurred in the context of record international prices, demonstrating how consumers, particularly in India and China, are continuing to appreciate the enduring value of gold. The rediscovery of gold’s properties as both a currency and a monetary asset have been brought into sharp focus.  Quantitative easing has forced the adjustment of global imbalances into currency markets and the resulting currency conflict is positive for gold. In addition, we believe demand will be facilitated by the growing number of channels that serve to make gold more easily accessible to a greater number of investors.”

Richard Holliday, Director, Industrial at the WGC commented:
“The recovery of industrial gold demand to pre-crisis levels will continue to be sustained by the rise in demand for high-tech goods, such as the iPad and smart phones. Longer-term exciting advancements in the use of gold in nanotechnology, environmental and biomedical applications are also expected to drive demand.”

GLOBAL DEMAND STATISTICS FOR Q3 2010

• Total gold demand was 922 tonnes, an increase of 12% from Q3 2009. In US$ value terms, demand grew 43% to US$36.4 billion over the same period.
• Demand for gold jewellery increased by 8% from Q3 2009, with four of the best performing markets - India, China, Russia and Turkey - accounting for 63% of global demand. In value terms, global demand for the 12 month period ending September 2010 hit a record US$137.5 billion.
• Retail investment rose 25% from Q3 2009 to 243 tonnes. The largest contribution to total demand growth came from bar hoarding, which increased 44% from the previous year. The total value of net retail investments during the quarter was a record $9.6 billion, representing a 60% increase from Q3 2009.
• Total gold ETF demand fell by 7% from Q3 2009 to 39 tonnes. Following a remarkable surge in the previous quarter, which was supported by heightened sovereign risk and currency worries, this quieter period for ETFs reflects consolidation in the market, as it contemplated the prospect of QE2.
• Industrial demand has recovered back to pre-crisis levels of 110 tonnes, reflecting an increase of 13% from Q3 2009. This recovery was driven by improving demand for consumer electronics goods globally, in particular from emerging markets such as China and India, as well as an increased range of new technology products with gold components.

source from www.gold.org

Kenaikan Harga Perak Dari Januari 2010

Harga perak pada 01.01.2010 = US16.85 per ounce

Harga penutup perak semalam (30.11.2010) - USD28.11 per ounce

Peratusan Kenaikan =  66.82%!