Gold - Commentary On 19 Sept 2010

Gold reached an all-time high of $1274.95 per troy ounce this week as heightened economic uncertainty and quantitative easing speculation encouraged investors to increase their exposure to the precious metal. The US dollar has seen broad declines over the past week and could depreciate further if the Fed announces another round of quantitative easing. The Federal Reserve will meet on 21 September to discuss its policies and a pro–quantitative-easing tone may provide the impetus for further gains in gold. Goldman Sachs chief US economist Jan Hatzius earlier this week reported that further quantitative easing could be initiated as early as November. After the Japanese government intervened to weaken the yen on Wednesday, Japanese investors may seek shelter in gold on fears that further intervention may be on the cards. Gold has also traditionally been thought to be a good hedge against inflation, and with inflation in the UK not budging at 3%, there could be an influx of UK investors buying more bullion. The bullish sentiment was echoed by precious metals researcher GFMS, which hasn't ruled out the possibility of gold rising to $1350 this year as investment demand outstrips jewellery use. Notwithstanding this, demand for gold from the jewellery market is also expected to remain strong leading into the end of the year as gift-giving ahead of various religious festivities props up buying. This week also saw the last major gold miner close out its gold hedging positions. AngloGold Ashanti announced on Tuesday that it plans to raise around $1.5 billion to close out its hedging contracts, which were a major burden for the company as it locked in the price it received for gold at around $450 an ounce. This latest move will allow AngloGold Ashanti to benefit from future price increases in gold. This may be interpreted as a bullish signal as it suggests the miner is confident gold prices will rise further. On the other hand, it could also be considered a bearish move if you take the view that the company is closing out its previous hedge contracts in order to re-hedge at today's prices due to a belief that gold prices have peaked and will decline in the future. However, this seems unlikely as the fundamentals driving gold prices remain firmly intact.