Today’s AM fix was USD 1,313.75, EUR 998.21 and GBP 859.22 per ounce.
Friday’s AM fix was USD 1,286.00, EUR 981.53 and GBP 843.45 per ounce.
Gold rose $10.70 or 0.83% on Friday and closed at $1,294.40/oz. Silver climbed $0.11 or 0.57% and closed at $19.49.
Gold was up 0.77% for the week while silver was down 2.01%.
Gold is higher in all currencies and 1.4% higher in dollars. It has climbed above the key technical level of $1,300/oz reaching a one month high on technical buying and short covering as the U.S. dollar fell.
Gold remains in backwardation with stresses being felt in the physical market due to a lack of supply.
Hedge funds and speculators increased their net long positions by 56% last week according to the Commodities Futures Trading Commission but the short position on the COMEX remains near record levels meaning that a significant short squeeze is on the horizon.
Gold Prices/Fixes/Rates/Vols – (Bloomberg)
COMEX inventories continue to fall and JP Morgan saw its eligible gold inventories fall a very large 90,311 ounces as reported by Zero Hedge. This is a massive 66% withdrawal of the firm’s entire inventory of non-Registered gold. It leaves a token 46,000 ounces of gold which means that there is just a little over 1 tonne of gold remaining in JP Morgan’s possession.
Gold is moving from the West to the East and yet the market has yet to appreciate the scale of Chinese demand and Asian physical demand and the scale of the flows.
Buyers in Asia and the Middle East are strong hands who will hold onto their metal as a store of wealth. Their significant, and still very robust, demand should support prices between $1,000 an ounce and $1,200 an ounce.
We are likely to see a resumption of gold’s bull market before the end of the summer and into 2014, however short term weakness is, as always, possible.
The South Korean government said today it plans to set up a spot gold exchange by the first quarter of 2014.
Support & Resistance Chart – (Bloomberg)
South Korea’s financial regulator, the Financial Services Commission, said that it will open the gold exchange next year where gold spots can be traded in the public market.
The South Korean gold exchange, will be open in the first quarter of 2014 to allow gold spots to be traded in the public market like listed stocks, according to the Financial Services Commission (FSC) as reported by Xinhua.
The introduction came amid growing ‘underground’ gold transactions to evade value-added taxes. Underground gold trading accounts for more than half of the country’s annual gold transactions, the regulator said.
Cross Currency Table – (Bloomberg)
Market players will be licensed members that will meet certain financial requirements. Those will include smelters and importers of gold as well as gold craftsman and distributors.
To stimulate transactions in the new gold market, tariff tax exemption will be offered while providing reductions in corporate and income taxes in order to help the fledgling market.
NEWS
Gold Rallies Above $1,300 on Outlook for Stimulus, China Demand – Bloomberg
Gold rises to 1-month high on weaker U.S. dollar – Reuters
Gold Bulls Bet Right as Prices Rally Most Since ’11 – Bloomberg
SouthKorea to Open Gold Trading Market in 2014 – Xinhuanet
COMMENTARY
“Likely Lead To Resumption of Gold’s Bull Market Before End Of Summer” – MarketWatch
Gold Futures Hiccup Indicates Demand Outpacing Supply – Reuters
Gold Breaks Above $1300 As Shorts Cover Most In 4 Months – Zero Hedge
Maguire – Hedge Funds Gold Shorts To Get Massacred – King World News
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