NS: Gold drops for eighth day as stock market rises
Gold futures on the COMEX Division of the New York Mercantile Exchange finished lower for the eighth straight session on Wednesday, as U.S. equity market rebounded, weakening gold's appeal of safe-haven. Silver and platinum ended higher.
Gold price for April delivery was down 6.90 U.S. dollars, or 0.8 percent, to settle at 906.70 dollars an ounce. May silver closed at 12.915 dollars per ounce, up 20 cents. April platinum gained 8.50 dollars to 1,044.80 dollars per ounce.
The U.S. stock market rose on Wednesday for the first time in recent five trading days. The Dow Jones index climbed 150 points to the level of 6,876 points, which was considered by the traders to reduce gold's demand for safety investment.
Some investors continued to sell the precious metal to raise cash to deal with the pressure from margin calls in other commodity future markets, said analysts.
Thanks to the crude oil's rally and a weak dollar, gold managed to keep above 900 dollars during the session.
Gold has lost almost 100 dollars an ounce, or 10 percent, in its recent eight trading days. On Feb. 20, gold touched as high as 1,007.70 dollars per ounce.
Chinese new stimulus plan, which is thought to increase the demand for silver and platinum as industrial applications, helped the two precious metals end higher.