Demand for gold and silver jumped after the International Monetary Fund projected the global economy to contract this year. Gold and silver advanced on rising demand for a store of value after the International Monetary Fund projected the global economy to contract this year. The IMF forecast a 1.3 percent decline in the world economy, compared with a 0.5 percent expansion estimated in January, and said growth will be slower next year than previously expected. Some investors buy precious metals as a safe harbor in times of economic turmoil. “What is supporting gold is the continued uncertainty in the global economy,” John Gross, the president of J-E Gross & Co., a metals-industry consulting company in Cranston, Rhode Island, said in an e-mailed comment. “We are in the midst of a ‘sea change’ where gold is the safe haven for investors.” Gold futures for June delivery gained $9.80, or 1.1 percent, to $892.50 an ounce on the New York Mercantile Exchange’s Comex division and was headed for a weekly gain. Last week, the most-active contract slid 1.7 percent, the fourth-straight drop and the longest losing stretch since August.

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