GOLD eased below $1 100 an ounce in Europe today as the dollar rose nearly 1% versus the euro, with persistent worries over the fiscal health of debt-laden Greece weighing on the single currency.
Spot gold was bid at $1 094,55 an ounce at 1027 GMT, against $1 101,65 late in New York yesterday. US gold futures for April delivery on the COMEX division of the New York Mercantile Exchange fell $9,10 to $1 094,60 an ounce.
The euro fell to its lowest since early May last year against the dollar as investors flocked to the perceived safety of the US currency on concerns over the eurozone.
“If we continue to have nervousness over Europe and the euro, then we are likely to see supported dollar values and therefore slightly weaker gold values,” said David Wilson, an analyst at Societe Generale.
The move comes ahead of a European Union summit later this week, and after Germany signaled it may accept European financial aid for Greece as a last resort.
Uncertainty over Greece is likely to continue to weigh on the euro, Credit Agricole said in a note.
“It looks unlikely that the summit will generate any concrete EU plans that will sufficient to assuage market nerves,” it said.
“Instead it seems that the Germans and the French, if speculation is to be believed, both agree that the IMF should be involved in any support.”
Euro-priced gold is benefiting from weakness in the currency, rising 0,4% to 819,42 euros an ounce versus 816,04 euros late yesterday.
Gold typically falls as the dollar firms, as strength in the US unit curbs gold’s appeal as an alternative asset and makes it more expensive for holders of other currencies. That link weakened earlier this year, but has since been restored.
Among other commodities, oil also fell nearly $1,50 a barrel after a report showed a surge in US crude inventories, fuelling fears about demand recovery from industrialised nations as Europe struggled to manage Greece’s debt crisis.
The world’s largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, New York’s SPDR Gold Trust, said its holdings rose 4,6 tons yesterday to 1 120,079 tons, their highest since January 7.
“The increase in ETF holdings yesterday is encouraging, as is the scale of buying around and below $1 100, and suggests further pockets of investment diversification will continue to underpin prices,” said TheBullionDesk.com analyst James Moore.
On the supply side, the Russian Gold Industrialists’ Union said the country’s gold output would fall 10% year-on-year in the first quarter. Russia was the world’s fifth largest gold producer last year.
Silver was bid at $16,68 an ounce against $16,97, tracking losses in gold, while platinum was at $1 587 an ounce against $1 607 and palladium slipped to $450,50 against $464,50.
