Gold Set For Best Week Since December With Yields Retreating
Gold headed for a second straight weekly advance as bond yields retreated, with investors assessing economic data from the U.S.
(Bloomberg) -- Gold headed for its best week since December amid a retreat in bond yields and a report that top buyer China may import more of the metal.
After weeks trading in a narrow range, gold has advanced as Treasuries yields and the dollar head for weekly losses. Lower yields boost the appeal of bullion, which doesn’t offer interest. Dollar declines helped spur a broad rally in raw materials, with the Bloomberg Commodity Index also on track for its best week of 2021.
Bullion is showing tentative signs of breaking out of a slump following three straight monthly losses. Prices rose above the 50-day moving average on Thursday, a positive signal for traders who follow chart patterns. On Friday, bullion extended gains to the highest since February after Reuters reported that China has given banks permission to import a large amount of bullion to meet domestic demand.
The overall robust performance in commodities this week was “being supported by a surprise drop in U.S. Treasury yields accompanied by a weaker dollar,” said Ole Hansen, head of commodities research at Saxo Bank. Gold, along with crude oil and copper, “broke higher, thereby potentially signaling renewed momentum attracting fresh buying from speculators.”
Spot gold rose 0.8% to $1,778.17 an ounce by 1:43 p.m. in New York. Prices are up about 2% this week, on course for the biggest gain since Dec. 18. Futures for June delivery on the Comex rose 0.8% to settle at $1,780.20 an ounce.
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell’s reiteration of his dovish stance on monetary policy also helped bullion this week. That helped offset the impact of improving U.S. and Chinese economic reports, which could otherwise diminish demand for the metal as a haven.
“The economic data published in the U.S. yesterday afternoon turned out for the most part to be significantly better than the market had anticipated,” Commerzbank AG analyst Daniel Briesemann said. “It seems that market participants believed the U.S. Federal Reserve’s assertion this time that it would not react to good data and would tolerate economic overheating.”
In other precious metals, silver and platinum advanced.
Palladium rose 1.2% after reaching the highest in more than a year. The metal, which reached a record of $2,883.89 in February last year, has benefited from stricter emissions rules that boost usage in autocatalysts.
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