Gold Hits Record $900 Per Ounce By AP/STEVENSON
JACOBS
(NEW YORK) Gold futures briefly rose
above $900 an ounce Friday for the first time as high oil
prices, a weak dollar and fears of a U.S. recession led uneasy
investors to keep buying the precious metal.
An ounce of gold for February delivery on
the New York Mercantile Exchange jumped $6.50 to $900.10 in
morning trading, an all-time high and a psychologically important
milestone. Gold later slipped to $898.70 an ounce on profit-taking
but remained in record territory.
"It's a reflection of market sentiment:
Gold is a hedge against uncertainty and right now it's the
best bet," said Carlos Sanchez, a precious metals analyst
at CPM Group in New York. "None of the other investment
options look that great and gold does."
Still, when adjusted for inflation, gold remains
well below its all-time high. An ounce of gold at $875 in
1980 would be worth $2,115 to $2,200 today.
Gold has had a meteoric rise the past year
rising nearly 32 percent in 2007 boosted by
a falling dollar, rising prices for oil and other commodities
and increased Middle East instability. Those trends have lifted
the metal's appeal as a haven; gold is seen as a safe investment
in times of political and economic uncertainty around the
world.
Also driving gold higher was Federal Reserve
Chairman Ben Bernanke's pledge Thursday to cut interest rates
to boost the economy, which some fear may be sliding toward
recession amid turmoil in the housing and credit markets.
Lower interest rates tend to depress a country's
currency and drive investors to shift funds to hard assets,
like gold. A cheap dollar can make commodities more attractive
as an alternative investment, and can also raise demand from
foreign buyers as their currencies gain strength.
"Concerns of a recession will keep pushing
up gold prices," Sanchez said. "Depending upon what
happens in the economy and in the Middle East, we could see
gold testing $1,000 an ounce, maybe even this quarter."
Hedge and pension funds, along with other
long-term investors, also flocked to gold as the mortgage
and credit crisis in the U.S. intensified.
"The funds are really heavily at play
... The momentum with gold is almost like mania. We keep wondering
how high it will go," said Jon Nadler, an analyst with
Kitco Bullion Dealers in Montreal.
Investors looking to get in on the gold rush
can expect continued volatility for the rest of the year,
said Nadler, whose firm forecasts a trading range of $750
to $950 an ounce.
The steep rise in precious metals will also
mean consumers in the United States the biggest buyer
of gold after India can expect to pay higher prices
for gold earrings, bracelets and other jewelry.
"People are going to feel that sticker
shock when they go down Fifth Avenue," Nadler said. "You'll
start seeing the increase reflected as early as Valentine's
Day."