Gold prices fell to a one-week low of under $1115.00 per ounce overnight as the U.S. dollar continued its recent climb and reached 80.74 on the trade-weighted index. The rallies in risk assets came under pressure as perception resurfaced that this type of speculation has been largely underpinned by generous liquidity and ultra-low interest rates and that it has a finite shelf life in the big scheme of things. The euro also continued under selling pressure early this morning as the Greek situation appears to remain without an obvious and/or imminent solution. The common currency was last seen trading near 1.354 against the greenback ahead of the closed-door meeting between U.S. and Greek leaders today.
The precious metals complex opened with moderate-to-heavy losses across the board this morning, as the stronger dollar and a hefty drop in crude oil kept players on a selling tilt. Spot gold fell $7.80 at the session’s start, and was quoted at $1115.90 per ounce. Within the first half-hour of trading, the yellow metal sank to a low of $1107.60 per ounce as sellers kept up the pressure.
Silver started Tuesday’s price action with a 25-cent loss, quoted at $17 per ounce, while the noble metals also handed back some of their recently-achieved gains. Platinum sank $13 to $1,579 and palladium dropped $14 back down to $457 per troy ounce. Rhodium showed no change at $2,400 per ounce.
Gold needs a quick rebound towards the $1,140 per ounce area, but now, maintenance of the low $1,100’s or that figure itself could become the focus of the day for gold players at this juncture as the heavy dose of thinly warranted bullishness that was recently on display appears to be fading due to external factors. None of this has stopped the persistent calls (demands?) for $2K gold (before year’s end, at that) to continue to be voiced over some rather large megaphones.