por admin » Sab Ene 01, 2011 8:26 am
El oro gana cerca del 30% en el 2010
Los futures del oro terminaron con un decimo anio consecutivo de ganancias anuales y con expectativas de que obtendra nuevos records el proximo anio.
El metal termino firmemente arrriba de $1,400 el ultimo dia de negociacion en el 2010 cerrando ganancias del 29.7% en el anio, el avance mas grande en tres anios.
Gold Gains Nearly 30% in 2010
By TATYANA SHUMSKY
NEW YORK—Gold futures finished the year with a 10th consecutive annual gain amid expectations for new record highs next year.
The metal closed firmly above the $1,400 mark on the last trading day of 2010 and locked in a 29.7% gain for the year, the largest in three years.
Gold prices were soaring Friday.
.The most actively traded contract, for February delivery, settled up 1.1%, or $15.50, at $1,421.40 per troy ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange.
Trading volume was low because as many traders took off the week between Christmas and the New Year.
The thinly traded contract for gold for January delivery was up 1.1%, or $15.50, at $1,421.10 per troy ounce.
A weaker dollar boosted gold prices Friday, as dollar-denominated gold appears cheaper to buyers using foreign currencies when the dollar eases.
Currency concerns have been a major factor funneling investment funds towards the yellow metal throughout 2010. Worries about the financial health of some euro-zone nations and large stimulus spending in the U.S. resulted in a particularly volatile year for both the euro and the dollar. That left investors seeking a safe harbor in gold, which is often seen as an alternative currency.
.Gold also has benefited from global inflation concerns. Chinese investors ramped up their gold purchases throughout 2010 as inflation picked up, even as the government implemented a number of measures to slow economic growth and rein in prices.
Meanwhile, fiscal and monetary stimulus in the U.S. prompted many investors to purchase gold to guard against long-term inflation.
"It seems as if all the drivers for gold are still there and we can certainly look forward to more currency volatility, more political instability and more fiscal irresponsibility," said Frank Lesh, broker and futures analyst at FuturePath Trading.
Still, analysts questioned the likelihood that gold will log similar gains in 2010.
"We're starting the year awfully red hot and coming from a big run-up, so we may need to shake some things up before we move up again," said Sterling Smith, analyst at Country Hedging.
Investment demand for gold has slowed as prices rallied to record highs in recent months. The volume of gold held by exchange-traded funds, considered a proxy for investment demand, has risen at a slower pace, though volumes remain near record levels.
The largest gold ETF, SPDR Gold Shares, holds 1,280.72 metric tons of the precious metal and is considered the largest private holder of gold.
In terms of overall performance, the yellow metal was outshone by its white cousins, palladium and silver, in 2010.
Palladium futures capped off the year with a 96.5% gain, reaching a fresh nine-year high, as the recovering automotive sector boosted demand across the world. Palladium is widely used in catalytic converters, which filter exhaust fumes in gasoline engine systems.
"The U.S. and European car markets have kicked back to normal gear, and all the other parts of the world are coming along," including demand in India and China, said Jon Nadler, senior analyst with Kitco Metals Inc.
The most actively traded palladium contract, for March delivery, settled up 2.2%, or $17.10, at $803.30 per troy ounce.
Emerging concerns about palladium supply have also lifted prices in recent weeks. The palladium market has long relied on Russian government sales to augment annual production, but those stockpiles are forecast to be near exhaustion.
"If no shipments of Russian state stocks of palladium take place in 2011, the palladium market could be substantially in deficit," industry consultancy Johnson Matthey said in its 2010 annual review.
Silver futures ended the year at a new 30-year high Friday, up 83.7% this year. The metal has gained from spillover investment demand as gold soared outside of some investors' budgets.
"Given the big demand for gold, silver is going to be a natural benefactor," Mr. Smith said.
The most actively traded silver contract, for March delivery, settled up 1.4%, or 42.4 cents, at $30.937 per troy ounce.
The contract reached an intraday high of $30.975, the highest price since 1980, when the Hunt brothers of Texas famously attempted to corner the silver market and pushed prices above $40 per troy ounce.
Platinum lagged precious metals in 2010, locking in an increase of just 20.9% on the year. The white metal is widely used in catalytic converters for diesel engines, as well as in oil-refining equipment.
The most actively traded contract, for April delivery, settled up 1.7%, or $28.90 higher, at $1,778.20 per troy ounce.