Wednesday, June 21, 2006

Recent slide fails to squelch gold bugs

globeandmail.com : Recent slide fails to squelch gold bugs: "VANCOUVER -- Gold may have been beaten up in recent weeks, but true believers are not losing faith.
'A $740 [U.S.] per ounce gold price is nothing -- it should be double that,' said Bill Murphy, chairman of the Gold Anti-Trust Action Committee, a Dallas-based group that tirelessly promotes a gold-price suppression theory involving central banks, trading houses and governments.
'This is Mickey Mouse stuff; the real action hasn't even happened yet.'
Mr. Murphy and other gold fans would have taken heart from the precious metal's performance yesterday, when gold prices climbed on reports of weapons testing in North Korea and continuing jitters over nuclear programs in Iran. Prior to that, gold prices had fallen for five consecutive weeks.
But yesterday, gold futures for August delivery rose $8.10 to close at $580.50 an ounce on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
Prices, which hit a high of $732 an ounce on May 12, are still up 30 per cent from a year ago despite the recent slide.
'The market's gotten enough of a liquidation, it's coming back to look at core fundamentals,' said Frank McGhee, head metals trader at Integrated Brokerage Services LLC in Chicago. 'Gold will start refocusing on North Korea, Iran and the hurricane season.'
With its reputation as a safe-haven investment, gold tends to rise in times of political turmoil or tension.

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