Gold surged above $455 an ounce in Asian trading on Thursday to a fresh 16-year high, as declines in the US dollar raised the appeal of gold and other investments. Indeed, gold could gain a further $5 or more on Friday amid expectations for further dollar weakness, bullion traders said. "The main driver has been the US dollar, though gold has also been well supported by the fundamentals," said Australia & New Zealand Bank (ANZ) commodities analyst Daniel Hyenas.
The US dollar sank to a record low against the euro on Thursday on continuing worries about the bloated US budget and trade deficits.
The dollar has lost nearly a tenth of its value versus a basket of currencies in four months, making gold cheaper outside the United States.
Spot gold sold for $455.50/456.25 an ounce, up $2.20 from the start of trading in Asia, and a fresh 16-1/4-year high.
That topped overnight gains when gold fetched as much as $455.20 an ounce. "The dollar's going down and that means gold goes up," one trader said.
Waning gold supplies amid climbing demand for personal use, mainly jewellery, have buoyed prices, analysts said. London, mining finance brokers Williams de Bore predicted gold would sell for $500 a ounce within six months, as output declined from world mining companies.
Mining industry group, World Gold Council, said recently global gold demand was up 6 percent in the third quarter from a year.
In futures trading, February delivery gold on the New York Mercantile Exchange's Comex division moved as high at $457.70 an ounce, its highest since July 1988, before settling at $455.90, up $2.70 on the day.
Price gains in gold were somewhat tempered by a 7.5 percent drop in oil prices overnight, dealers said. Gold in the past has tracked oil higher, coinciding with heightened inflationary fears.
Indeed, in the longer term, ANZ's Hyenas sees gold recoiling too, as the US dollar settles and gold's appeal fades. "We see gold parked around $430 next year," Hyenas said.
Dealers said more short-term currency investors have entered the market recently and placed bets against the euro and yen, suggesting a near-term rebound in the dollar could be possible.
Recent data from the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission showed a decline in net long euro contracts due to a surge in euro shorts, as outright longs held relatively steady.
"Long" positions are essentially bets that a specific currency will strengthen, while "short" positions are bets it will weaken.
The yen was at 102.43 against the dollar versus 102.59. The euro fetched $1.3357 versus $1.3360.
In the Tokyo futures market, the benchmark October gold futures contract was up 6 yen at 1,503 yen, leading the rest of the complex higher.
Silver was 1 cent up in Asian trading at $7.99/$8.02 an ounce. Platinum was $3 lowers at $871/$876 an ounce. Palladium was unchanged at $208/$213 an ounce.
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