Gold was a touch firmer in early European trade on Thursday after falling to its weakest level in 13 months, as oil prices rose but bullion remained under pressure due to global financial turmoil.
'For the short term people may look at oil prices and could buy the dips,' a Europe-based trader said. 'But still gold is very much influenced by external factors, such as the markets and the euro/dollar and it will track those markets,' he said.
PRICES
* Spot gold was at $733.60/736.10 an ounce at 0651 GMT compared with $727.65 late in New York on Wednesday. Bullion earlier fell to $718.20 an ounce -- its lowest since September 2007.
* Platinum at $825.50/849.50 an ounce from $831.50, after having hit $781 an ounce, its lowest level since July 2004.
* Silver was at $9.53/9.63 from $9.50.
* Palladium 0at $170.50/180.50 from $173.50.
DATA/EVENTS
* U.S. weekly jobless claims due at 1230 GMT.
* Eurozone industrial new orders for August at 0900 GMT
* Bank of England (BoE) Deputy Governor John Gieve speaks at Hedge Fund conference.
* ECB Governing Council meeting. No interest rate announcements scheduled.
* Mining group Anglo American Plc said it would review capital expenditure plans due to financial uncertainty as it posted a 12.7 percent fall in third-quarter copper output, its most important metal.
* Anglo Platinum (Angloplat), the world's top producer of the precious metal, said it had lifted production by 9 percent in the third quarter to end-September, and kept its annual target.
MARKET NEWS
* Asian stocks fell to a 4-year low on growing fears a global recession would depress corporate earnings, while Japan's Nikkei share average slumped 5.5 percent, having now fallen 21 percent in October alone.
* The dollar hit a two-year high against a basket of currencies as concerns about a worsening global economy prompted investors to cut risky assets.
* Oil bounced back to hover above $67 a barrel, recouping some of the previous session's 7.5 percent loss, as investors shifted their focus to a likely OPEC agreement on Friday to cut output.
* European equities were seen falling, echoing losses in the United States and Asia amid concerns over the impact of a slowdown in global economic growth on corporate earnings.
FUNDAMENTALS
* The price volatility of gold spiked in the third quarter of 2008 as panic amid plummeting stock markets led to increased bullion buying but liquidity concerns triggered massive selling, the World Gold Council said.
* Global miner and takeover target Rio Tinto Ltd/plc has cut its outlook for Chinese economic growth in 2009 to 8-9 percent, but expects commodity prices to bounce back some time next year.
* Newcrest Mining Ltd, Australia's largest gold producer, reported a 8.5 percent rise in gold production for the September quarter and kept its full-year output forecast despite tumbling prices for the metal.
TECHNICALS
* Gold support at $710, resistance at $751, 14-day RSI at 26.
* Platinum support at $779, resistance at $847 and 14-day RSI at 27.
* Silver support at $9.18, resistance at $9.79, 14-day RSI at 36.
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