Investing.com - Gold and silver futures rose sharply on Friday, as investors returned to the market to seek cheap valuations after prices fell to the lowest level since August 2010 earlier in the session.
Sentiment on the precious metals remains downbeat amid growing expectations the Federal Reserve will begin to taper off its bond-buying program by the end of this year.
On the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange, gold futures for August delivery rose 1.85% on Friday to settle the week at USD1,233.75 a troy ounce.
Earlier in the session, Comex gold prices fell to a daily low of USD1,180.35 a troy ounce, the weakest level since August 3, 2010.
Gold futures were likely to find support at USD1,180.35 a troy ounce, Friday’s low and a 24-month low and resistance at USD1,210.90, the high from August 6, 2010.
Despite Friday’s strong performance, gold prices lost 4.8% on the week.
For the quarter, the precious metal declined nearly 23%, the largest quarterly loss on record, amid speculation the Fed will start to unwind its bond purchasing program in the coming months.
Gold prices are on track to post a loss of 27% on the year, the worst yearly decline since 1981, after rising in each of the past 12 years.
Moves in the gold price this year have largely tracked shifting expectations as to whether the U.S. central bank would end its bond-buying program sooner-than-expected.
An exit from the stimulus would deal a heavy blow to gold, which has thrived on demand from investors who buy gold to hedge against the inflationary risks of loose monetary policies.
Gold prices tumbled early on Friday, with losses accelerating after futures broke below the key USD1,200-support-level for the first time in three years.
However, the precious metal turned sharply higher as traders closed out bets on lower prices after futures moved into oversold territory, a move known as covering a short position.
Gold traders now looked ahead to Friday’s highly-anticipated U.S. nonfarm payrolls data for indications of how the recovery in the U.S. labor market is progressing.
Any improvement in the U.S. economy could scale back expectations for further easing, putting upward pressure on U.S. yields and boosting the dollar.
Elsewhere on the Comex, silver for September delivery rallied 5.8% on Friday to settle the week at USD19.63 a troy ounce.
Prices of the silver metal turned sharply higher as investors returned to the market after futures fell to USD18.18 a troy ounce, the cheapest level since August 24, 2010.
Despite Friday’s upbeat performance, silver future prices lost 1.85% on the week. On the quarter, silver lost nearly 31%.
Meanwhile, copper for September delivery ended little changed on Friday to close the week at USD3.058 a pound. Comex copper prices dropped 1.35% on the week.
For the quarter, the industrial metal lost 11.5%, as a combination of concerns over an end to the Fed’s assets purchase program and fears over a deepening slowdown in China weighed.
Sentiment on the precious metals remains downbeat amid growing expectations the Federal Reserve will begin to taper off its bond-buying program by the end of this year.
On the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange, gold futures for August delivery rose 1.85% on Friday to settle the week at USD1,233.75 a troy ounce.
Earlier in the session, Comex gold prices fell to a daily low of USD1,180.35 a troy ounce, the weakest level since August 3, 2010.
Gold futures were likely to find support at USD1,180.35 a troy ounce, Friday’s low and a 24-month low and resistance at USD1,210.90, the high from August 6, 2010.
Despite Friday’s strong performance, gold prices lost 4.8% on the week.
For the quarter, the precious metal declined nearly 23%, the largest quarterly loss on record, amid speculation the Fed will start to unwind its bond purchasing program in the coming months.
Gold prices are on track to post a loss of 27% on the year, the worst yearly decline since 1981, after rising in each of the past 12 years.
Moves in the gold price this year have largely tracked shifting expectations as to whether the U.S. central bank would end its bond-buying program sooner-than-expected.
An exit from the stimulus would deal a heavy blow to gold, which has thrived on demand from investors who buy gold to hedge against the inflationary risks of loose monetary policies.
Gold prices tumbled early on Friday, with losses accelerating after futures broke below the key USD1,200-support-level for the first time in three years.
However, the precious metal turned sharply higher as traders closed out bets on lower prices after futures moved into oversold territory, a move known as covering a short position.
Gold traders now looked ahead to Friday’s highly-anticipated U.S. nonfarm payrolls data for indications of how the recovery in the U.S. labor market is progressing.
Any improvement in the U.S. economy could scale back expectations for further easing, putting upward pressure on U.S. yields and boosting the dollar.
Elsewhere on the Comex, silver for September delivery rallied 5.8% on Friday to settle the week at USD19.63 a troy ounce.
Prices of the silver metal turned sharply higher as investors returned to the market after futures fell to USD18.18 a troy ounce, the cheapest level since August 24, 2010.
Despite Friday’s upbeat performance, silver future prices lost 1.85% on the week. On the quarter, silver lost nearly 31%.
Meanwhile, copper for September delivery ended little changed on Friday to close the week at USD3.058 a pound. Comex copper prices dropped 1.35% on the week.
For the quarter, the industrial metal lost 11.5%, as a combination of concerns over an end to the Fed’s assets purchase program and fears over a deepening slowdown in China weighed.