Speculators smash gold as dollar squeeze tightens
"Powerful speculators have launched an unprecedented attack on the world gold market, driving prices to a five-year low as commodities wilt and the US Federal Reserve prepares to tighten monetary policy.
Spot prices slumped by more than 4pc to $1,086 an ounce in overnight trading after anonymous funds sold 57 tonnes of gold in Shanghai and New York, choosing the moment of minimum market liquidity in what appears to have been a synchronized strike intended to smash confidence.
The move came after China’s central bank dismayed "gold bugs" by revealing that the country’s bullion reserves stand at just 1,658 tonnes, far lower than widely assumed. While holdings have risen 60pc since the last update in 2009, they are still a fraction of China’s total $3.7 trillion foreign exchange reserves.
Ross Norman, a veteran gold analyst at brokers Sharps Pixley, said sellers dumped 7,600 contracts covering 24 tonnes on the Globex exchange in New York in a two-minute span after it opened late on Sunday night.
A further 33 tonnes were sold at almost exactly the same time in Shanghai. The combined hit of 57 tonnes in such a short period is an extraordinary event in the world’s relatively small gold market. "
Source: Speculators smash gold as dollar squeeze tightens - Telegraph (ToryGraph)
AtW's comment -
"Powerful speculators have launched an unprecedented attack on the world gold market, driving prices to a five-year low as commodities wilt and the US Federal Reserve prepares to tighten monetary policy.
Spot prices slumped by more than 4pc to $1,086 an ounce in overnight trading after anonymous funds sold 57 tonnes of gold in Shanghai and New York, choosing the moment of minimum market liquidity in what appears to have been a synchronized strike intended to smash confidence.
The move came after China’s central bank dismayed "gold bugs" by revealing that the country’s bullion reserves stand at just 1,658 tonnes, far lower than widely assumed. While holdings have risen 60pc since the last update in 2009, they are still a fraction of China’s total $3.7 trillion foreign exchange reserves.
Ross Norman, a veteran gold analyst at brokers Sharps Pixley, said sellers dumped 7,600 contracts covering 24 tonnes on the Globex exchange in New York in a two-minute span after it opened late on Sunday night.
A further 33 tonnes were sold at almost exactly the same time in Shanghai. The combined hit of 57 tonnes in such a short period is an extraordinary event in the world’s relatively small gold market. "
Source: Speculators smash gold as dollar squeeze tightens - Telegraph (ToryGraph)
AtW's comment -
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