Investing.com - Gold futures added to losses Monday, hitting the lowest level since January, as investors continued to seek the relative safety of the U.S. dollar amid growing concerns over a potential Greek exit from the euro zone.
On the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange, gold futures for June delivery traded at USD1,561.85 a troy ounce during U.S. morning trade, tumbling 1.42%.
It earlier fell by as much as 1.75% to trade at USD1,556.55 a troy ounce, the lowest since December 30, 2011.
Gold futures were likely to find support at USD1,523.95 a troy ounce, the low from December 29 and resistance at USD1,639.05, the high from May 8.
The precious metal losses accelerated after prices broke below a key technical support level close to USD1,567 an ounce, triggering fresh sell orders amid bearish chart signals.
Technical traders expect the next level of support for gold to be at USD1,550 and then USD1,544 after breaking below USD1,600 last week.
Some market participants noted that heavy losses in stocks and other commodities markets accelerated gold’s sell-off, as traders were forced to sell their gold holdings to raise cash to cover losses elsewhere.
Money managers in gold futures and options slashed net long positions by 20% to the lowest level since December 2008, as investors aggressively dumped their bullish bets in the precious metal after a sharp price pullback last month.
In October 2008, gold prices tumbled 18% as turmoil in global financial markets led to losses in global equity and commodity markets. The precious metal rallied 23% in the next two months.
Investors continued to monitor political developments in Greece, as the debt-laden country struggles to form a coalition government following last weekend’s elections, fanning fears over a potential Greek default and eventual exit from the euro zone.
Meanwhile, concerns over the health of Spain’s banking system persisted, pushing the yield on Spanish 10-year bonds to 6.27%, the highest level since December after the country sold EUR2.90 billion of 12-month and 18-month bonds, in an auction which saw short-term borrowing costs rise.
Although gold’s appeal as a safe haven is boosted during times of economic uncertainty, the euro zone’s debt crisis has done little to bolster appetite for the precious metal.
A weakening euro and stronger dollar have weighed on gold instead.
The euro fell to a four-month low against the U.S. dollar in early trade Monday, while the dollar index, which tracks the performance of the greenback versus a basket of six other major currencies, was up 0.45% to trade at 80.79, the highest since March 15.
Despite the recent run of losses, Wall Street investment bank Morgan Stanley said in a report earlier that it remains bullish on the precious metal, citing negative U.S. real interest rates as well as central bank buying.
Morgan Stanley also expects the European Central Bank to introduce fresh measures to shore up bank balance sheets.
Elsewhere on the Comex, silver for July delivery tumbled 1.86% to trade at USD28.35 a troy ounce, just above the lowest since January 3, while copper for July delivery plunged 2.81% to trade at USD3.572 a pound, the lowest since January 12.
On the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange, gold futures for June delivery traded at USD1,561.85 a troy ounce during U.S. morning trade, tumbling 1.42%.
It earlier fell by as much as 1.75% to trade at USD1,556.55 a troy ounce, the lowest since December 30, 2011.
Gold futures were likely to find support at USD1,523.95 a troy ounce, the low from December 29 and resistance at USD1,639.05, the high from May 8.
The precious metal losses accelerated after prices broke below a key technical support level close to USD1,567 an ounce, triggering fresh sell orders amid bearish chart signals.
Technical traders expect the next level of support for gold to be at USD1,550 and then USD1,544 after breaking below USD1,600 last week.
Some market participants noted that heavy losses in stocks and other commodities markets accelerated gold’s sell-off, as traders were forced to sell their gold holdings to raise cash to cover losses elsewhere.
Money managers in gold futures and options slashed net long positions by 20% to the lowest level since December 2008, as investors aggressively dumped their bullish bets in the precious metal after a sharp price pullback last month.
In October 2008, gold prices tumbled 18% as turmoil in global financial markets led to losses in global equity and commodity markets. The precious metal rallied 23% in the next two months.
Investors continued to monitor political developments in Greece, as the debt-laden country struggles to form a coalition government following last weekend’s elections, fanning fears over a potential Greek default and eventual exit from the euro zone.
Meanwhile, concerns over the health of Spain’s banking system persisted, pushing the yield on Spanish 10-year bonds to 6.27%, the highest level since December after the country sold EUR2.90 billion of 12-month and 18-month bonds, in an auction which saw short-term borrowing costs rise.
Although gold’s appeal as a safe haven is boosted during times of economic uncertainty, the euro zone’s debt crisis has done little to bolster appetite for the precious metal.
A weakening euro and stronger dollar have weighed on gold instead.
The euro fell to a four-month low against the U.S. dollar in early trade Monday, while the dollar index, which tracks the performance of the greenback versus a basket of six other major currencies, was up 0.45% to trade at 80.79, the highest since March 15.
Despite the recent run of losses, Wall Street investment bank Morgan Stanley said in a report earlier that it remains bullish on the precious metal, citing negative U.S. real interest rates as well as central bank buying.
Morgan Stanley also expects the European Central Bank to introduce fresh measures to shore up bank balance sheets.
Elsewhere on the Comex, silver for July delivery tumbled 1.86% to trade at USD28.35 a troy ounce, just above the lowest since January 3, while copper for July delivery plunged 2.81% to trade at USD3.572 a pound, the lowest since January 12.