New Records for Gold Has ETFs Soaring
December 3rd at 11:00am by Tom Lydon
As gold continues to climb up the markets, is there ever an apex in which the precious metal simply can’t get any higher? Are exchange traded funds (ETFs) subject to this as well?
Gold is seemingly unstoppable, today hitting records of $1,227 an ounce. The metal continues to lure investors who are looking for an inflation hedge, a dollar alternative and a safe haven. Gold has risen more than 7% since last Friday and 25% in the last three months, reports Miho Yoshikawa for Reuters.
As central banks continue to buy up gold and the U.S. dollar remains weak, will gold prices just keep on climbing? Investment in gold companies is on the rise, as well as investor’s risk appetite, giving gold a gleam that many investors cannot ignore. Analysts feel that gold has its own momentum now, separate from currencies.
Gold’s history as an alternative investment is stories. Jan Harvey for Reuters put together a timeline detailing gold’s rise above $1,000 an ounce. (Will the gold ETF rally sustain?) Some highlights:
August 1971: United States President Richard Nixon takes the dollar off the “gold standard,” which had all paper notes backed by a corresponding amount of gold.
January 1980: Gold hits record high at $850 per ounce as high inflation from oil prices, Soviet intervention in Afghanistan and the Iranian revolution sends investors to the metal.
October 1999: Gold reaches a two-year high at $338 after an agreement to limit gold sales is struck by 15 European central banks. Market sentiment toward gold begins to turn more positive.
May 2006: Gold prices peak at $730 an ounce with funds and investors pouring money into commodities on a weak dollar.
March 2008: Benchmark gold contract trades above $1,000 for the first time in the U.S. futures market.
December 2009: U.S. gold futures rise to a record high above $1,210 per ounce, while spot gold rises above $1,203 per ounce.
This time line has been modified, so to see the history of gold since the 1970s, visit Reuters.
For more stories about gold, visit our gold category.
- SPDR Gold Shares (NYSEArca: GLD): up 37.8% year-to-date
- ETFS Physical Swiss Gold Shares (NYSEArca:SGOL): up 22.7% since inception
- PowerShares DB Gold (NYSEArca: DGL): up 35.6% year-to-date
- PowerShares DB US Dollar Bearish (NYSEArca: UDN): up 9.7% year-to-date
