Gold exchange traded funds jumped Thursday on speculation the Fed could delay tapering due to the government shutdown. However, some anticipate gold could hit a four-year low in the mid-term.
The SPDR Gold Shares (NYSEArca: GLD) rose 3.3% Thursday. GLD has declined 23.8% year-to-date.
COMEX gold futures were up 3.0%, trading around $1,320 per ounce.
Due to the government shutdown, Standard & Poor’s calculates that 0.6% was shaved off of annualized fourth-quarter 2013 GDP growth, or $24 billion was taken out of the economy, MNI reports.
The lower economic growth could allow the Fed to hold off on tapering its quantitative easing program.
“The U.S. debt deal is seen (as) positive for gold by market participants, for good reason, since the whole mess is just being postponed by 3-4 months, which makes a reduction of Fed asset purchases rather unlikely for the time being,” Commerzbank analyst Carsten Fritsch said in a Fox Business report.
While the immediate impact of the deal was positive for gold, gold remains in bearish territory, with median estimates from precious metals analysts anticipating bullion to decline to an an average $1,175 per ounce in the third quarter next year, a four-year low, as U.S. economic growth and reduced U.S. stimulus diminish demand for safe-haven gold, reports Nicholas Larkin for Bloomberg. [Pain for Gold ETFs May Repeat in 2014]