Gold Futures Rise Despite European Interest Rate Hike

Gold futures continued their upward trend, reaching a third day of gains, despite an interest rate increase in Europe. The increased rate, coupled with concerns about Portugal's debt obligations, led to a weaker dollar, which in turn fueled demand for gold. The most actively traded contract for August delivery settled at $1,530.60 a troy ounce, up $1.40 from the previous day. Thinly traded July-delivery gold ended up $1.50, or 0.1%, at $1,530.20 a troy ounce.

Key Takeaways:

• Gold futures rose for the third consecutive day, with the August contract settling at $1,530.60 a troy ounce, up $1.40.
• The interest rate increase in Europe, coupled with concerns about Portugal's debt obligations, led to a weaker dollar.
• Demand for gold futures increased as the dollar weakened, making the contracts appear cheaper to investors holding foreign currencies.
• Other precious metals followed gold's lead, with silver, platinum, and palladium also rising on the day.
• Portugal's debt obligations have been a point of concern, with the country struggling to meet its debt payment obligations in recent months.
• The increase in the benchmark interest rate by the European Central Bank to 1.50% was a response to the economic uncertainty in the region.

Statistics:

• The August gold futures contract settled up $1.40, or 0.1%, at $1,530.60 a troy ounce.
• Thinly traded July-delivery gold ended up $1.50, or 0.1%, at $1,530.20 a troy ounce.
• The euro gained further traction, reaching $1.4345, up from $1.4320 late Wednesday in New York.
• July-delivery silver settled up 61.7 cents, or 1.7%, at $36.528 a troy ounce.
• Nymex platinum for July-delivery settled up $7.60, or 0.4%, at $1,741.00 a troy ounce.

Sources:

• Dow Jones Commodities News (via Comtex)
• Dow Jones Newswires (Tatyana Shumsky)
• European Central Bank (ECB)
• Moody's Investors Service Inc
• New York Mercantile Exchange (Comex)
• European Credit Rating Agencies (Moody's, Fitch, and Standard & Poor's)