Bloomberg (31/12) -- Gold headed for the biggest slump in three decades and the first annual loss since 2000 as an improving economy cut demand for wealth protection. Silver was poised for the worst annual performance since 1981.
Bullion fell 28 percent this year to $1,200.49 an ounce by 3:38 p.m. in Singapore. Investors lost faith in the metal as a store of value as equities rallied and an economic recovery prompted the Federal Reserve to pare its $85 billion in monthly bond purchases. Silver dropped 36 percent to $19.4741 an ounce.
Assets in exchange-traded products backed by gold fell 33 percent to the lowest since 2009 amid sales by billionaires George Soros and John Paulson. Disposals of 864.8 metric tons in 2013 were more than the combined inflows in the previous three years, data compiled by Bloomberg show. The Standard & Poors 500 Index climbed 29 percent and is set for its best year since 1997, while the International Monetary Fund signaled this month the U.S. economy will expand more than predict.
Silver is the second-worst performer on the S&P GSCI Spot Index of 24 commodities which declined 1.7 percent. The MSCI All-Country World index of equities climbed 20 percent, while the Bloomberg Dollar Index, a gauge against 10 major trading partners, rose 3.4 percent. The Bloomberg Treasury Bond Index fell 3.2 percent.
sumber : rf-berjangka.com