Saturday 18 May 2013

Hedge funds sell gold after propping mkt a month ago

Hedge funds and other big speculators in commodities have started selling gold in a big way, trade data showed on Friday, just a month after they had supported the precious metal amid a record tumble in its price

Just a month ago, CFTC data showed hedge funds had added to their net long positions in US gold futures despite a record loss in bullion prices at that time due to a broad commodities sell-off triggered by global economic worries.

On Friday, gold fell for a seventh straight session, its longest losing streak in four years, as the dollar rose to the highest since 2008 after some Federal Reserve officials said the central bank should end its stimulus for the U.S. economy.

Ultra low interest rates and hundreds of billions of dollars of Fed stimulus money have fueled higher prices for gold and other commodities over the past 3 years.

This year, gold's safe-haven lure been dulled by improving US economic data, which included a May reading for consumer sentiment that stood at a near six-year high. Money has also been rotating out of gold into equity markets as U.S. stock prices hit record highs.

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