Bloomberg News: Gold Tops $1,500 as Investors Seek Shelter from Gathering Storm

Article by Rupert Rowling and Ranjeetha Pakiam in Bloomberg News

Gold futures rallied above $1,500 an ounce on sustained demand for the traditional haven as the U.S.-China trade war festers, global growth slows and central banks around the world ease monetary policy.

The metal advanced as much as 1.6% an ounce on the Comex to the highest since 2013. The move extends this year’s climb to 17%. China’s central bank expanding its gold reserves for an eighth straight month in July.

Gold has been one of the chief beneficiaries of the turmoil in global financial markets as Washington and Beijing spar over trade. In recent days, the Trump administration threatened fresh tariffs against Chinese goods, the yuan was allowed to sink, and the U.S. branded China as a currency manipulator. The stand-off has boosted the odds of more easing from the Federal Reserve.

“Gold is serving its traditional role as a safe-haven asset,” said Wayne Gordon, executive director for commodities and foreign exchange at UBS Group AG’s wealth management unit. Under the bank’s risk case, marked by a further escalation of the trade fight, prices could go as high as $1,600, he said.

Futures traded at $1,505.70 an ounce at 7:37 a.m. in New York, gaining for a fourth day. Silver also surged, with futures rallying as much as 3% to $16.935 an ounce, the highest in more than a year.

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