Bloomberg Survey Suggests 16% Rise in Gold Prices

Gold may have fallen $160 in two weeks from a February 29th high of 1792 to this morning’s lows of 1632, but Gold bugs continue to believe prices are poised to rally.  A recent Bloomberg survey of repsondents at Bloomberg’s Link Precious Metals Conference suggested prices could rise to $1897 by the end of the year, a 16% gain from recent prices.  Setting the move higher is a continuation of demand from global central banks and hoarding from private investors.



Adding to demand for Gold has been cheap interest rates which has led investors to seek higher returns.  As a result, safe conscious investors that may not be willing to convert their cash holdings to riskier currencies or equities have been migrating to Gold as a safe haven alternative.

More from Bloomberg:

Gold is poised for a 21 percent gain in 2012, extending its bull market to 12 consecutive years, as investors hoard record amounts and central banks expand reserves for the first time in a generation.
Bullion may rise to $1,897 an ounce in New York by Dec. 31 from $1,566.80 at the end of 2011, based on the average of 14 respondents in a survey at the Bloomberg Link Precious Metals Conference yesterday in New York. The rally that began in 2001 is the longest since at least 1920 in London, including a 10 percent gain last year.
Demand has strengthened as Europe seeks to contain its debt crisis, China’s economic expansion slows, and governments from the U.S. to the U.K. keep interest rates at all-time lows to shore up growth. Central banks have been net buyers for three straight years, the longest stretch since 1973, World Gold Council data show. Holdings (.GLDTONS) in exchange-traded funds backed by the metal reached a record 2,410.2 metric tons yesterday, data compiled by Bloomberg show.
“There are significant shifts going on in the world,” said Martin Murenbeeld, the 67-year-old chief economist at Toronto-based DundeeWealth Inc., which manages about $100 billion in the Dynamic Mutual Funds. “Gold has become an investment, an asset class, and over time, we are only going to be building it up. The central banks are holding gold because they are not sure if the euro will remain five years later.”  Read More