BLBG : Gold Climbs a Fifth Day as Dollar Drops, Asian Stocks Advance
Aug. 31 (Bloomberg) -- Gold advanced for a fifth day, the longest run of gains in more than a month, as the dollar weakened and Asian stocks advanced on signs that a recovery in global economies may be accelerating.
Bullion climbed as positive economic data weakened demand for the greenback, driving the Dollar Index lower and Asian equities to a second day of gains. An Institute of Supply Management report due tomorrow in the U.S. may show manufacturing expanded for the first in 19 months, according to a survey of economists.
“There are some signs that demand for jewelry is reviving, helped by a rebound in global economies and stocks,” said Chris Yu, head of trading with Samsung Futures Co. in Seoul. “The dollar’s weakness is also lending support to commodities, including gold.”
Gold for immediate delivery added 0.3 percent to $957.55 an ounce at 9:45 a.m. in Singapore. The precious metal has advanced 8.5 percent this year. The Dollar Index slipped 0.2 percent and the MSCI Asia Pacific Index of equities gained as much as 1 percent to 115.10.
Hedge-fund managers and other large speculators increased their net-long position in New York gold futures in the week ended Aug. 25, according to U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission data.
Speculative long positions, or bets prices will rise, outnumbered short positions by 182,982 contracts on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange, the Washington- based commission said in its Commitments of Traders report. Net- long positions rose by 5,452 contracts, or 3 percent, from a week earlier.
Among other precious metals for immediate delivery, silver increased 0.3 percent to $14.77 an ounce, platinum was little changed at $1,243 an ounce and palladium gained 0.3 percent to $289.50 at 9:46 a.m. in Singapore