Gold Climbs but Still Set for Worst Quarter in 8 Years

ETF Database submits: Thanks to increased worries over the fiscal health in a variety of developed markets, many investors have sought to protect their portfolios from declining fiat currencies by buying up commodities. In response, a host of ETF issuers have created a variety of new products allowing investors to establish exposure to precious metals, including both commodity-specific funds and physically-backed products offering exposure to multiple precious metals.

Ananthan Thangavel submits:After registering an average 67.4% return on client accounts in 2010, we would like to reflect and re-evaluate our views regarding precious metals, and silver in particular, in light of the pullback to begin 2011. After ending 2010 at 30.94, silver prices have pulled back 8.5% in just 2 weeks, ending today's trading at 28.32.

By Tim Iacono: Precious metals plunged along with most other risk assets on Friday, erasing most of the weekly gain for gold while leaving silver with a modest loss.

By Tom Lydon: Inverse exchange traded funds that profit from falling gold prices have received a boost the past two weeks as precious metal prices slide with global equities.

Reuters Precious Metals Poll - Year End Gold Price Forecasts Gold climbed $15.50 or 1.09% yesterday to $1,430.40/oz and silver finished up 1.00%. Gold climbed to its highest in more than a week on Thursday, boosted by physical demand from store of wealth buyers globally and from central banks. 

By Zacks Investment Research: Gold miners have had a rough ride in the recent months due to the slide in gold prices. In fact, gold miners have been hit more by the precious metal’s slide than the metal itself. Further, sharp downward estimates revisions have resulted in a cloudy near-term outlook for this Zacks Rank # 5 (Strong Sell) stock. About the Company

World Market Pulse submits:At a point in time when the driving gold prices have hogged the limelight, there has been much more movement in the precious metal segment with copper prices to their highest levels in more than two years on Wednesday, buoyed by dollar weakness and expectations of stimulus measures in the United States.

By Jarred Cummans:Today was another dismal trading session as euro fears continued to plague markets. The Dow lost over 130 points while the Nasdaq and S&P 500 lost 1.6% and 1.1%, respectively. Though many were hoping for a “Santa rally” to close out the year, markets have been riddled with instability as the last few weeks have been focused on the progress, or lack thereof, of the eurozone.