Tarnished Gold ETFs Try to Glimmer
Gold exchange traded funds struggle to regain lost ground as traders use bullion to hedge Eurozone concerns and renewed inflation concerns in the states.
The SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) , iShares Gold Trust (IAU) and ETFS Physical Swiss Gold Shares (SGOL) were about 0.1% higher Monday. The ETFs were strengthening for the second time in three sessions after the sell-off over the past two weeks.
COMEX gold futures were up 0.1% Monday, trading around $1,254 per ounce.
German investor optimism for the Eurozone in June dipped to 8.5, compared to economists’ average estimates of 13.3 and May’s 12.8 reading, Bloomberg reports.
“Worries about Europe are bringing in some safe-haven buying,” Fain Shaffer, the president of Infinity Trading Corp., said in the article. Prices will “remain range-bound as the rally in the equity market will continue to overshadow everything else.”
Additionally, gold futures are slightly up Monday as some investors bet on rising inflation in response to the strengthening U.S. economy and May jobs report. However, gains were capped since an improving economy would allow the Federal Reserve to continue scaling back stimulus measures.
Physical holdings in gold-related exchange traded products declined 2.1 metric tons to 1,715.7 tons on June 6, the lowest since October 2009. Most gold ETFs are backed by physical bullion stored in secured vaults, so each gold ETF share represent a fractional ownership of physical gold bullion. For instance, the recently launched Merk Gold Trust (OUNZ) was created to provide investors with the opportunity to invest in gold through shares and be able to take delivery of the physical gold bullion in exchange for their shares. [Merk Launches Gold ETF That Provides Access to Physical Bullion]
Hedge funds and money managers are now the least bullish on gold since January, reports Brendan Conway for Barron’s. Large investors are net “long” 51,064, or half the level month-over month, according to CFTC data.
SPDR Gold Shares
For more information on gold, visit our gold category.
Full disclosure: Tom Lydon’s clients own shares of GLD.
