Gold Futures Advance on Inflation-Hedge Demand; Silver Gains

Sept. 15 (Bloomberg) -- Gold rose, closing above $1,000 an ounce for the third straight session, as commodities climbed on demand for a hedge against inflation. Silver also gained.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke said the worst U.S. recession since the 1930s has probably ended, while warning that growth may not be strong enough to reduce unemployment quickly. The Fed has kept its benchmark lending rate as low as zero since December. It authorized $1.45 trillion in purchases of mortgage-backed securities and other housing debt this year.

“The market believes that the Fed is not going to be able to withdraw the funds fast enough and that would cause inflation,” said Leonard Kaplan, the president of Prospector Asset Management in Evanston, Illinois. “I don’t believe that for a minute, but this is what the market believes.”

Gold futures for December delivery gained $5.20, or 0.5 percent, to $1,006.30 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange. On Sept. 11, the metal reached a record closing price of $1,006.40.

The price for immediate delivery gained $6.63, or 0.7 percent, to $1,006.93 at 2:54 p.m. New York time. Eighteen of 19 raw materials in the Reuters/Jefferies CRB Index rose today, led by a record surge in corn.

“The debate on gold’s price prospects remains alive and well among both fundamentals-followers and technicians poring over charts,” Jon Nadler, a Kitco Inc. senior analyst in Montreal, said in a note.

The dollar fell against a basket of six major currencies, extending a slide to the lowest in 11 months. Gold futures have rallied 28 percent since the demise of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. a year ago as investors bought precious metals to protect their wealth amid the first global recession since World War II.

Possible ‘Reversal’

“Charts indicate that if the $1,050 level is not attained during the current ‘break-out’ or if a double or triple top is confirmed under that same level, then gold could signal a reversal such as the ones that occur on average about every six years,” Nadler said.

Futures reached an 18-month high of $1,013.70 on Sept. 11. Gold may climb to as high as $1,100 in the next six months, researcher GFMS Ltd. said yesterday.

Sales at U.S. retailers in August surged 2.7 percent, the most in three years, from July, government data showed today.

“Gold is continuing to knock on the $1,000 door without making a concerted effort either way to test resistance or support,” GoldCore Ltd., a brokerage in Dublin, said in a note. “Gold needs to push above $1,012 in the short term and $1,020 in the longer term for the upward momentum to be regained.”

Net Longs

Hedge-fund managers and other large speculators increased their bets on rising New York gold futures to a record in the week ended Sept. 8, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission said last week. Net-long positions jumped 22 percent to a 224,676 contracts, the biggest increase this year.

Silver futures for December delivery in New York rose 37.7 cents, or 2.3 percent, to $17 an ounce. The price has gained 51 percent this year.

Platinum futures for October delivery was little changed at $1,320.30 an ounce on the Nymex. Palladium futures for December delivery gained 0.2 percent to $296.25 an ounce.