Gold heads for best week since June on N. Korea, ME jitters

london — Gold stayed on track for its strongest week since June on Friday, with prices close to the previous days’s five-month peak, as concerns over North Korea and the Middle East hit the dollar and sent investors scurrying for the safety of bullion.

The world’s biggest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, New Yorklisted SPDR Gold Shares, said its holdings rose more than six tonnes on Thursday, its biggest one-day inflow in a month, as investors bought into the metal.

Spot gold was at $1,286.25 an ounce at 1035GMT, little changed from $1,287.36 late on Thursday. They peaked that day at $1,288.64 an ounce, the highest since early November. “The further deterioration in the US relationship with Russia and North Korea this week has supported the prices of precious metals,” Capital Economics said in a weekly note.

the further deterioration in the uS relationship with russia and North Korea this week has supported the prices of precious metals

“A weaker dollar, in light of President Trump’s comments about the risk to the US economy from a rise in the dollar, has also helped to

Capital Economics

boost the price of gold.”

Market liquidity was thin due to Passover and Good Friday holiday observances around the world. The market for US Treasuries finished trading early on Thursday, and will be closed Friday.

The dollar nursed losses on Friday, heading for its first losing week in three, as continuing tensions in North Korea underpinned currencies seen as safer, such as the Japanese yen. China said on Friday tension over its neighbour North Korea had to be stopped from reaching an “irreversible and unmanageable stage”, as a US aircraft carrier group headed for the region. —