Thursday 25 July 2013

Guidance On Determining The Spot Price Of Gold

By Berry Granstaff


Gold is one of the most valuable commodities in the world today. It is therefore not surprising to know that people rely on this commodity as a means of exchange and for storage of wealth. Financial markets worldwide place great emphasis on the trading of this product among investors. There are various determinants of the spot price of gold. These factors can influence either rise or fall in the price that people charge for this commodity on the market. In most markets, the figure is set twice in each trading day.

Most governments have striven for the establishment of liberal markets. These are markets where the prices of various commodities are determined by the forces of demand and supply. Being the largest economy in the world, the USA has a great impact on the prices of most items in the world today.

The US price levels are some of the greatest determinants of direction of changes in prices of this product. Through time, it has been observed that there is a positive relationship between changes in this level and the gold spot price. This has led many economies around the world to rely on the precious metal as a deterrent of inflation effects.

This increases demand from investors who want to take advantage of this low price to amass as much of the product as they can. Subsequently, it will force the US dollar to increase in price counteracting the depreciation effect.

It has been a practice of investors to purchase gold reserves and hold them. For those outside the USA, the effects of this will depend on a number of factors such as when they purchase the commodity and the length of time over which they hold onto it. Profits gained depend on the nominal amount that will have to be paid for the products.

The demand for jewelry produced using this precious metal also determines the prices, which people will have to pay for it. Jewelers depend on these metals to produce the highly valuable items whose demand is quite high in the market. People use these products as gifts and stores of value. Watches, wristbands and other ornamental items can be produced using this material.

Jewelers are among the main consumers of this metal. They rely on it for the production of ornamental items such as watches, bangles and other items. Their products are very valuable and therefore their demand is among the major factors that will determine how much suppliers will charge for it.

Politicians have a major impact on the development of the countries they live in.

The environment can also have a great impact on the determination of these prices. Investments depend on the future predictions. If authorities are sure of changes in weather patterns they may advice their citizens on what to expect and therefore the best decision they can make for maximum benefits in future.

The environment is a cause of concern for many people across the world. Environmental degradation affects the weather patterns and the performance of different countries, specifically those that rely on agricultural produce for survival. Forecasts and analysis of trends in the environment should be able to indicate to them what to expect of their performance in future. Factors such as global warming and other major changes in weather may cause uncertainty in the market forcing people to change the investment choices they make. It also has an indirect impact on the prices of products such as gold.

The rates of interest earned by holding gold is one of the major factors that will go a long way in determining the prices people will have to pay for the commodity. The spot price of gold normally goes inversely to the interest rates earned by people involved holding it. This is because rise in interest rates is usually associated with concerns over inflation and devaluation of the US dollar. The cause of rise in the interest rates may however cause the prices to be affected positively displaying a positive relationship between the two factors.




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