By Barani Krishnan
Investing.com - The twin nightmare of a slowing Europe on top of China is helping gold bugs advance in their mission north of $1,300, even as the rival dollar recovers from some of this week's beating.
Data showing a contraction in euro zone manufacturing growth, led by Germany, enabled both bullion and gold futures to edge higher on Friday. Gold buyers hedging against the protracted U.S.-China trade war also underpinned the yellow metal's strength.
Spot gold, reflective of trades in physical bullion, was up $3.55, or 0.3%, at $1,312.93 per ounce at 3:20 PM ET (19:20 GMT), after scaling $1,315.02 earlier.
Gold futures for April delivery, traded on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange, settled the official trading session up $5, or 0.4%, at $1,312.30 per ounce. It got to as high as $1,314.70 earlier.
Both bullion and gold futures have returned to the critical $1,300 level since March 12 after making a 2019 high just shy of $1,350 on Feb. 20. Analysts said fears of a combined Chinese-Europe slowdown could drive more investors toward the safe haven.
"China has been slowing down, especially in ordering industrial products and automobiles, and that is going to hit Germany out-proportionally,” Kim Forrest, chief investment officer at Bokeh Capital Partners, said.
The IHS Markit preliminary Purchasing Managers’ Index, led by Germany, plunged to 44.7 in March, its lowest level since 2012 and well below economists’ expectation of 48, data showed on Friday. It was the index's third-consecutive reading below 50 and came as new orders and employment declined.
"Gold has got a pretty good setup here, as it managed to progress in the $1,300 channel despite the uptick in the dollar," said Philip Streible, senior market strategist for precious metals at RJO Futures in Chicago.
"There are a lot of economic concerns, not just with China and Europe but also over how the Fed handled its last policy meeting, and that's bringing more hedgers into gold," Streible said. "If we keep to this sentiment, getting to $1,325 should be the next aim before the bigger target of $1,350."
The Federal Reserve opted not to raise interest rates at its monthly meeting this week, with Chairman Jerome Powell maintaining his stance of being patient with tightening in order not to weaken the economy. But some also say the Fed chief appears to be veering toward a situation where he might even approve of rate easing in the future to boost the economy. That would make gold a solid buy if that were to happen.
The dollar, which investors had been using as hedge against the U.S.-China trade war, rose as President Donald Trump appeared to be downplaying the urgency for a trade deal, Bloomberg reported, saying the president wanted a deal that could be enforced .
The dollar index, which measures the greenback against a basket of six currencies, was up 0.1% at 96.12.
Palladium remained the world's most expensive traded metal despite a drop in Friday's trade.
The spot price of palladium fell by 45.65, or 2.9%, to 1,555.30 per ounce. It hit record high of $1,616.30 on Thursday.
Trades in other Comex metals as of 3:20 PM ET (19:20 GMT):
Palladium futures down $37.60, or 2.4%, at $1,520.30 per ounce.
Platinum futures down $11.15, or 1.3%, at $849.95 per ounce.
Silver futures down 2 cents, or 0.1%, at $15.42 per ounce.
Copper futures down 5 cents, or 1.8%, at $2.85 per pound.