Bart Melek of BMO Capital Markets, who projected that the gold price could reach $1,600 per ounce by 2011. In his report, Melek cited a bevy of factors that should continue to contribute to the gold price advance – including long-term inflation conces, sovereign debt issues, the relatively poor long-term outlook for the U.S. dollar and fiat currencies in general, and the market expectation that the Federal Reserve will not aggressively raise interest rates.
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The BMO report went on to point out two additional factors supportive of higher gold prices. First, gold producers are engaging in essentially no hedging, and the official sector has become a significant net buyer of gold for the first time in more than 20 years. Furthermore, central banks may add to their gold reserves in order to diversify their foreign exchange holdings amid the currency debasement rampant across the globe. As for the Inteational Monetary FundâÂÂs plan to sell the remaining 191.3 metric tons of gold announced last fall, Melek expects it to have only a modest negative impact on the price of gold.
