A big week for commodities last week as yield and profit hungry financial investors continue to pile into the sector desperate for performance after the disasters of credit markets.
Gold set an historic high above $US975 on Friday, as speculators chased it higher, despite the late climb in the US dollar against the euro.
The driving force was more fears about the US economy and worries about financial stocks, including America's biggest insurer, AIG, which reported a big loss from credit derivatives, sparking worries about its health.
The late strength in the greenback saw traders take profits, while silver jumped to a 27-year peak near $US20 an ounce before falling. Palladium surged nearly 4 percent to its highest price in over six years.
Comex gold set a record for the third day in a row, hitting $US975.90 an ounce before falling to $US975 an ounce for the April contract. The spot month, March, finished at $971.10, both new record closes.
Gold has risen 16% this year on the top of 2007's 32% rise.
Silver rose to $US19.92 an ounce on Comex before falling to $19.808 for March spot and $US19.861 for April delivery.
Platinum hit a high of $US2,161 an ounce and was ended at $US2,158 for the spot month and last week's record of $US2,192.
Sugar rose to its highest level in 18 months after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke urged the US to cut tariffs on imports of cane-based ethanol from Brazil, the world's largest producer.
Brazil used more than half of its sugar-cane crop to make ethanol for domestic consumption, instead of for human use.
The call came as oil prices returned to over the $US101 a barrel level.
The US imposes a tax of 54 US cents a gallon on ethanol from Brazil to protect the locally made ethanol, which is sourced from corn.
The tariff has allowed a number of big companies, such as Archer Daniel Midland and Cargill establish large ethanol businesses, while there's a fleet of smaller operation which are now struggling as corn prices hit record levels.
The tariff is due to finish at the end of this year but it's an election year, so you'd have to bet on it being extended if only for crass political gain and not any economic or business reason.
Sugar futures for May delivery finished at 14.69 US cents a pound in New York after touching 14.83 US cents, the highest for a most-active contract since August 2006.
Mr Bernanke told the US Congress on Thursday that he favoured open trade. "I think that allowing Brazilian ethanol, for example, will reduce costs.'' If commodity prices come down, including energy prices and raw-food prices, I would expect to see finished-food prices come down as well.''
Including Friday's gain, sugar prices have risen by more than 35% so far this year, thanks mainly to the activity of speculators and hedge and index funds.
News source : http://www.livenews.com.au/Articles/2008/03/02/Commodities_Strong
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