market talk

Neither gold nor silver has reached a level at which
they look "good value" for investors, says Standard Bank. While gold should
begin to look attractive between $1,600/oz and $1,630/oz, silver must trade
closer to $30/oz before it represents good value, the bank says. Longer-term,
however, Standard Bank still sees gold reaching new record highs this
year--probably around the third quarter--while it sees silver as having the
potential to reach $40/oz in the same time frame. Spot gold last hit a record
high in September last year, touching $1,920.94/oz, while spot silver last
traded above $40/oz in the same month. Spot gold down 0.1% at $1,656.95/oz;
spot silver down 0.1% at $32.438/oz.