gold

Gold presents good value to investors at current
levels below $1,600 a troy ounce, according to Henry Lancaster, senior
investment analyst at Coutts. In a report, Lancaster notes that gold has
recently been out of favor as a safe haven, but says that the yellow metal
remains attractive as a longer-term investment. "We believe that fundamentals
point to a positive outlook for gold," he says in a report, citing sustained
central bank buying and rising Chinese demand as supportive factors. "On top of
gold's many advantages as a hedge against global crises and devaluation of
major currencies, we see strong buying by central banks and emerging-market
investors...as underpinning a shiny outlook for gold," he says. Spot gold is
trading at $1,559.40 a troy ounce, down $2.90 from its previous settlement and
2.1% lower than Monday's open; prices have fallen this week alongside
traditional risk assets like industrial commodities and equities amid
escalating concerns over a possible Greek exit from the euro zone.