Gold Climbs on Signs Central Banks Are Curbing Bullion Loans


New York, March 9 (Bloomberg) -- Gold rose more than 2 percent, extending a three-week rally, on signs that central banks are making less bullion available for lending to speculators and mining companies.

The cost of borrowing gold for one month rose to 6.3 percent, on an annual basis, the highest rate in 1 1/2 years and almost triple the level a week ago. The reduced supply accelerated a rally sparked by speculators who had bought gold to reverse earlier bad bets that prices would fall further.

``We believe central banks are pulling back on the amount of gold they make available to the market,'' said Michael Paolercio, chief executive of Michael Anthony Jewelers Inc. in Mount Vernon, New York, the nation's largest maker of gold jewelry.

Gold for April delivery rose as much as $5.60, or 2.1 percent, to $271.70 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange, the highest price since Jan. 2. It was the biggest one-day gain since Oct. 12.

Prices have risen 6.5 percent from a 17-month low of $255.10 an ounce on Feb. 16 in a rally that gained momentum on buying by speculators who had sold contracts expecting prices to fall. A drop below $253.10 an ounce would have sent gold to its lowest price in 22 years.

Speculators had sold 66,731 more contracts than they had bought as of Feb. 20, the largest so-called net short position since July 1999, figures from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission showed.

Traders are ``nervous,'' said Rhona O'Connell, an analyst at Canaccord Capital in London. ``All you need is a marginal tightening'' in supplies, and concern that the price may rise ``becomes self-fulfilling.''

The last time gold lease rates were this high was in September 1999, after a group of European central banks pledged to limit sales and lending of bullion. The accord helped send gold prices to a two-year high of $339 an ounce on Oct. 5, 1999.

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