COMMERZBANK

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday acknowledged a bitter defeat in a state election in Hamburg, which could reverberate in six more votes this year and in her response to the euro zone crisis.

Gold prices eased a touch on Friday, pressured by gains in the dollar and softer investment demand for the metal after a raft of well-received economic data boosted interest in other assets.

Gold eased below $1,360 an ounce in Europe on Thursday as the rising dollar pressured prices, and with Asian buying still light after the Lunar New Year holidays.

This is a world obsessed with demand...[and] many central banks' policy settings are very, very loose...making for serious inflationary pressures, UBS said. The outlook for food prices is that they could rise exponentially from here if we were to see another shock. There's no buffer right now.

The Gold Price ticked higher for Dollar investors Tuesday morning in London, but slipped against other currencies as world stock markets rose and government bonds edged back.

Gold rose in Europe on Tuesday as the dollar index hit a 12-week low and geopolitical tensions centered on Egypt added risk premium to prices, with Asian demand for coins and bars after January's price drop adding support.

U.S. consumer spending rose more than expected in December to post the sixth straight month of gains as households drew down on their savings to fund purchases, government data showed on Monday.

The China Gold Association estimates... that the demand for gold in the first half of the year will rise by 15 percent year on year, citing growing demand for alternative investments and protection against inflation, said Commerzbank in a note.

The price of Gold Bullion rallied from its lowest level since 28th Oct. early in London on Wednesday, but remained nearly $100 per ounce off Dec.'s all-time highs in what dealers called very quiet trade ahead of today's US Federal Reserve announcement on monetary policy.

The main gold exchange-traded fund, the SPDR Gold Trust, recorded its biggest ever one-day outflow on Tuesday. The precious metal is taking some support from physical demand after its slide to its lowest since October 28, but buying interest remains lackluster.

Gold fell to its lowest in ten weeks on Tuesday, putting the price on course for its worst monthly performance in 13 months as safe-haven demand evaporated and investors booked further profits on the 2010 rally.

Gold touched a two-month low in Europe on Friday, pressured by a firmer appetite for assets seen as higher risk on expectations the economic recovery was gaining traction, but a retreat in the dollar prevented a steeper drop.

Talking to people in the Chinese market over the weekend, writes Jeff Toshima, Tokyo director of the World Gold Council, in today's Nikkei Money, I was amazed to discover the number of gold saving accounts at Industrial and Commercial Bank of China has grown above 1,000,000 within a year of ICBC launching the service.

Silver and Gold Prices both unwound the last of late Dec.'s gains in early London trade on Wednesday, retreating to $29.20 and $1370 respectively per ounce on what several analysts called profit taking as world stock markets also fell.

Gold Prices slipped to a two-day low in London dealing on Wednesday, dropping 1.5% from yesterday's Dollar high at $1408 per ounce as Asian stock markets closed up to 2% lower and European stocks lost 0.7% on average.

Major-economy government bonds fell further on Wednesday, extending Tuesday's sharp losses and driving 10-year US Treasury yields above 3.20%, causing liquidation in commodity markets including Gold and Silver.

Higher than expected profits from Barclays and Commerzbank failed to dispel concerns over the underlying health of Europe's top banks on Thursday.

Higher-than-expected profits from Barclays and Commerzbank failed to dispel concerns over the underlying health of Europe's top banks on Thursday.

Lower bad debts propelled higher-than-expected profits at Barclays and Commerzbank on Thursday, but ongoing regulatory and economic uncertainty reined in investor optimism.

Corrects quote in 2nd paragraph from end of story to include attribution to Commerzbank

Oil rose to around $75 per barrel on Thursday, supported by firmer stock markets, U.S. jobless data and a report showing a fall in crude inventories in the United States, the world's biggest consumer.