Commodities

Q&A

The Ruffer Investment Company saw NAV hit a record high in April as soaring Japanese equities helped offset exposure to struggling gold miners.

AGRICULTURE

BP has reported an uptick in profits in the first quarter, although profits fell 9% compared to Q1 2012 as the group continues to sell off assets to pay for the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

The recent gold price volatility could plague investors for some time, and further selling is also a risk, according to BlackRock's natural resources head Evy Hambro.

An ultra-bearish US hedge fund manager shorted gold a year ago, when it was still in favour with most investors, and thinks the price of the metal is on track for a multi-year drop.

Goldman Sachs has advised clients to stop shorting gold after the dramatic fall in the price of the precious metal over the last few weeks.

Armstrong IM managing partner Patrick Armstrong has added a new gold derivatives position to his portfolios to capitalise on the precious metal's escalating price volatility.

Gold has fallen deep into bear market territory after holders of the precious metal dumped it en masse over the past few days, but does this represent a major opportunity for canny investors to buy back in?

Gold's slide into a bear market has accelerated this morning as prices fell a further 5% to a two-year low of under $1,400.