Saturday 13 April 2013

Gold sinks, US retail sales fall

Markets fell on Friday, with gold in particular falling more than 4 percent to its lowest level since July 2011. Other precious metals and oil also fell, as did stocks. US Treasuries and German bunds rose.

Unexpectedly weak economic data from the US on Friday contributed to the market sell-off.

US retail sales fell 0.4 percent in March, the biggest drop since June. The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan preliminary index of consumer sentiment declined to 72.3 in April from 78.6 in March.

Meanwhile, inflationary pressure remains subdued. Producer prices fell 0.6 percent in March after having risen 0.7 percent in February.

Europe had positive data to report on Friday though. Industrial production in the euro area rose 0.4 percent in February.

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