Deep Dive: 'Little reason' to expect disruption to precious metals rally

'Well-supported' demand for gold

A weaker dollar and geopolitical tensions have pushed precious metals, such as gold, to near record highs in the past year, but experts expect the demand will be sustained and well-supported in the long-term.

Gold, arguably the most popular precious metal, has produced strong returns and outperformed most assets other than equities in developed markets this year, said John Reade, markets strategist EMEA at the World Gold Council. This asset class has been historically used as an effective hedge because it is uncorrelated to other asset classes, he argued, and does not suffer the same devaluation of income producing assets. Silver also experienced a surge in global demand last year, rising 18% to a record high of 1.24 billion ounces, creating a huge supply deficit, Silver Institute revealed...