Gold dives on Soros'selloff

 索羅斯拋售黃金

Gold prices plummeted to their lowest level in five weeks on news that billionaire investor George Soros sold most of his gold holdings in the first quarter of this year.

According to filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Soros sold most of his gold trust holdings in the first quarter.

By the end of March, Soros Fund Management had cut its SPDR Gold Trust holdings to US$6.9 million from US$655 million in the forth quarter of last year. Soros also dumped 5 million shares, or US$69 million, of iShares Gold Trust.

A stronger dollar also played a role in gold's slide. The dollar has climbed as rising concerns over Europe's debt woes pummel the Euro.

Weak U.S. housing market data released Tuesday also put some additional downward pressure on commodity prices. According to the U.S. Commerce Department figures, new housing construction in April declined 10.6 percent from March.

受到美元持續走強以及索羅斯大筆拋售黃金等利空因素的打壓，紐約商品交易所黃金期貨價格17日大幅下挫，跌至近五周以來的最低水平。

市場分析人士認為，資本大鱷索羅斯第一季度大筆拋售黃金的消息對市場形成了不小的沖擊。索羅斯管理基金公司近日向美國證交會遞交的一份文件顯示，今年第一季度該公司已經賣出所持有的大部分黃金信托基金股份。

截至3月31日，索羅斯將其在SPDR黃金信托的持倉降至690萬美元，去年第四季度末他還持有6.55億美元的倉位。同時，索羅斯還結清了500萬份價值6900萬美元的iShares黃金信托的倉位。

此外，近期美元的持續走強，也對黃金等大宗商品市場形成了巨大壓力。隨著市場對希臘等歐元區國家債務問題的擔憂不斷加劇，歐元對美元匯率接連下挫，從而推動美元不斷走高，而美元走強則對黃金等以美元計價的大宗商品價格構成利空。

當天，美國商務部公布的報告顯示，4月份美國新房開工量環比大幅下降10.6%，顯示美國房地產市場仍然疲軟，這也在一定程度上助推了大宗商品市場的整體下跌。