Gold Demand Increases 36% as Investors Increase Allocations to Bullion

"US and German government bonds, gold and particularly silver rose in safe haven buying yesterday on growing concerns about the robustness of the US recovery. The two precious metals traded flat in Asian and early European trade but have moved up again this morning as the dollar has weakened. Risk aversion has returned due to the very poor housing data yesterday which suggests a double dip recession is increasingly possible. These concerns are not being helped by renewed jitters in sovereign debt markets on Ireland's downgrade with government bond spreads widening again and the spread between Ireland's and Germany's debt at new records..."