* Gold prices hit record for fifth straight session
* Dollar index near record low, inflation simmers
* Put option trade on silver ETF seen bearish
* Coming up: US CFTC Commitments of Traders report Friday
(Recasts, adds comment, updates prices)
By Frank Tang
NEW YORK, April 21 (Reuters) - Gold prices rallied to
record highs on Thursday for a fifth straight session and
silver surged as the dollar index tumbled for a third day
toward an all-time low, prompting investors to buy bullion as a
currency hedge.
Bullion, which jumped above $1,500 an ounce for the first
time on Wednesday, once again rose in tandem with riskier
assets such as equities on inflation fears.
"The U.S. dollar is in the midst of a severe downtrend. So
the dollar is not the safe haven in view of the difficulty the
U.S. government is having in resolving its budget deficit, and
gold is benefiting from that," said Leo Larkin, metals equity
analyst at Standard & Poor's.
Spot gold <XAU=> rose 0.6 percent to $1,507.21 an ounce by
3:22 p.m. (1922 GMT), after hitting a record $1,508.75 an
ounce. U.S. gold futures for June delivery <GCM1> settled up
$4.90 an ounce at $1,503.80.
U.S. commodity markets will be shut on Friday for the Good
Friday holiday. However, the CFTC Commitments of Traders report
is still scheduled to be released at 15:30 p.m. EDT (1930 GMT)
Friday.
<^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Timeline of gold's rally: http://r.reuters.com/sew88r
Various assets' performance: http://r.reuters.com/mag29r
Gold:silver ratio: http://r.reuters.com/jyx88r
Inflation-adjusted gold price: http://r.reuters.com/ren88r
Interview with investor Jim Rogers: http://bit.ly/f39Z9Q
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^>
Silver <XAG=> gained 2.7 percent to $46.44 an ounce. U.S.
silver futures trade was active, with volume topping 170,000
lots.
The gold/silver ratio -- which shows how much silver an
ounce of gold can buy -- is set to fall for a ninth consecutive
session to below 33, a 28-year low.
"Silver continues to attract huge speculative interest.
Even though silver is outperforming gold, the genesis of this
rally is still related to the flight-to-safety factors
supporting gold," O'Neill said.
But a big put option trade on iShares Silver Trust <SLV.P>,
the world's largest silver-backed exchange-traded fund,
suggests some traders are betting on a sharp reversal by year's
end after a huge rally in silver prices.
The big put trade appears to be an outright bearish bet
that silver will come crashing down over the next eight months,
optionMonster analyst Chris McKhann said in comments on the
firm's website.
"The SLV doesn't actually need to fall that entire
percentage for these puts to profit, but the trade does
forecast a sharp longer-term decline," McKhann said.
GOLD AS CURRENCY HEDGE
Gold also benefits as a hedge against U.S. currency
depreciation, as the dollar fell broadly for a third straight
day as record low interest rates and the crushing weight of the
U.S. budget deficit pushed it closer to an all-time trough
against major currencies. []
S&P warmed on Monday that it could cut its long-term rating
on U.S. Treasury debt if the government cannot find a way to
slash its massive debt. Such a move would weigh heavily on the
U.S. dollar and threaten economic stability throughout the
world -- a perfect recipe for gold rally. []
Gold prices have risen more than 5 percent so far this
month and posted a sixth straight week of gains, reflecting
strength across the commodity markets.
Investors have rushed into risky assets due to strong U.S.
corporate earnings and signs the global economy is chugging
along even as the Federal Reserve stays very cautious about
when it will start to unwind its super-loose policy.
The metal is expected to be underpinned by uncertainty over
how the United States will adjust monetary policy after the
Federal Reserve's $600 billion government bond-buying program
-- known as quantitative easing -- comes to an end in June.
Among other precious metals, platinum <XPT=> rose 1.2
percent to $1,813.24 an ounce, while palladium <XPD=> gained 2
percent to $766.97.
Prices at 3:22 p.m. EDT (1922 GMT)
LAST/ NET PCT YTD
CLOSE CHG CHG CHG
US gold <GCM1> 1503.80 4.90 0.3% 5.8%
US silver <SIK1> 46.059 1.598 0.0% 48.9%
US platinum <PLN1> 1820.70 17.90 1.0% 2.4%
US palladium <PAM1> 769.05 10.15 1.3% -4.3%
Gold <XAU=> 1507.21 9.06 0.6% 6.2%
Silver <XAG=> 46.44 1.24 2.7% 50.5%
Platinum <XPT=> 1813.24 22.09 1.2% 2.6%
Palladium <XPD=> 766.97 15.22 2.0% -4.1%
Gold Fix <XAUFIX=> 1504.00 -3.00 -0.2% 6.6%
Silver Fix <XAGFIX=> 46.26 147.00 3.3% 51.0%
Platinum Fix <XPTFIX=> 1812.00 2.00 0.1% 4.7%
Palladium Fix <XPDFIX=> 765.00 6.00 0.8% -3.3%
(Additional reporting by Doris Frankel in Chicago and Jan
Harvey in London; Editing by David Gregorio and Jim Marshall)
