Two Reasons For Gold’s Rise

U.S. stocks are lower today on concerns
a
slower than expected recovery in companies’ spending on computer-related
products and a jump in oil prices may stunt a rebound in corporate earnings.

Microsoft
(
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dropped lower after Goldman Sachs said the biggest
software maker will earn less than forecast in its next fiscal year.
Bristol-Myers Squibb
(
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and
PeopleSoft
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tumbled after
giving disappointing profit projections.

The
S&P 500
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is down 10.39, or 0.9%, to 1136.39. Gains by oil companies including Exxon Mobil
(
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and ChevronTexaco
(
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helped limit the decline. The Dow Jones
Industrial Average
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is lower by 77.64, or 0.7%, to
10,285.96. The Nasdaq Composite Index
(
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is lower by
37.7, or 2%, to 1824.93.

The S&P 500, up 18% since the three-year low reached last Sept. 21,
slipped 0.1% last week, and the Dow lost 0.2%, the smallest weekly
move for both indexes since June.

June gold
(
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is trading higher today, breaking above its $305.00-an-ounce resistance level. April gold has solid support at $300.00 an ounce. Two
reasons that have brought gold above the $300.00-an-ounce level are the Middle
East tensions and Japan. Gold has been a major beneficiary of portfolio
diversification by Japanese investors worried about their economy and seeking to
protect their wealth. June gold has influenced the PHLX Gold & Silver Index
(
$XAU.X |
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in a positive way, as well as some of the gold mining stocks,
such as Anglogold
(
AU |
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, Barrick Gold
(
ABX |
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, Newmont Mining
(
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and Placer Dome
(
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.

May crude oil
(
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is breaking out
of an ascending triangle. May crude oil is influencing the PHLX Oil Service
Sector
(
$OSX.X |
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, which is trading positive today. Just about every
stock in the OSX is trading positive. Some of the stronger stocks in the sector
are Smith International
(
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, Cooper Cameron
(
CAM |
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, Weatherford
Int’l
(
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and Tidewater
(
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.
May crude oil is also
influencing the AMEX Oil Index
(
$XOI.X |
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in a positive way. Some of
the oil stocks trading positive today are BP Amoco
(
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, ChevronTexaco
(
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,
Exxon Mobil
(
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and Occidental Petroleum
(
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.

The Amex Biotechnology Index
(
BTK |
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was
positive in the early part of trading, but now has dropped into negative
territory. Some of the stocks helping push the Biotech Index are Cephalon
(
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,
IDEC Pharmaceuticals
(
IDPH |
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, Biogen
(
BGEN |
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and Genentech
(
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.

Tidewater
(
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is breaking out of an ascending triangle with increasing volume. Tidewater has a

TradingMarkets.com RS3 rating of 81


and an uptrending
ADX
of 29.

Anthem {ATH|ATH] is moving out of a triangle.
The stock carries a

3-month relative strength rank of 83
from TradingMarkets.com.

Advanced Energy Industries
(
AEIS |
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is
pulling back from its high.
AEIS is holding a

3-month relative strength rank of 90
along with an uptrending
ADX of 30 from TradingMarkets.com.

L-3 Communications [LLL|LLL} is moving above a
double top.
LLL has a

3-month relative strength rank of 87
from TradingMarkets.com.