Gold and silver are lower again today with short term momentum traders taking advantage of recent weakness and capping of the gold price at record nominal highs. Options expiry often sees gold and silver prices fall but recover sharply within days of expiry and this is likely to be the pattern again after yesterday's expiration.

Gold and silver remain supported by continuing macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainty. Inflation, the European sovereign debt crisis, conflict in Libya and the wider Middle East and the nuclear disaster in Japan are all factors which will likely result in gold reaching new record nominal highs in all currencies sooner rather than later.

Markets have recovered somewhat from the recent sharp sell offs despite the worsening nuclear situation in Japan. Gold and silver have made very tentative gains from the falls seen yesterday as commodity and equity markets (and the Nikkei in particular) have stabilised somewhat after the recent sharp falls.

The world is still coming to terms with the terrible tragedy in Japan. A second explosion at the Fukushima nuclear reactor overnight and Pentagon reports of radiation being detected 60 miles away from the reactor suggest widening nuclear contamination leading to concerns of a nuclear catastrophe.

Risk aversion has returned with equity markets internationally under pressure after the Spanish downgrade and continuing geopolitical tension. Gold and silver have taken a breather and are lower in all currencies today. A correction is well overdue but the technicals and fundamentals would suggest that any sell off may again be short and shallow.

Renewed fears over eurozone debt have seen the euro fall against most currencies and precious metals today. The yield on Greek 10-year bonds is approaching an alarming 13% after jumping to a new record high of 12.89% today (see bond charts below). The Portuguese 10-year rose to a new record high of 7.7% ahead of today’s auction where they borrowed 1 billion euros in order to avoid a “bailout”.

Concerns about Libya, Saudi Arabia and the Middle East and North Africa continue to dominate markets. There are growing concerns of contagion and oil supply disruptions from the region. Oil and gold have risen and silver for immediate delivery surged another 2.3% after climbing to $36.5375/oz, the highest price since February 14, 1980 when silver reached a its nominal high $50.35/oz.

 Gold prices settled at a new record high yesterday, as unrest in North Africa and the Middle East pushed the safe haven currency to $1,435/oz. Silver surged to new 30-year record nominal highs at $34.74/oz. Prices surged in dollars and all major currencies and look set to reach record highs in other currencies.