Gold is set for its highest gain in a decade as the US dollar hits a two and-a-half-year low. Reuters
Gold is set for its highest gain in a decade as the US dollar hits a two and-a-half-year low. Reuters
Gold is set for its highest gain in a decade as the US dollar hits a two and-a-half-year low. Reuters
Gold is set for its highest gain in a decade as the US dollar hits a two and-a-half-year low. Reuters

Gold set for its best year in a decade


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Gold is poised to cap the biggest annual advance in a decade after a tumultuous year, with gains this month aided by the dollar’s decline to the lowest level since April 2018. Silver has surged almost 50 per cent in 2020.

Bullion hit a record in August as investors sought haven assets amid the pandemic. The surge was buttressed by unprecedented waves of stimulus, including from the Federal Reserve, which fanned concerns of currency debasement. Holdings in bullion-backed exchange-traded funds set an all-time high in October, although they’ve since ebbed with the roll-out of vaccines.

The spot gold price was 0.2 per cent higher at $1,897.67 an ounce at 6.18am UAE time. That’s up 6.8 per cent this month, and 25 per cent higher over 2020, poised for the biggest full-year advance since 2010. The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index is heading for a third, straight quarterly loss.

Ahead of 2021, some banks have signalled that the traditional haven may now struggle to extend its gains. Gold and other precious metals will likely come under pressure next year as financial markets normalise and the yield curve steepens, Morgan Stanley said in a note earlier this month.

Others have struck a more positive tone. While bullion’s rally has been blunted by vaccine progress, there’s still support from monetary and fiscal policies, according to HSBC Securities. A Joe Biden administration may be gold-positive from a fiscal-spending perspective, it said in a December 9 note.

Spot silver traded at $26.6448 an ounce, up 49 per cent this year. Palladium is on course for a fifth consecutive annual gain, with a rise of more than 20 per cent in 2020. Platinum has climbed 11 per cent.

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  • The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
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  • The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
  • The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg
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The specs

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Engine: 5-litre V8

Transmission: Eight-speed auto

Power: 520hp

Torque: 625Nm

Fuel economy, combined: 12.8L/100km

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.

Based: Riyadh

Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany

Founded: September, 2020

Number of employees: 70

Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions

Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds  

Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices

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The Specs

Price, base Dh379,000
Engine 2.9-litre, twin-turbo V6
Gearbox eight-speed automatic
Power 503bhp
Torque 443Nm
On sale now

Spare

Profile

Company name: Spare

Started: March 2018

Co-founders: Dalal Alrayes and Saurabh Shah

Based: UAE

Sector: FinTech

Investment: Own savings. Going for first round of fund-raising in March 2019

The specs
 
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
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