Gold, silver and copper tumble as nervous investors discover gravity

By Pratima Desai and Polina Devitt

LONDON, Jan 30 - Gold, silver and copper prices tumbled on Friday after hitting record highs this week, as jittery investors moved to lock in profits with hopes for aggressive U.S. interest rate cuts starting to fade and the dollar steadying.

President Donald Trump on Friday ?said he had chosen former Federal Reserve Governor Kevin Warsh to head the U.S. Federal Reserve. The dollar index, a ?measure of the U.S. currency against peers had firmed on expectation of Warsh's appointment.

"The ?market thinks Kevin Warsh is rational and that he won't push ?aggressively for rate cuts," ?said Panmure Liberum analyst Tom Price. "Generalist investors who have different agendas - like protecting capital - are taking profits."

A higher U.S. ?currency makes dollar-priced metals more expensive for holders ?of other currencies, which could hit demand. This relationship is used by funds which trade using buy and sell signals from numerical models.

INVESTORS CASH ?OUT AFTER GOLD, SILVER RALLY

With gold and ?silver prices ?up 17% and 39% respectively so far in January, profit-taking on the last trading session of the month came after several days of thin liquidity where ?small flows driven by the fear of missing out triggered outsized moves.

"Both gold and silver were ripe for a correction given the highly speculative and unhinged nature of the latest surge," said Ole Hansen, head of commodity strategy at Saxo Bank.

Gold was down 4.7% at $5,143.40 an ounce at 1201 GMT and silver had lost 11% to $103.40 after hitting records ?at $5,594.80 ?and $121.60 an ounce respectively on Thursday.

"Precious metals have discovered gravity," said independent analyst Ross Norman. "It's brutal, but speculators have been reminded these are two-way markets."

Copper, which ?touched an all-time high at $14,527.50 a metric ton on Thursday, was down 1.1% at $13,465. It has gained around 6% so far this month after climbing 11% in December.

"Prices are likely to remain high and volatile as funds continue to flow into this relatively small, and now very crowded market," said Macquarie analyst Alice Fox.

Traders expect further losses for copper, aluminium and other industrial metals listed on ?exchanges ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday on February 16, when top metals consumer China will shut down for a week.

"Chinese punters will not want to have any positions in these volatile markets," said Panmure's Price. "Look ?at what has happened in just 12 hours."

(Reporting by Pratima Desai; Editing by Louise Heavens)