Gold ended flat on Wednesday after hitting a record high above $1,440 an ounce on safe-haven buying spurred by political unrest in Libya, surging oil prices and testimony by the Federal Reserve chief that kept investors expecting US monetary policy to stay loose. Spot gold hit a session peak $1,440.10 an ounce, a record for the second straight day.
It finished about 10 cents higher at $1,433.81 an ounce by 3:33 p.m. EST (2033 GMT). The metal was fixed at $1,435.50 an ounce in London. US gold futures for April delivery settled up $6.50 at $1,437.70, with volume slightly higher than the previous session but lower than its 30-day average. Silver rose to a peak of $34.96 an ounce, its strongest level since early 1980. It later eased 0.3 percent to $34.54 an ounce. Platinum gained 0.4 percent to $1,846.74 an ounce and palladium climbed 0.3 percent to $816.97.