Eurobank gold sell-off not affecting market

An announcement Thursday by the European Central Bank that it had completed a program to sell 47t of gold caught the market by surprise but did not have any negative effects, Dow Jones reported, citing traders. Gold drifted down US$0.35 to close in London at US$427.15/oz, while in New York it was unchanged at US$428/oz. Silver followed suit, slipping US$0.08 in London to close at US$7.11/oz. BASE METALS There was little movement among the base metals viernes. Three-month copper slipped 0.06% to close at US$1.4805/lb, while spot copper rose 0.03% to US$1.5463. Dow Jones said that profit taking, based on a stronger US dollar, was responsible for the three-month price's decline as was disappointment in the monthly US employment report, which reported a decline in manufacturing jobs. Zinc closed at US$0.6044/lb, lead at US$0.4545/lb and aluminum at US$0.8891/lb, all fractionally down for the day.