Gold prices could 'easily reach $2,500 this year' - Jeff Clark on precious metal breakout

While central bank buying has been supportive of gold prices, interest rate cuts later this year could send the metal higher, said Jeff Clark, editor of the TheGoldAdvisor.com. In early May Clark spoke to Kitco Mining at Deutsche Goldmesse in Frankfurt, Germany. Gold has hit several all-time highs this attributed to strong central bank buying. "This could be a banner year for central bank gold buying," said Clark. "In my humble opinion, that is not why the gold price is higher. I think central bank gold buying actually supports the price though. It's just an important component of this market. "Clark said central bank buying has reached a "crescendo" after 15 years of increased spend on gold. Clark said that interest rate cuts by the Fed could be a real impetus for the metal. "$2, 500 is easily within reach this year," said Clark. While gold prices are rising, gold equities haven't shown the same level of growth yet, noted Clark. He said this lag is typical in bull markets, and money is expected to flow into the sector soon.Mergers and acquisitions are increasing due to limited exploration and development in recent years make M&A a more attractive option than starting from scratch. Clark said M&A activity will likely continue and even accelerate.Surprisingly, copper hasn't seen the same level of excitement as gold, noted Clark, despite the growing need for copper in green energy initiatives."Every week there's a new chart about the deficit that's coming in copper," said Clark. "Take the average of those, and even if that was only half right, that's still a lot of copper that's going to be needed. And so, the rush into copper really hasn't happened yet. And that is something as an investor, I like to hear."Coverage of Deutsche Goldmesse sponsored by Dynacor. Disclaimer: The views expressed in this podcast are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this podcast do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication.