Lloyds International Brazil

European equities dropped after an election loss for German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s party spurred concern that support for bailing out Europe’s indebted nations may fade.

Gold prices were steady today as the investment community watches from the sidelines ahead of key US data.

A day after one of the biggest sessions of profit taking that gold has seen, investors are once again putting their money in gold as a safe haven.

Brazil’s real strengthened as commodity prices rallied on investor speculation that further support measures for the U.S. economy will be unveiled this week, helping to assist growth world-wide.

Gold is likely to see it's biggest gains in more than three decades this year. Concern that global economic growth is in a stall and a worsening debt crisis in the U.S. and Europe has both retail investors and central banks boosting their holdings.