Silver tumbles, gold recovers

Silver futures fell, heading for the biggest weekly plunge since at least 1975, on mounting sales by investors following increases in Comex margin requirements. Gold rebounded, halting a three-day slide.

This week, silver has tumbled 26% after CME Group Ltd., the Comex owner, boosted the cash amount needed for a speculative position by 84% in two weeks. Yesterday, holdings of the metal in exchange-traded products slid the most in three years.

Silver futures for July delivery fell 50 cents, or 1.4%, to $35.74 U.S. an ounce mid morning Friday on the Comex in New York. On April 25, the price reached $49.845 U.S., a 31-year high.

Gold futures for June delivery rose $8.80, or 0.6%, to $1,490.20 U.S. an ounce. Yesterday, the price touched $1,462.50 U.S., the lowest since April 14. The metal headed for the biggest weekly loss since February 2009.

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