Investors play it safe as gloom takes hold

Worried by downward trends in international markets, investors are starting to look for more secure options for their funds. Gold and silver are possibilities, but currencies such as Swiss and Japanese look more welcoming

Tokyo: the Japanese yen could provide a safe haven for investors

The latest data from the global economy makes for sobering reading. In Germany, factory orders for July plunged by over 5 per cent year on year. In the US, the manufacturing sector is in contraction. US labour market data for August also showed signs of a slowdown. The August non-farm payrolls showed that, while the unemployment rate was steady at 3.7 per cent, only 130,000 jobs were created across the whole economy.

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