Nov. 3 (Bloomberg) -- Gold traded within 0.5 percent of a record after India’s central bank bought 200 metric tons of the metal from the International Monetary Fund, heightening speculation about more official purchases.

“It’s positive in many ways,” said James Moore, an analyst at TheBullionDesk.com in London. “It suggests central banks, rather than being net sellers, are now looking at becoming net buyers. It’s a surprise because everybody was talking about China being the buyer.”

December-delivery gold climbed as much as $12.90, or 1.2 percent, to $1,066.90 an ounce on the New York Mercantile Exchange’s Comex division and was at $1,058.70 at 8:45 a.m. local time. The record was $1,072 an ounce on Oct. 14.

Gold for immediate delivery in London slipped 0.1 percent to $1,058.25 an ounce, compared with a record of $1,070.80. Prices rose to an all-time high in gold traded in Indian rupees.

The Indian transaction is “the biggest single central-bank purchase that we know about for at least 30 years in such a short period,” said Timothy Green, author of “The Ages of Gold.” “The only comparable event was the U.S.’s steady purchases in the 1930s and 1940s.”

India’s purchase, carried out from Oct. 19 to Oct. 30, buoyed gold as industrial metals slumped on concern that governments will remove economic-stimulus measures, crimping demand for raw materials. Copper and lead fell as much as 2.8 percent on the London Metal Exchange.

Ninth Place

India held 350 tons of gold at the end of 2008, making it the 12th-largest government owner, according to the GFMS Ltd. 2009 Gold Survey. The extra 200 tons propels the country past Russia into ninth place, according to GFMS figures. India is the largest buyer of gold for jewelry and investment.

“You usually associate Indian consumers buying gold more than you do the central bank in India,” said Mario Innecco, a broker at MF Global Ltd. in London. Gold averaged $1,042 an ounce over the two weeks during the IMF gold sale. Prices may rise to $1,125 an ounce by the end of the year, Innecco said.

The IMF’s executive board on Sept. 18 approved sales of 403.3 tons, pledging to avoid disrupting the market. The board last year backed the sale, about an eighth of the organization’s total stockpile, as part of a plan to shore up its finances. China increased its gold reserves by 76 percent since 2003 to 1,054 tons, the official Xinhua News reported in April.

Chinese Interest?

“This is positive for the gold market,” said David Barclay, a commodity strategist with Standard Chartered Bank in Hong Kong. “Bilateral sales which avoid the open spot market will avoid adding to marginal physical supply.”

China, Russia and Brazil may be interested in the rest of the IMF gold for sale, TheBullionDesk.com’s Moore said.

Bullion fell to $1,058 an ounce in the London morning “fixing,” used by some mining companies to sell production, from yesterday’s afternoon record fixing of $1,062 an ounce.

Gold has gained 20 percent this year as the Dollar Index, which tracks the greenback’s performance against six major currencies, slumped 5.7 percent. The dollar rose 0.8 percent against the euro today.

Among other precious metals, silver for December delivery rose 0.1 percent to $16.46 an ounce, and platinum for January delivery dropped 0.1 percent to $1,336.30 an ounce. Palladium declined 1.5 percent to $321.50 an ounce.

To contact the reporter on this story: Claudia Carpenter in London at ccarpenter2@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: November 3, 2009 08:56 EST