Gold today rose for its tenth consecutive annual gain, as investors sought a protection of wealth and alternative to currencies. The gold added 8.07 dollar, or 0.6 per cent to 1,412.75 dollar an ounce after reaching 1,415.03 dollar yesterday, the highest price since December 7. Trading was subdued as the year ends.

Silver rose 0.9 per cent to 30.70 dollar an ounce after yesterday reaching a 30-year high of 30.90. It's up 82 per cent this year. Prices reached a record 50.35 dollar in 1980, a year after the Hunt brothers tried to corner the market. The dollar fell to a two-week low against the euro today. Gold, which usually moves inversely to the greenback, reached a record 1,431.25 dollar on December 7 as concern over sovereign debt in Europe helped boost demand.

The metal's decade-long winning streak is the best performance since at least 1920. Gold jumped 29 per cent this year after governments spent trillions of dollars and kept interest rates low to bolster economies following the worst global recession since World War II.