Gold Sinks in Shock Selloff as Stock Rout Spurs Robot Trading

Gold plunged as concerns about artificial intelligence spurred a selloff across financial markets, with algorithmic traders appearing to amplify the precious metal’s sudden drop. Silver and copper also slid.

US equities tumbled as investors bet that AI would dent some companies’ future earnings, triggering a rout across risk assets. The dramatic decline in gold — which didn’t have a clear catalyst — was likely intensified by selling from commodity trading advisers using computer models to bet on price moves, said Michael Ball, a macro strategist at Bloomberg.