The only commodities shining on Friday were precious metals as investors fled riskier assets in search of safety. The price of gold broke above $1,000 Friday for the first time in nearly a year as the Dow Jones industrial average plunged 100 points. Gold has surged 48 percent over the past four months. The April gold contract rose as high as $1,007.70 an ounce Friday on the New York Mercantile Exchange before settling up $25.70 at $1,002.20. It finished up 6 percent for the week. March silver rose 5.55 cents to finish at $14.49 an ounce – also up 6 percent compared to last week's levels. But May copper fell 5.5 cents to close at $1.433 a pound, and finished down 6 percent for the week. Copper is considered an industrial metal. Energy prices fell, too, as anxieties about the economy escalated. Investors are nervous that if the recession is prolonged, individuals and businesses around the world will keep reining in their energy use. Crude oil for March delivery expired Friday after falling 54 cents to settle at $38.94 on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It still ended up 4 percent for the week, however. April crude fell 15 cents on Friday to settle at $40.03 a barrel. Gasoline futures fell 2.4 cents to settle at $1.0746 a gallon.
