LONDON, Feb 22: Platinum powered to an historic high near $2,200 an ounce on Friday as supply problems in top producer South Africa triggered speculative buying, but slipped later on profit-taking.

Bullish market sentiment also helped gold to advance and trade near Thursday’s record high above $950 an ounce, but pared gains later in the day.

Spot platinum jumped to a record high of $2,192 an ounce before falling to $2,135/2,145 an ounce. It was last quoted at $2,151/2,161 in New York late on Thursday.

The market is not yet sure on how much platinum will be available this year and the next year. While prices have adjusted already, there might be further adjustments if we realise that the supply is going to be even lower than expectations,” said Frederic Panizzutti, analyst at MKS Finance.

Profit-taking is possible at any time in platinum but price dips will surely attract buying, he said.

Platinum, used in jewellery and auto catalysts, has jumped more than 40 per cent this year after mines in South Africa, accounting for 80 per cent of world output, were shut for five days at the height of last month’s power crisis.

South African power utility Eskom said it had contracted 30 million tons coal of the 45 million tons it needs over the next two years to help resolve a crippling power crisis.

Analysts say the global platinum deficit could widen to 500,000 to 600,000 ounces by the end of 2008, compared with about 265,000 ounces in 2007. The market had a surplus of 65,000 ounces in 2006, following seven successive years of deficits.

And with investors still increasing their holdings through the ETFs, the market deficit is expected to widen considerably with the spot price potentially set to challenge $3000/oz later in the year,” it said in a daily report.

London-based ETF Securities said on Thursday its platinum exchange traded commodity fund had more than doubled its holdings of the precious metal to 302,000 ounces since the start of January.

The nature and extent of the South African power shortages are unlikely to be resolved in the near term, given the operational and capacity constraints, Barclays Capital said.

Platinum supplies are heavily dependent upon this market and the delicate power supply situation as well as mine safety concerns leave mine output extremely susceptible to potential disruptions, it said in a report.

In other precious metals, gold rose as high as 949.40 an ounce and was last at $945.80/946.70, against $944.40/945.20 in New York late on Thursday, when it hit a record of $953.60.

US markets are now fully pricing in a 50 basis point cut at the Federal Reserve’s next meeting in March to 2.50 per cent and factor in a small chance of an even bigger 75 basis points.

A rate cut tends to weaken the dollar and helps gold. High prices has been hitting physical demand. A senior official at World Gold Council said gold imports by India, the world’s largest bullion consumer, fell 72 per cent in January to around 24 tons from a year ago, Silver held near Thursday’s 27-year peak of $18.03 an ounce.

It was last at $17.89/17.94, versus $17.84/17.89 in New York. Palladium was at 498/503 an ounce, versus $510/515 in New York and a 6-1/2-year high of $525 on Thursday.—Reuters