Gold is off to its best annual start in over three decades: The precious metal topped $1,730 Friday on a disappointing U.S. GDP report. Gold’s rally began earlier in the week when it rose to a 6 1/2-week high of $1,725 per ounce following the Federal Reserve’s announcement that it will keep interest rates low through 2014.

A Reuters poll of precious metal analysts showed that most expect gold to perform strongly in 2012. Goldman Sachs expects gold futures to advance to $1,940 an ounce in 12 months, and Morgan Stanley projects that gold will reach a record average $2,175 in 2013, according to Bloomberg. (more…)