Gold futures have seen a moderate uptick in April and have climbed back above $1,300/oz

Gold futures have seen a moderate uptick in April and have climbed back above $1,300/oz. Is this the start of trend or yet another head fake? The precious metal is up roughly 9% for the year, but it's still 17% lower than it was this time last year. With the US economy showing signs of strength, can gold reach $1,400 and beyond? The short answer... yes. Even as the US economy improves, geopolitical risk is becoming a real concern to investors. Any physical conflict between Ukraine and Russia is certainly going to spark a rush into safe-haven investments such as gold. Plus, Eastern Europe is just one global hot spot among many. Not to mention, demand for gold from Asian countries continues to be very strong. Basically, gold could be in store for an upward trend regardless of the US economy.