Oct 21 (Reuters) - Gold surged to a record high on Monday while silver struck a near 12-year peak, as growing uncertainties surrounding the U.S. presidential election and the Middle East war added to gold's rally already fueled by expectations of interest rates easing.

Up roughly 30% in the past year, the metal has attracted a growing chorus of experts who believe its rise will continue long-term.

The war in the Middle East, coupled with uncertainty over the outcome of next month’s US presidential election, have supercharged gold ’s allure as a haven asset. “The outlook for gold is quite bullish,