Gold trades high, spot gold gains

Australia has not escaped the threat of increased tariffs on its exports to the U.S., but it does have one world-class industry which is reveling in commodity market confusion, gold.

Both Citi and RBC Capital Markets see the gold price continuing to rise while the Resources Department of the Australian Government is forecasting an increase in national output from 286 tons this year to 309 tons next year, cementing Australia’s position as the world’s third biggest gold producer after Russia and China.

Gold’s rise in U.S. dollars is magnified in Australia by the currency effect with an exchange current rate of US63 cents delivering an Australian gold price of A$4903/oz, a record which easily eclipses all earlier gold booms.

Source – Forbes

“What we have seen is the change in the motive for safe-haven buying – from being driven by the Middle East uncertainty to the threat and realisation of tariffs,” said Philip Newman, managing director at consultancy Metals Focus.

“Strikingly, gold was rallying as inflation eased, and it looked as though all of our understanding of how gold prices behaved was being challenged,” said independent analyst Ross Norman.

Nicky Shiels, head of metals strategy at MKS PAMP SA, said that while prices could break out towards $3,200, resolution of physical gold dislocations attributed to tariffs and potential structural changes including reduced risk appetite, reduced participation and reduced liquidity are increasingly bearish.

Source – Reuters

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Bear (in finance) – is an investor who believes that a particular security or the broader market is headed downward and my attempt to profit from a decline in stock prices. Bears are typically pessimistic towards a state of any given market or underlying economy.

Gold is on a tear, hitting a record high in New York on Monday at almost $3,150 an ounce to bring the rise this year to 19%.

Analysts at Bank of America think gold could hit $3,500 an ounce if demand increases by 10%.

“Uncertainty around Trump Administration trade policies could continue to push the dollar lower, further supporting gold prices near-term. In our view, a broad rebalancing of America’s twin deficits could be bullish gold too.”

Source – Markets Insider