Gold prices fell sharply by Rs 1,000 to Rs 98,400 per 10 grams in the national capital on Monday, amid a weak global trend and optimism surrounding a possible US-China trade agreement, according to media reports citing the All India Sarafa Association.
“Gold prices continued to decline as easing US-China trade tensions boosted investors’ risk appetite, reducing demand for safe-haven assets like bullion while a stronger dollar added downward pressure,” said Chintan Mehta, Chief Executive Officer of Abans Financial Services, as quoted in media reports.
“Rising geopolitical tensions could limit gold’s downside. As war risks escalate and new conflicts emerge, investors are likely to seek refuge in gold.”
Source – Kashmir Life
Spot gold jumped over 1% to $3,214.92 an ounce, as of 0801 GMT, after hitting a record high of $3,219.84 earlier in the session. Bullion is up over 5% so far this week.
“Recession risks are mounting, bond yields are soaring, and the U.S. dollar continues to weaken – all factors reinforcing gold’s role as a crisis hedge and inflation shield,” said Alexander Zumpfe, a precious metals trader at Heraeus Metals Germany.
“We believe gold has further to run—in the upside case, we target USD 3,400-3,500/oz over the months ahead,” said UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo.
Spot silver gained 0.4% to $31.31 an ounce, while platinum added 0.7% to $944.35. Palladium gained 1.9% to $925.43.
Source – Reuters
Proposed designs for a half-ounce .9999 fine gold Sacagawea dollar to be issued in 2025 by the United States Mint, to recognize the 25th anniversary of the 2000 release into circulation of the manganese-brass clad Sacagawea dollar, were reviewed and recommended Feb. 18 by the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee.
The U.S. Mint is preparing to strike the coins with a W Mint mark at the West Point Mint.
Source – Coin World
“U.S. dollar and Treasury yields are lower, which is helping gold catch a bit of support… The overall uptrend remains intact and the path of least resistance favours the upside,” said Ilya Spivak, head of global macro at Tastylive.
“Prices have been stable in a range between about 2,830 and 2,960 for the past four weeks… We would need to see a convincing break above or below these boundaries to conclude that some sort of lasting directional move is resuming.”
Spot silver added 0.3% to $32.19 an ounce, platinum was steady at $957.89 and palladium lost 0.3% to $940.47.
Source – Reuters
Spot gold rose 0.5% to $2,663.79 per ounce, as of 9:55 a.m. ET (1455 GMT) and hit its highest since Dec. 13. U.S. gold futures gained 0.5% to $2,679.70.
Weaker private payrolls “is contributing to gold’s move, because ultimately, weaker employment numbers imply that the economy has been weaker than many had expected,” said Bart Melek, head of commodity strategies at TD Securities.
“The bigger factor will be U.S. nonfarm payrolls on Friday, the market is expecting a change of 163 (thousand); anything significantly above that will be negative for gold,” Melek said.
Source – Reuters
Base metal prices plunged early Friday, with three-month benchmark copper on the London Metal Exchange recently -3.7% at $8,985.50/metric ton and three-month aluminum -1.4% at $2,422.50/ton, as President Trump’s worse than expected tariffs trigger global growth slowdown fears, sparking a selloff in industrial metals and mining equities.
Copper and aluminum have dropped 8.7% and 7.7%, respectively, so far this week, as the tariffs drag down demand forecasts
Trump hit China with a 34% “reciprocal” tariff on top of existing duties, and China announced Friday that it will likewise impose 34% tariffs on all U.S. goods starting April 10.
“While we remain structurally bullish copper in the long run, weaker global GDP and copper demand growth risk delaying the deficit we expect to see in the market this year,” Goldman Sachs wrote.
Source – Seeking Alpha
