Gold rose to another record high, continuing a week-long rally that followed Federal Reserve Bank Chairman Jerome Powell confirmed that it would likely be appropriate to start cutting interest rates “sometime this year.”
Powell said the latest inflation numbers — although higher than expected — did not “materially change” the overall picture, according to his speech Wednesday at Stanford University in California. He noted that policymakers would wait for clearer signs of declining inflation before lowering interest rates. Low rates are generally positive for gold because it pays no interest.
Gold rose as much as 0.9% to a new all-time high of $2,301.21 an ounce. While Powell reiterated the Fed's wait-and-see approach, the US central bank's rate-cutting path remains unchanged. This is “very positive for gold because it suggests the Fed will cut significantly before reaching its inflation target,” said Bart Melek, global head of commodity strategy at TD Securities.
The precious metal has risen more than 10% this year, setting a series of records along the way. While the Fed's expected pivot is positive for non-interest-bearing gold, the sharp rally over the past month has been marked by often outsized moves that lacked a clear catalyst to justify gains, as investors piled into the bullion market.
Ongoing tensions in the Middle East and Ukraine have strengthened the precious metal's role as a haven asset, while central bank buying has supported prices at historically high levels over the past year, despite rising interest rates.
The latest data compiled by the World Gold Council shows that central banks continued to increase their gold holdings in February, albeit at a slower pace than before. They purchased 19 net tons, marking the ninth straight month of growth.
However, gold's record rally has yet to attract investors who prefer exposure to the metal through physically backed exchange-traded funds. Global holdings of these ETFs have shrunk by more than 100 tons year-to-date, reaching their lowest level since September 2019, according to a Bloomberg tally.
Bullion rose 0.9% to settle at $2,300 an ounce at 5 p.m. in New York. The 14-day Relative Strength Index was 83, above the 70 level that signals to some investors that prices may have risen too much, too quickly. Silver rose 4% to close at $27.18 per ounce, the highest level since June 2021. Platinum and palladium rose.
Powell said the latest inflation numbers — although higher than expected — did not “materially change” the overall picture, according to his speech Wednesday at Stanford University in California. He noted that policymakers would wait for clearer signs of declining inflation before lowering interest rates. Low rates are generally positive for gold because it pays no interest.
Gold rose as much as 0.9% to a new all-time high of $2,301.21 an ounce. While Powell reiterated the Fed's wait-and-see approach, the US central bank's rate-cutting path remains unchanged. This is “very positive for gold because it suggests the Fed will cut significantly before reaching its inflation target,” said Bart Melek, global head of commodity strategy at TD Securities.
The precious metal has risen more than 10% this year, setting a series of records along the way. While the Fed's expected pivot is positive for non-interest-bearing gold, the sharp rally over the past month has been marked by often outsized moves that lacked a clear catalyst to justify gains, as investors piled into the bullion market.
Ongoing tensions in the Middle East and Ukraine have strengthened the precious metal's role as a haven asset, while central bank buying has supported prices at historically high levels over the past year, despite rising interest rates.
The latest data compiled by the World Gold Council shows that central banks continued to increase their gold holdings in February, albeit at a slower pace than before. They purchased 19 net tons, marking the ninth straight month of growth.
However, gold's record rally has yet to attract investors who prefer exposure to the metal through physically backed exchange-traded funds. Global holdings of these ETFs have shrunk by more than 100 tons year-to-date, reaching their lowest level since September 2019, according to a Bloomberg tally.
Bullion rose 0.9% to settle at $2,300 an ounce at 5 p.m. in New York. The 14-day Relative Strength Index was 83, above the 70 level that signals to some investors that prices may have risen too much, too quickly. Silver rose 4% to close at $27.18 per ounce, the highest level since June 2021. Platinum and palladium rose.
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