Gold prices (XAU/USD) moved higher in the European session on Friday ahead of the United States (US) ISM Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) data for December, due to be published at 15:00 GMT. The Manufacturing PMI was seen steady at 48.4, indicating that activity contracted at a steady pace. The precious metal has outperformed in 2024 with a gain of over 27%, the metal's best annual return since 2010. The sustained rally was driven by strong safe-haven demand amid persistent geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. According to three...
Gold prices retreated from a three-week high on Friday, pressured by a robust dollar, while markets braced for potential economic and trade shifts under U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. Spot gold eased 0.3% to $2,649.29 an ounce, after hitting its highest level since Dec. 13. Bullion is up about 1.1% for the week so far. U.S. gold futures were down 0.2% at $2,663.70. The new president's agenda that supports higher tariffs has boosted the dollar and created significant underlying pressure on metal markets, said Nitesh Shah, commodity strategist at WisdomTree. The dollar index was set...
The USD/JPY pair edges lower to near 157.30 during the Asian trading hours on Friday. The verbal intervention from the Japanese authorities provides some support to the Japanese Yen (JPY). However, the uncertainty surrounding the Bank of Japan's (BoJ) policy outlook might cap the JPY's upside. Markets in Japan are closed for the rest of the week. Traders brace for the US ISM Manufacturing PMI for December, which is due later on Friday. Traders will closely monitor any potential foreign exchange (FX) intervention by Japanese officials to prevent the JPY from depreciating. Japan Finance...