Gold strengthened 0.6% to US$3,359/oz in the US session on Friday (August 22nd), as the dollar weakened after Fed Chairman Jerome Powell opened the door to a September interest rate cut. Sentiment turned positive for the precious metal as the prospect of lower interest rates typically reduces the opportunity cost of holding gold. In his Jackson Hole speech, Powell emphasized that unemployment is stable but risks to the labor market are rising. He stated that policy remains in restrictive territory, so "the underlying outlook and shifting balance of risks may require adjustments" to the...
Silver soared to $39 per ounce, approaching the 14-year high of $39.5 touched in the end of July amid the outlook of rate cuts by the Fed, while markets assessed the demand for silver's industrial uses. The Fed sees a shift in the balance of risks of a weaker labor market against inflation following the revision to payrolls and higher unemployment, likely warranting an adjustment to monetary policy that will translate to a 25bps rate cut in the upcoming September decision. Additionally, traders moved to place more bets of three total rate cuts this year, supporting non-yielding precious...
Gold prices continue to trend higher on Friday after the Federal Reserve (Fed) leaned dovish, as commented by the Fed Chair Jerome Powell, who said that "downside risks to the labor market are rising." XAU/USD trades at $3,371 after hitting a daily low of $3,321. The day arrived and Powell hinted that there's a "reasonable base case" to think that tariffs would create a "one-time" increase in prices. Nevertheless, he acknowledged that risks to inflation are tilted to the upside and risks to employment to the downside, a "challenging situation." After his remarks, Bullion prices initially...
The Swiss Franc (CHF) surges against the US Dollar (USD) on Friday after Federal Reserve (Fed) Chair Jerome Powell's remarks at the Jackson Hole Symposium triggered a broad-based Greenback selloff. At the time of writing, USD/CHF is trading near 0.8003, down almost 1% on the day after briefly touching 0.8104, its highest level in nearly two weeks, before reversing to its lowest in around three and a half weeks. In his keynote, Powell delivered a cautious message that reinforced expectations of a September rate cut while avoiding a firm commitment. On tariffs, he acknowledged that "the...
Oil prices steadied on Friday amid uncertainty surrounding a potential peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, with prices gaining on the week for the first time in three weeks. Brent crude futures settled up 6 cents or 0.09% to $67.73. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures settled up 14 cents or 0.22% to $63.66. Both contracts gained more than 1% in the previous session. Brent gained 2.9% this week while WTI rose 1.4%. "Everyone is waiting for President Trump's next step," said UBS commodity analyst Giovanni Staunovo. "Over the coming days, it seems nothing will happen," he...