Gold Falls Below $4,000 as US-Iran Hostilities Keep Fed Rate Hike Bets on Table
By Aboki Forex —
Gold declined on Monday after the United States and Iran ramped up attacks over the weekend, stoking bets that the Federal Reserve may need to raise interest rates to contain inflation. Bullion was trading around $3,995 an ounce, after sliding more than 2% last week.
Oil Jumps as Middle East Hostilities Escalate
Oil prices jumped following the escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, including an attack on a vital oil facility in Kuwait and the targeting of ships attempting to transit through the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran said the ceasefire between the US and Iran has been effectively abandoned, raising the possibility of deepening disruptions to crucial energy flows through the narrow waterway.
The Iran conflict, now in its fifth month, is again driving up energy and commodity prices from fuel to raw materials used in manufacturing and food production. That is kindling fears the Fed may eventually tighten monetary policy, even as soft US economic data suggest a rate hike is not likely in the near term.
Fed Officials Signal Concern Over Inflation
Higher borrowing costs are a headwind for non-yielding bullion. Bank of Cleveland President Beth Hammack in a LinkedIn post on Friday joined a growing chorus of Fed officials expressing concern over high inflation. Swap traders have priced in at least one hike by the end of the year.
Bullion has hovered in a narrow range around $4,000 in recent weeks after losing 14% in the second quarter, its worst showing since 2013. Spot gold was 0.6% lower at $3,992.91 an ounce as of 7:30 a.m. in Singapore. Silver slid 0.4% to $55.70 an ounce. Platinum and palladium also declined. The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index, a gauge of the US currency, was up 0.1%.
For Nigerian consumers and businesses, the decline in gold prices offers little relief as rising oil costs and a stronger dollar put additional pressure on the naira and import-dependent sectors. Higher global energy prices could further strain Nigeria's foreign exchange reserves and fuel domestic inflation.