Gold Hastens Retreat as Dollar Rallies on Trump Victory

FILED - 16 March 2023, Bavaria, Munich: Gold bars and gold coins of different sizes lie in a safe on a table at the precious metal dealer Pro Aurum. Photo: Sven Hoppe/dpa
FILED - 16 March 2023, Bavaria, Munich: Gold bars and gold coins of different sizes lie in a safe on a table at the precious metal dealer Pro Aurum. Photo: Sven Hoppe/dpa
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Gold Hastens Retreat as Dollar Rallies on Trump Victory

FILED - 16 March 2023, Bavaria, Munich: Gold bars and gold coins of different sizes lie in a safe on a table at the precious metal dealer Pro Aurum. Photo: Sven Hoppe/dpa
FILED - 16 March 2023, Bavaria, Munich: Gold bars and gold coins of different sizes lie in a safe on a table at the precious metal dealer Pro Aurum. Photo: Sven Hoppe/dpa

Gold prices slid more than 3% to a three-week low on Wednesday as investors piled into the US dollar after Republican Donald Trump was elected US president.

Market participants were also looking ahead to the Federal Reserve's interest rate decision on Thursday for further clues on the bank's easing cycle that had helped gold's stunning rally to successive record highs this year.

Spot gold slipped 2.9% to $2,662.99 per ounce, as of 10:10 a.m. ET (1510 GMT), after hitting a three-week low of $2,652.19. The metal was on track to post its biggest daily loss in five months, Reuters reported.

US gold futures shed 3% to $2,668.2.

"A clear presidential victory when the market has been pricing in a contested result, removal of an element of risk, Trump-trades include the dollar's strengthening this morning and the combination of the two has brought gold lower," said StoneX analyst Rhona O'Connell.

Donald Trump recaptured the White House by securing more than the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the presidency, Edison Research projected.

Investors believe Trump's presidency will bolster the dollar, causing the Federal Reserve pause in its easing cycle if inflation takes off after expected new tariffs.

The dollar index hit a four-month high, making bullion more expensive for overseas buyers.

"Gold will be torn between the risk of rising inflation, potentially slowing the pace of US rate cuts, as tariffs are rolled out," said Ole Hansen, head of commodity strategy at Saxo Bank.

"The FOMC will likely still cut on Thursday but the subsequent language will be studied closely for signs of a pause."

Investors widely expect the Fed to announce a quarter-point rate cut after 50 bps reduction in September.

Commodities from oil and gas to metals and grains dropped as the dollar rallied.

Spot silver fell 4.9% to $31.03 per ounce. Platinum shed 2.8% to $971.7 and palladium was down 3.7% to $1,035.5. All three metals hit their lowest levels in three-weeks.



Trump Win Ignites Crypto Frenzy that Sends Bitcoin to Record High

Trump Win Ignites Crypto Frenzy that Sends Bitcoin to Record High
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Trump Win Ignites Crypto Frenzy that Sends Bitcoin to Record High

Trump Win Ignites Crypto Frenzy that Sends Bitcoin to Record High

The price of bitcoin hit a new high Wednesday and crypto-related shares rallied as investors bet that former President Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential election will be a boon for cryptocurrencies.

Bitcoin jumped nearly 8% in early trading, climbing above $75,000 and smashing its previous record set in March. Other cryptocurrencies also soared, including ether, the world's second most popular cryptocurrency after bitcoin, which rallied 8%.

Another token, dogecoin, rocketed as much as 18%. It's the favorite cryptocurrency of billionaire Elon Musk, one of Trump's most prominent supporters, The AP reported.

Crypto-related shares outran the rest of the stock market. Coinbase, one of the biggest cryptocurrency exchanges, leaped 17%. Online brokerage Robinhood Markets, which offers crypto trading, soared 12% and MicroStrategy, which says it is the “largest corporate holder of bitcoin,” jumped 10%.

Trump was previously a crypto skeptic but changed his mind and embraced cryptocurrencies ahead of the election.

He has pledged to make America "the crypto capital of the planet" and create a “strategic reserve” of bitcoin. His campaign accepted donations in cryptocurrency and he courted crypto fans at a bitcoin conference in July. He also launched World Liberty Financial, a new venture with family members to trade cryptocurrencies.

Bitcoin is up 77% this year.

“Bitcoin is the one asset that was always going to soar if Trump returned to the White House," said Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, a British online investment platform. After touching its new high, the market is now speculating about “when, not if, it will smash through $100,000," he said.

“Trump has already declared his love of the digital currency and crypto traders now have a new narrative by which to get even more excited about where the price could go,” Mould said.

But other experts warned of the risks.

“Investors should only dabble in crypto with money that they can be prepared to lose,” said Susannah Streeter, head of money and markets at Hargreaves Lansdown. “Because we’ve seen these wild swings in the past.”

Crypto industry players welcomed Trump's victory, in hopes that he would be able to push through legislative and regulatory changes that they've long lobbied for.

Trump had already promised that, if elected, he would remove the chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Gary Gensler, who has been leading the US government’s crackdown on the crypto industry.

“Tonight the crypto voter has spoken decisively — across party lines and in key races across the country,” said Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong . “Americans disproportionately care about crypto and want clear rules of the road for digital assets. We look forward to working with the new Congress to deliver it,” Armstrong posted on X.

Streeter said Trump's administration would most likely pursue “light touch regulation” for the crypto industry.

“Certainly that’s what crypto fans would want," she said. “They want the sheen of legitimacy to be brought to crypto, but they don’t want regulations to be too onerous to stop opportunities and innovation.”