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.



Firm Dollar Keeps Pound, Euro and Yen Under Pressure

US Dollar and Euro banknotes are seen in this illustration taken July 17, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/ File Photo
US Dollar and Euro banknotes are seen in this illustration taken July 17, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/ File Photo
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Firm Dollar Keeps Pound, Euro and Yen Under Pressure

US Dollar and Euro banknotes are seen in this illustration taken July 17, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/ File Photo
US Dollar and Euro banknotes are seen in this illustration taken July 17, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/ File Photo

The US dollar charged ahead on Thursday, underpinned by rising Treasury yields, putting the yen, sterling and euro under pressure near multi-month lows amid the shifting threat of tariffs.

The focus for markets in 2025 has been on US President-elect Donald Trump's agenda as he steps back into the White House on Jan. 20, with analysts expecting his policies to both bolster growth and add to price pressures, according to Reuters.

CNN on Wednesday reported that Trump is considering declaring a national economic emergency to provide legal justification for a series of universal tariffs on allies and adversaries. On Monday, the Washington Post said Trump was looking at more nuanced tariffs, which he later denied.

Concerns that policies introduced by the Trump administration could reignite inflation has led bond yields higher, with the yield on the benchmark 10-year US Treasury note hitting 4.73% on Wednesday, its highest since April 25. It was at 4.6709% on Thursday.

"Trump's shifting narrative on tariffs has undoubtedly had an effect on USD. It seems this capriciousness is something markets will have to adapt to over the coming four years," said Kieran Williams, head of Asia FX at InTouch Capital Markets.

The bond market selloff has left the dollar standing tall and casting a shadow on the currency market.

Among the most affected was the pound, which was headed for its biggest three-day drop in nearly two years.

Sterling slid to $1.2239 on Thursday, its weakest since November 2023, even as British government bond yields hit multi-year highs.

Ordinarily, higher gilt yields would support the pound, but not in this case.

The sell-off in UK government bond markets resumed on Thursday, with 10-year and 30-year gilt yields jumping again in early trading, as confidence in Britain's fiscal outlook deteriorates.

"Such a simultaneous sell-off in currency and bonds is rather unusual for a G10 country," said Michael Pfister, FX analyst at Commerzbank.

"It seems to be the culmination of a development that began several months ago. The new Labour government's approval ratings are at record lows just a few months after the election, and business and consumer sentiment is severely depressed."

Sterling was last down about 0.69% at $1.2282.

The euro also eased, albeit less than the pound, to $1.0302, lurking close to the two-year low it hit last week as investors remain worried the single currency may fall to the key $1 mark this year due to tariff uncertainties.

The yen hovered near the key 160 per dollar mark that led to Tokyo intervening in the market last July, after it touched a near six-month low of 158.55 on Wednesday.

Though it strengthened a bit on the day and was last at 158.15 per dollar. That all left the dollar index, which measures the US currency against six other units, up 0.15% and at 109.18, just shy of the two-year high it touched last week.

Also in the mix were the Federal Reserve minutes of its December meeting, released on Wednesday, which showed the central bank flagged new inflation concerns and officials saw a rising risk the incoming administration's plans may slow economic growth and raise unemployment.

With US markets closed on Thursday, the spotlight will be on Friday's payrolls report as investors parse through data to gauge when the Fed will next cut rates.