Global gold prices plummeted during Tuesday’s trading session (October 8), pressured by a resilient US dollar and rising US Treasury bond yields, as markets no longer anticipate a 50-basis-point rate cut from the Federal Reserve in its upcoming meeting. Investors also remained cautious ahead of the Fed’s release of September meeting minutes and the latest inflation data from the US Department of Labor.
At the close of trading, spot gold on the New York market fell by $20.90/oz from the previous session’s close, equivalent to a 0.79% drop, to $2,622.20/oz, according to data from the Kitco exchange.
At around 8 am Vietnam time, spot gold in the Asian market was down $0.20/oz from the US close, trading at $2,622.00/oz. Converted at Vietcombank’s selling exchange rate, this price is equivalent to nearly VND 79.1 million/troy ounce, down VND 700,000/troy ounce from yesterday morning’s rate.
Vietcombank quoted the dollar at VND 24,635 (buying) and VND 25,025 (selling) at the beginning of the day, down VND 25 at both ends compared to the previous morning.
Tuesday’s decline was the fifth consecutive session of losses for gold, and the sharpest percentage drop since late August. The precious metal has been range-bound and choppy since hitting an all-time high of $2,685.42/oz on September 26.
“Gold prices have eased in recent days due to shifting rate expectations,” said David Meger, director of metal trading at High Ridge Futures, in a statement to Reuters.
According to data from the FedWatch Tool on the CME exchange, markets are now betting on an 87.5% likelihood of a Fed rate cut in the upcoming meeting, with all of this percentage attributed to a 0.25-percentage-point reduction. The remaining 12.5% is assigned to the possibility of the Fed keeping rates unchanged at 4.75-5%.
Just last week, the probability of a 50-basis-point cut in November fluctuated between 30-40%.
The shifting rate expectations have pushed up US Treasury yields and the dollar index, exerting further downward pressure on gold.
On Monday, the yield on the 10-year US Treasury note surpassed the 4% threshold for the first time in two months. On Tuesday, the yield on this maturity eased slightly but remained above 4%, ending the session at around 4.02%.
The Dollar Index, which measures the strength of the US dollar against a basket of six other major currencies, closed Tuesday’s session at 102.55, up 0.01 points from the previous close. Over the past five sessions, the index has climbed more than 0.8%, according to data from MarketWatch.
For the rest of the week, investors will focus on US inflation data, including the consumer price index (CPI) expected to be released on Thursday and the producer price index (PPI) on Friday. Prior to that, the Fed will publish the minutes of its September meeting on Wednesday.
The inflation reports will play a crucial role in determining the magnitude of the Fed’s rate cut in November, which, in turn, will influence the trajectory of gold prices.
“The inflation data to be released by the US on Thursday could show that price pressures continue to ease, but it is unlikely to rekindle fresh hopes for a significant Fed rate cut. Therefore, gold prices can only rely on geopolitical risks to move higher,” stated Commerzbank in a report.
Christopher Watling, a strategist at Longview Economics, argued that rising US Treasury yields and a stronger dollar have “put the brakes” on gold’s rally. “In addition to shifting rate expectations and the dollar’s exchange rate, gold is also vulnerable from the perspective of investor positioning, sentiment, and technical patterns,” Watling added.
