Gold Outlook 2020

Year 2019 is about to end on a positive note for the yellow metal. Its shine and lustre was maintained as it almost finished the year 13 percent higher. This rally was majorly influenced by central banks, a deterioration and slow growing global economy and escalating geopolitical tensions.

Furthermore, concerns surrounding the US Chinese trade dispute and falling global yields added fuel to the fire. This has occurred in spite of a 1.7% rally in the greenback. Gold reached a high of 1,556 in the first 11-months of 2019 but stalled in September as the Federal Reserve started to ease US short-term interest rates and economic growth started to stabilize.

The length of the trade war and its grinding impact on the U.S. economy even caused the U.S. Federal Reserve to alter its tightening plans. A year ago, the Fed was raising rates. This December, it’s expected to keep rates on hold after three consecutive rate cuts in July, September and October.

The combination of solid US jobs growth and the demand for riskier assets helped stabilize the US 10-year yield which capped the upward momentum in gold prices. Recently (the past 5-years) movements in gold prices and the US 10-year yield have been inversely correlated (moving in opposite directions).

We all know that this year gold has witness some great rallies. But all this doesn’t happen overnight. Gold has achieved this mark gradually. Let’s see how gold made its way here.

From 1987 until 1993 a gentle price downtrend occurred. Prices traded sideways from 1993 until 1996 and were in a downtrend from 1996 until 1999. Prices then traded sideways until 2001, and then embarked upon a powerful 10-year uptrend that produced an all-time high of $1,908.60 in 2011. And then from 2011 until 2015 prices trended solidly lower.

Since 2015 gold prices have been trending up, but in choppy fashion. The monthly gold chart at present is overall technically bullish. That suggests the outlook for gold in the coming New Year is for more of the same—trending sideways to higher in the coming months.

Gold traded lower until May as optimism over a trade deal drove investors into higher-yielding assets. At the same time, the Fed was hawkish although policymakers were divided over whether to continue to raise or hold rates steady.

Gold put in its low for the year in May after the U.S. and China called off trade talks. Risk aversion increased globally as fears of world recession resurfaced amid disappointing macro data in major economies. Equity markets sank worldwide and U.S. Treasury yields dipped to multi-year lows as investor sentiment soured over growing global growth worries.

Gold may have bottomed in May, but its most impressive price move took place during August and September. This was shortly after the Fed made its first of three rate cuts on July 30.

Fear of a recession also helped spike gold prices higher as Treasury yields inverted. However, the move proved to be speculative in nature as the Fed continued to insist the economy was not headed toward recession and its rate cuts were just a “mid-cycle” policy adjustment. It was at this time that the Fed started to talk about limiting its easing to 1 or 2 more rate cuts.

Gold hit its high for the year after the Fed started to talk about easing up on its rate cuts, and the U.S. and China decided to move back to the negotiation table. It’s likely to trade sideways to lower over the near-term as long as the trade talks continue and the Fed holds rates steady.

Expectations of at least three rate cuts and a summer of trade war uncertainty fuelled a four month rally in gold in 2019. With the Fed expected to hold rates steady and the U.S. and China still negotiating, gold may be underpinned over the near-term, but there is no urgency to buy it
When we talk about outlook for any asset, the market always gets divided into two sections- the bulls and the bears.

Let’s take a look as to how each section continues to justify its belief-

THE BEARS BANDWAGON

For the bearish sentiment followers, it is difficult to predict a high sustainable growth for gold. From the recent speeches addressed by Fed Chairman Powell, it can be stated that the Federal Reserve is on hold. The Fed has made it clear that the hurdle rate for additional rate cuts is larger than it has been earlier in the autumn

With the Fed likely on hold, any positive US economic data will continue to lift the 10-year yield which should put downward pressure on gold prices. Additionally, if global growth begins to stabilize and Europe and Asia begin to experience economic expansion, global yields will begin to rise, weighing on gold prices.

Not forgetting to mention the US/Chinese trade negotiations. As of late November 2019, it appears that the US and China are moving closer to a phase 1 deal. While this might spill over into 2020, the deal would reflect a further easing of tensions and the removal of trade tariffs between the two largest economic powers globally.

If there is any positive achievement in trade dispute then gold is likely to head lower, back towards $1300.

THE BULLS BELIEVERS

A lot has changed as a consequence of the United Kingdom was voted in the favour of Brexit on June 23 including a change in gold prices. Gold has surged by 6.5% ever since the Brexit decision, gold has only been climbing higher by each day. And the spill over effect will be witnessed in 2020 too as believed by the bullish supporters for gold. But for this to be true there will be three major catalysts that will play a very important role in pushing gold prices up-

A weakening global economy- Whenever the global economy faces a crisis, gold prices always benefit. The post Brexit economy uncertainties will definitely continue for a while, thus helping gold prices climb higher. A lot of investors and economists have raised questions about the next country to drop out of the European Union ever since the United Kingdom left the European Union. There are talks that the European Union might actually completely dismantle over the next couple of years. The geopolitical uncertainty will definitely send investors rushing to invest in gold.

Rate Cuts- It is a fact that rate cuts lower the value of a currency. When the value of a currency decreases, gold tends to look more appealing as a store of value. ECB has reduced interest rates by -0.4% and there are indications of further rate cuts. And there has been some gossip about UK rate cuts ever since Brexit. Rate cuts, big or small will definitely aid gold prices in climbing higher this year.

Discounted gold- It is evident that gold is trading at quite a discount right now considering the Dow/gold ratio. The Dow/gold ratio can be arrived at by dividing the Dow index by the price of gold. The current ratio of 13.3 is proof that gold is trading at a good discount. Gold will continue trading at a much higher premium in the next few years. The demand for gold is rising in the Asian countries and will continue to do so in the next couple of years.

If the above mentioned catalysts move the way they are supposed to, then gold can show some real bold price movements in 2020.

Prithviraj Kothari is the author of this article. Find more information about Prithviraj Kothari.

Gold 2019- A Quick Look Back

It’s time to look back. 2019 was a great year for gold. Just when the global markets had started writing off gold in 2018, it once again proved its safe haven appeal in the current year.

he third quarter of 2019 was eventful for the gold sector, with two interest rate cuts from the US Federal Reserve, a price rally and subsequent pullback and lots of speculation.

GOLD remained one of the most trusted asset classes the world over. The precious metal was up 15% in value until 3rd week of December.

Brexit,  geo-political tensions, Global uncertainty and US-China trade tensions kept investors worried about rising uncertainty, thus benefitting gold prices which further kept the gold prices well bid in CY2019.

Central banks- In 2018 central banks bought the most gold ever recorded and these robust purchases continued year to date in 2019. Central Bankers across the world kept buying gold, underlining the possibility of tough times in the near future. In the first three quarters, they bought 547 tonnes of gold, which was 12 per cent more than in the previous year

Trade dispute- The year started with the continuation in the trade tensions between the US and China. The first phase of the trade deal did not go through. Trade wars between two major economies of the world, kept pushing gold prices high.

As the Fed shapes US monetary policy, it influences significantly the macroeconomic environment and thus also the gold market. The link between the US central bank and the yellow metal is manifold. First of all the Fed set the federal funds rate which affects short term interest rate and indirectly ht whole structure of interest rates in the economy. Hence when the Fed tightens its monetary policy, interest rates rise. Then they increase faster than inflation, real interest rates go up which is negative for gold, a non-yield-bearing asset. On the contrary, when the Fed eases its monetary policy, interest rates decline. When they decrease faster than inflation, real interest rates go down which is positive for the yellow metal. And this was clearly visible in 2019.

Brexit- Economic uncertainty in the European Union continues to drive safe haven gold investment in Europe after a failed referendum on EU-Ukraine trade relations. Concern over Great Britain’s upcoming referendum on EU membership (set to take place in June) is also straining the markets. If the Brexit were to occur, it would likely spell the eventual demise of the European Union as an institution and set a prerogative for further member state exits. The Fed announced that the implications of a Brexit would be discussed at length in its next meeting. You may have already heard about the Brexit, but if you have not, now you have. This should continue to build momentum in the news as we approach June 23rd. This date is significant because it is the day the referendum will be held to vote whether Great Britain stays or exits the EU, hence the portmanteau “Brexit”.

Slow global growth- Global growth weakened considerably in 2019, falling from 3.2% in 2018 to of 2.6; the main culprits, the trade wars and weakening growth in China. In response, many central banks began to loosen monetary policy thus proving to be positive for gold.

Increasing gold prices compelled investors to add gold to their portfolio. Gold-backed ETF holdings also reached all-time highs by October as investors responded to the high-risk, low rate environment.

As we look ahead to 2020 we believe investors will face an increasing set of geopolitical concerns, while many pre-existing ones will likely be pushed back rather than being resolved. In addition, the very low level of interest rates worldwide will likely keep stock prices high and valuations at extreme levels. Within this context, we believe there are clear reasons for higher levels of safe-haven assets like gold. Geopolitical volatility will continue to be part of the background of general uncertainty that has been very favourable to gold for several years now.

There is plenty of support for gold in 2020 and the yellow metal might embark on a long-term sustainable rally in a new era of uncertainty. Gold prices are expected to trade in a range, between $1,450 and $1,600 an ounce next year.

Prithviraj Kothari is author of this article. Find more information about Prithviraj kothari.

Fresh Breakout Levels For Gold

Precious metal prices have had a very strong year

Gold rose substantially above our year-end forecasts of USD 1,400 an ounce.

Gold prices were supported by a general shift in monetary policy of major central banks from tightening to a new round of easing, a decline in government bond yields, an increase in the amount of negative yielding government bonds, weakness in the Chinese Yuan, uncertainty on global growth and global trade front, and Brexit uncertainty.

The majorly influential factor for the yellow metal was the US China trade dispute. Almost the entire calendar year of 2019 stretched over this news for the global financial markets.

But this week we saw so many twists and turns regarding this matter.

First Trump entered in the fray. He dumped US China trade deal and said that it will happen only post US election in October 2020. The biggest losers over this news were DOW and US 10y and obviously the gold prices rallied and crossed$1475 which happened nearly after 4-5 weeks. (inversely proportional to the dollar)

But this was just not enough, when we saw a real example being set in the books of history at least pertaining to US china trade deal. On one side there was news that any trade dispute development will happen only after October/November 2020, while on the other hand there were news in the market on Wednesday that a US China trade deal will happen soon.

This uncertain news created a much ascertained volatility in the precious metals markets. This move is further expected to boost gold traders again fro lows. Once we saw the worst 1 decade monthly ADP jobs data reported at 67k a day. So its tight rope for these $1475-$1480 bracket on recent gold breakout. Once see a departure and sink below $1470 this will be extremely negative for the gold prices. However, till it survives $1470 broadly it’s headed for $1495-$1500.

In Prithviraj Kothari's opinion, Gold is expected to rally above $1480 and silver above $17.20. These can be considered fresh breakout levels.

We expect the US dollar to weaken modestly because of deterioration in longer-term fundamentals and weakness in near-term cyclical dynamics. Gold tends to rally when the dollar declines and we think this relationship will hold in the coming years.

Precious metal prices have rallied strongly. Long term outlook for gold is positive. But wait for a correction to position for higher prices.

Gold Remains RE-Committed

Gold has risen more than 13% this year mainly due to the trade dispute driving demand for safe assets

The policy U-turn by central banks suggests they do not have full command over the global economic situation. This, alongside an unpredictable White House, the rise of populism, de-globalisation, de- dollarization and questions over the future of capitalism itself, have led to a feeling of instability from which gold has certainly benefited.

But in these uncertain times, gold has once again proved its worth. It appears that gold has been one such haven investment and investors will also agree to this. Where on one hand the FTSE 100 index gained just 2%   over the past 12 months to mid October, on the other hand gold has gained 21% in the same time frame.

The recent strength comes after a wobbly few years for gold, which have seen it struggle to break above $1,350. Its rise coincides neatly with 2019’s falls in US interest rates.

In Prithviraj Kothari's opinion, After the thanksgiving note, there was a good positive opening mostly in Asian markets as China indicated that they are still in the fray of a deal with the US for this phase, deal to happen so beginning of the month is full of data pack from US and EU.

Further, there was a tense kind of situation in the EU wherein countries demanded their gold back.

Just a few short days after Poland’s government touted its economic might after completing the repatriation of 100 tons of the barbarous relic; and with Hungary's anti-immigrant Prime Minister Viktor Orban also ramping up holdings of the safe-haven asset to boost the security of his reserves; more Eastern European nationalist leaders are demanding their country's gold back on home soil.

The various leaders have a recent example to prove their fears right as the Bank of England refused to return Venezuela’s gold stock over political differences.

In spite of the geopolitical issues, gold price fell on Monday as investors turned to riskier assets on signs of economic growth following reports of an expanding Chinese factory sector and as a rising dollar reduced demand.

Spot gold was down 0.5% at $1,456.70 per ounce by during Mondays’ trading hours, having earlier touched it’s highest since Nov. 22. U.S.

Positive data released from the Chinese markets, unexpected expansion numbers in factory activities during November, led to a spur of investor in the equity markets as further positive releases were expected from other countries.

Any positive data released, creates optimism in the market thus giving confidence to investors who then move to riskier assets which in reduce the safe haven demand for the yellow metal.

Investor demand for gold was further pressured by the rising dollar, which makes dollar-denominated gold more expensive for buyers using other currencies.

Trade dispute between the United States and China has supported gold, with reports that a preliminary agreement has now stalled because of U.S. legislation supporting protesters in Hong Kong and Chinese demands that the United States roll back its tariffs as part of phase one deal.

Nonetheless, Gold has been the star performer of 2019, but does the gold rush have further to run?

The basics are still quite supportive, this lull is not going to last too much longer. Maybe into yearend we will see gold prices recommit the uptrend and is expected to trade between $1,450-$1,500.

Gold Expected To Bounce

November wasn’t a great month for the yellow metal as prices were down almost 4%. This was the biggest drop seen since November 2016. This decline was seen following positive news about a deal between Beijing and Washington which further weakened demand for the safe-haven metal.

Hopes for an interim U.S.-China trade deal buoyed demand for riskier assets.

There was not much clarity as to where will these trade talks lead to, hence the volatility was reflected in the trading prices.

Dampening gold prices pushed the dollar prices high as both are inversely proportional.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed into law congressional legislation backing protesters in Hong Kong, prompting Beijing to warn of “firm countermeasures”.

The Hong Kong protest went uglier as the reports suggest, thus souring the mood and thereof on their indices. Friday being half session, the US and data flow once again big here are few warnings from economists when they say that Hong Kong is the biggest political risk for financial markets. Today there is rupee traction on the weaker side.

Gold considered a safe store of the value during economic or political uncertainties, has gained more than 13% this year, mainly due to the tariff dispute.

But this week gold once failed to make headway through USD $1,460 - $1,465 on Wednesday, sold lower on trade headlines and strong U.S. data. It was generally one-way traffic throughout the session, as the yellow metal skewed offered in Asia, before accelerating declines in Europe/U.S. hours.

If the yellow metal crosses the $1500 an ounce mark then there is further potential for a price rise. But if it breaks below $1445 then a significant correction is expected which will result in further losses for gold prices.

A break above $1,500/oz would suggest the potential for additional upside in prices. In contrast, a break below $1,445/oz would point to a more significant correction underway, and we would expect further losses for gold prices.

Gold seems to be under pressure though it may hit the lower side target near 37500 and should give little bounce towards $1470 in the international markets where traders can sell for moderate gains.

In Prithviraj Kothari's opinion, Gold seems to be under pressure though it may hit the lower side target near 37500 and should give little bounce towards $1470 in the international markets where traders can sell for moderate gains.

Gold - Safe, Sound And Stable

In my weekly blogs, I generally talk about gold’s performance, why it has behaved in a particular manner in the respective week, how it looks like and a major economic outlook of the yellow metal.

But today I would like to write about gold from the investors or the markets view point- as to why gold has been in high demand in spite of rising prices, should you look at gold from an investors perceptive, should you diversify your portfolio in to the yellow metal etc.

Gold creates a feeling of safety and security. Most retail investors and fashion and lifestyle consumers trust gold more than the currencies of countries

A bar of gold always retains its value, crisis or no crisis. This creates a sense of security.

As we all know that gold is an asset that has highest liquidity. Gold bolsters confidence in the stability of the central bank’s balance sheet and creates a sense of security.

One of the main reasons, apart from de-dollarization, why central banks have started piling up their reserves.

A study reveals two out of three investors sees gold as a safeguard against inflation and currency fluctuation. A similar number believe gold holds value in the long term, owning the precious metal makes them feel secure and is more trusted than most currencies.

Instead of discouraging people from buying gold, or convincing them that gold is an irrelevant asset, many of these financial advisors are increasingly honest about the true properties of this monetary metal and what importance it holds in your portfolio.

Seeing gold’s safe haven appeal and store value, I wouldn’t be wrong if I say that it is one of the most sought after precious metals.

It is considered as a global medium of payment and it preserves high purchasing power. A country high on gold reserves is always considered as an economically rich and sound country. Gold is highly durable and enduring.  In the past gold was also considered as a means of currency. Even today, every reserve currency in the world today is underpinned by vast gold reserves. Gold is and will always be considered as a strong pillar of stability for any monetary system.

On the other hand when we see the other assets in its class- Shares, bonds and other securities, real estate etc, none of them are risk free and subject to high fluctuations and prices drops during uncertainties. But gold will always yield its value even when times are critical.

Looking at the current year- 2019 has certainly been an exciting year, with gold breaking through long-defended resistance levels.

When we look at the current markets we can see that gold is being pulled and pushed by various factors simultaneously, in fact tether are some factors that contradict itself in influencing gold prices-.

The topics dominating the headlines — Brexit, the US-China trade war and the possible impeachment of US President Donald Trump — all have an effect on the global economy.

In  Prithviraj Kothari's opinion, The performance of gold in 2019 looks even more impressive relative to other precious metals such as silver and platinum.

Strengthening US dollar contradicted by slow global growth- The price of gold and stock markets have seen record highs and the US dollar is strong. At the same time, the US Federal Reserve and European Central Bank (ECB) have been cutting interest rates, yields on $17 trillion (Dh62.4tn) of bonds have turned negative and global economic growth has slowed.

The International Monetary Fund revised down its projections of global economic growth for the fifth time last month with the world’s economy expanding 3 per cent this year, its slowest expansion since the 2008 global financial crisis.

Against this interest rate backdrop, defensive positioning by investors is on the rise, which is supporting gold’s upward price movement in several ways. As global uncertainty has risen, investors have responded according to conventional wisdom, turning to fixed income markets for both safety and stability.

Anybody who’s holding 50 per cent in equities and going towards riskier, non- investment-grade bonds because they need yields should have between 5 and 8 per cent gold in their portfolio.

despite a slight risk of prices declining to the $1,450 an ounce level first, the overall picture for gold is optimistic as investors look ready to buy more.

Gold Will Get Its Support

Negative news coming from all over proved to be positive for gold during the week.

Weakness in global growth, lack of clarity in US China trade dispute, weak economic data coming from Asian markets, negative Asian equities, Powell’s speech, unrest in Hong Kong and other ongoing risks, together proved to be good support for gold-

Trade Dispute- On the Sino-U.S. trade front, tensions seemed to have escalated again as the Wall Street Journal reported that the trade talks have stalled over agriculture purchases.

The Journal cited sources and reported that China is unwilling to quantify its farm purchases, a commitment China made as part of a phase one trade agreement.

The news dented hopes that the phase one deal will be signed sooner rather than later, according to the article.

China is also resisting U.S. demands to make reforms on forced technology transfer, which the Trump administration has previously said would be addressed in future trade deals with Beijing.

Furthermore, President Trump revealed that “we were so close to a deal” while speaking at the Economic Club of New York, and went onto emphasized the administration’s approach to “tell it to everybody: if we don’t make a deal, we’re going to substantially raise those tariffs.”

Weak Data numbers- A set of worse-than-expected economic data were cited as providing support for the yellow metal.

Gold prices gained on Thursday in Asia following the release of weak economic data coming out from China, Japan and Australia. Sino-U.S. trade uncertainties also attracted some safe-haven demand.

Powell’s Speech- fresh remarks from Fed officials suggested that the central bank will move to the sidelines and endorse a wait-and-see approach at its next interest rate decision on December 11 as Chairman Jerome Powell told US lawmakers that “the current stance of monetary policy as likely to remain appropriate as long as incoming information about the economy remains broadly consistent with our outlook of moderate economic growth.”

U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Wednesday told the Joint Economic Committee that negative interest rates sought by Trump are not appropriate for the U.S. economy right now.

He also added that the central bank would probably stop (with interest rate cuts) where it is unless there is a “material” change in the economic outlook.

Chinese data- Gold is being supported as the Chinese industrial production and retail sales came way below expectations. In China, October’s industrial output, retail sales and fixed-asset investment all came in worse than forecast, while Japan’s Q3 GDP also grew less than expected.

Asian equities- Asian stocks fell after China’s industrial output grew significantly slower than expected in October, as weakness in global and domestic demand and the drawn-out Sino-U.S. trade war weighed on activity in the world’s second-largest economy.

Unrest in Hong Kong- Anti-government protesters in Hong King, paralysed parts of the city for a fourth day, forcing school closures and blocking highways and other transport links and creating further unrest.

Deterioration in Hong Kong this week will further support gold but what are even more impactful are the ongoing trade talks.

All the above mentioned influencers have been playing an active role in the movement of gold prices. In the long term, the backdrop is pretty conducive. With the global central banks being accommodative, gold will get its support.

In Prithviraj Kothari’s opinion all the above mentioned influencers have been playing an active role in the movement of gold prices. In the long term, the backdrop is pretty conducive. With the global central banks being accommodative, gold will get its support.

Gold Likely To Be Pushed Into The Positive Territory

Last week, Gold opened tested the $1515 resistance area but it failed to break higher and made a sharp reversal, losing more than $50 over the last week, the worst weekly performance in years.

It was a tough week for precious metals. Gold was down almost $50, silver down $1. This pull down came in over optimistic trade dispute talks.

On Thursday , Chinese Commerce Ministry spokesman Gao Feng announced that both parties have agreed to roll back tariffs on each other’s goods as part of an upcoming trade deal. Both sides had accepted that if a phase one trade deal came to pass, the U.S. and China would reduce tariffs simultaneously and proportionately.

During the week, there were reports of a phase one U.S.-China trade agreement reaching final stages, prompting gold to become less attractive in the short term,

Gold prices dipped last week in response to news of an imminent trade deal. On Saturday, US President Donald Trump said that talks were moving along “very nicely,” but that a deal would only be reached if it were right for America.

On Friday, however, President Donald Trump told reporters that he hasn’t yet agreed to remove tariffs on Chinese goods.

The US President Donald Trump on Friday said that reports on the rollback of tariffs on Chinese goods was incorrect and poured cold water on the recent trade optimism. It is worth recalling that officials from both sides said late last week that China and the United it is completed.

Following this uncertain statement, Gold prices edged higher on the first day of a new trading week and recovered a part of the previous session's slide to three-month lows, though lacked any strong bullish conviction.

The not so optimistic remarks, coupled with political unrest in Hong Kong weighed on the global risk sentiment and extended some support to traditional safe-haven assets – including Gold. However, the fact that Trump did not completely rule out a deal with China and left the door open to some tariff rollbacks kept a lid on any strong follow-through positive move.

Volatility and uncertainty are alive and well in the gold space as prices push into positive territory following disappointing comments on trade from U.S. President Donald Trump.

Although prices are still down more than 3% for the week, the gold market is clawing back some ground as prices move modestly higher in conjunction with equity markets falling to session lows after Trump pushed back on proposals to reduce some of the government’s tariffs on Chinese goods.

Now all eyes will be focussed on the Important data during that will be out this week and the following one and will influence gold prices-

• US economic
• Latest consumer inflation figures
• Monthly retail sales data.
• Fed Chair Jerome Powell's two-day testimony on Wednesday and Thursday
• US/China trade headlines
• Chinese data that due next week wherein some economists expect to confirm signs of a moderate recovery that could help risk appetite.
• A recovery for gold is possible in the coming weeks, he said, pointing out that impeachment hearings against President Trump begin in Congress next week in the U.S

In the near term gold looks promising as following key happenings will help in creating a positive outlook for the yellow metal-

• Global economic uncertainty
• Fears over a trade war
• As a safe haven investment by the investor community.
• Slowing economic growth
• Underlying uncertainties
• Banks are dovish on rates, global economic signals are mixed,” he added.
• Ongoing trade disputes between the world’s two largest economies, the US and China
• The intrinsic connection between the precious metal and US dollar prices.

In Prithviraj Kothari’s opinion, Inflation, recession, de-dollarization and many such geopolitical uncertainties are bound to hamper global growth and during that period markets will again move towards gold for diversifying risk and creating a more return generating portfolio.

As sentiments remain bullish for gold, a jump in gold prices is soon expected and this will create a room for gold as an alternate form of investment. But gold will have to defend $1425-1450 before contemplating a move upward.

A Favourable Environment Has Emerged For Gold

US China trade war that gathered lot of limelight last week, seems to be put on a back burner as China said that they will not sign any further deals unless another round of talks happen,. There was a renewed volatility when China issued this statement and DOW fell along.

Gold prices edged higher on Thursday after the European Union and U.K. reached a preliminary Brexit deal, with worries that a deal may not pass a weekend vote in the British parliament and signs of a weakness in the U.S. economy providing support for the haven metal.

Gold’s gains after an initial small sell off suggest that many market participants remain sceptical of this latest Brexit.

Gold has benefited from new safe-haven flows. It hasn’t taken much to push investors back into gold; the latest move was triggered after disappointing retail sales numbers for September.

Investors digested a batch of mostly weaker-than-expected U.S. data, which could cement expectations for interest-rate cuts from the Fed.

• The Philadelphia Fed said its gauge of business activity fell to 5.6 in October from 12 in September
• Economists polled by Econoday expecting a 7.1 reading and a report on industrial production from the Federal Reserve fell 0.4% in September, marking the biggest drop since April.
• Data showed that U.S. housing starts slid to an annual rate of 1.26 million last month from a revised 1.39 million in August
• Initial weekly jobless claims increased by 4,000 to 214,000.

According to some analysts, the disappointing economic data continues to support market expectations that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates at the end of the month.

According to an unofficial poll conducted with the LBMA delegates, they see gold prices rising to $1658 an ounce, up nearly 11% from current prices.

The LBMA forecast has garnered more attention lately, as their last years forecast has also proved to be fairly accurate.

Last year the conference poll attendees saw gold prices rising to $1532 an ounce.  The bullish outlook came at a t time when gold prices were struggling to hold support above $1200 an ounce. Earlier this summer, expectations of looser monetary policy and rising recession fears helped to rally gold prices more than 20 % for the year, with prices hitting a six year high above $1560 an ounce.

According to reports, this is only the second time in last 10 years that gold has seen a 20% rally. Although prices are off their highs, the gold market is still holding on to a 16% gain for the year.

The signs of a favourable environment for the commodity emerged late last year and have continued to build throughout 2019. Our original thesis is now playing out; we continue to see slowing global growth, a more dovish Fed and real rates below 2% driving demand for the commodity and causing a decoupling in the negative relationship between gold and the U.S. dollar.

Prithviraj Kothari is author of this article. Find more information about Prithviraj kothari.

Gold Continues To Ride The Bulls

Has gold really been the safe-haven asset? Has gold really proved to be a hedge in times of uncertainties? Has the yellow metal been the highest return generating asset in its class?

So let’s see what gold has done since 2001. I have always been telling people to buy gold on dips. In 1981, after gold had made its top above $800 it was pushed back into the bears market wherein it plunged to about @250 by 2001; at that time no one even wanted to hear the word gold. People were shifting focus to other means of investment. But I was quite sure that gold was here to stay and it will soon shift its sentiments to bullish. And it happened. I was expecting gold to enter the bulls markets after a 20 year period. Targets were $3000, and currently, it doesn’t seem to be a far reality.

The gold price tends to rise in times of crisis and as of now, the yellow metal has the potential to go much higher even without a major calamity.
Later then, gold will become the most desirable asset when the central banks restart their QE (quantitative easing) programs in order to avoid devastating recessions. The purchasing power of money will be eroded significantly.

Precious metals enjoyed their second-biggest inflows ever in the week to Wednesday, Bank of America Merrill Lynch said on Friday, as festering trade tensions and global growth woes triggered a rush for safe-haven assets.

This quarter too we saw gold running over the bulls. Gold had a good third quarter, rising 8%. 2 factors that suggest, gold may be set for further rises in the immediate future

Demand- We all know that China and Russia have been the biggest buyers of gold in the past decade. On a quarterly basis, central banks increased their purchases of gold immensely in the first quarter of 2019.

The World Gold Council reports that the first quarter of 2019 purchases were the highest in 6 years, rising 68% above the year-ago quarter.

Early this year the World Gold Council reported that central banks around the globe bought the most gold in 2018 on over 51 years. According to the report, last year central banls bought 651 tonnes (metric) of gold. That is an increase of 74% from 2017.

What can be noted further is that India that was once the biggest consumer of gold, will also be seen buying the yellow metal? But the demand is expected to come not from the central banks, but from the locals. The monsoon this year in India has been higher than usual. This leads to a series of events that will further boost agricultural income and this drive increased purchase of gold.

Furthermore, in China, forward contracts have surged to record highs on the Shanghai Gold Exchange and there has been a build-up in China gold ETF holdings since late May.

Tight the unfavourable duty structure in India has not really been helpful in boosting gold demand, but analysts in the market feel that this issue has been boo timing out and a turnaround is soon expected.

Similarly, physical demand in China has been lacklustre due to high prices. But that too seemed to be fading away, where the rise in demand is soon to be witnessed in the Chinese markets too.

Uncertainties- US and China are expected to hold trade talks on 10th October. Simultaneously Iran is also attempting to have talk initiative with the US but the latter is denying all kinds of talks with Iran s of now.

Thought most banks in China will be shut due to Chinese national holiday, this whole week markets will witness Trump’s impeachments dilemma on one hand and Brexit on the other. Nonetheless, these uncertainties will help in evolving the markets.

A noteworthy point is that worldwide money printing triggered by attempts to stimulate economic activity could lead to a substantial gold price increase.

But one thing that cannot be ignored is that as of now one should wait to buy gold. With bullish sentiments at extremely high levels, I think that this is probably not the best time to buy the yellow metal. We will surely witness some dips and that would be the right opportunity.

Prithviraj Kothari is author of this article. Find more information about Prithviraj kothari.

Upcoming Fed Meet Important For Gold

Last week gold was into a wave-like movement where it crossed the $1500 mark but was pulled down back to $1497 over-optimistic global news.

Gold gained ground during European trading hours on Friday. It then gave up some of those gains early in the U.S. trading session. Gold demand in Europe has been strong in the wake of the ECB’s decision to lower rates and re-launch its sovereign debt-buying program.

Gold prices were range-bound on Friday as monetary easing uncertainties by major central banks supported demand while trade talk optimism lifted other assets, curbing gold’s gains.

The gold prices were on a rise in Europe on Mario Draghi’s loosening moves at the ECB, but was not allowed to stay above the $1,500 level it regained there (indeed it rose to above $1,520 at one stage) and was taken down to $1,498 by the market close in the U.S.  The fall seems to have been due to renewed optimism on some kind of trade talks agreement with China is on the cards after news from, later denied by, the Trump Administration that the U.S. might go easier on tariffs on Chinese imports.

De-escalation of the tensions between the world’s two largest economies (the United States and China) have led investors to take out the money from the safe-haven asset gold and move towards risk assets.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he preferred a comprehensive trade deal with China but did not rule out the possibility of an interim pact, even as he said an “easy” agreement would not be possible.

US President Donald Trump hinted at the possibility of signing an interim pact with China in the meantime until a comprehensive trade agreement can be worked out. These comments added to the recent optimism in the markets surrounding the trade war, shortly after both sides put off additional tariff hikes on each other’s imports.

Even though there was positive news that came in from the US, investors still believe that gold prices are here to stay and will be stronger with time as they fear that some sort of global slowdown is yet to come.

Some key indicators are pointing toward an economic slowdown:

• Despite low official unemployment numbers across the board, jobs growth has slowed to its weakest pace since 2011.
• Despite getting a boost from the Trump tax cuts, corporate earnings growth is now decelerating.
• Copper and other economically sensitive industrial metals are showing relative weakness.
• The Treasury yield curve recently inverted.
• As a result of trade disputes between the U.S. and China, manufacturing activity has slumped to a multi-year low.
• GDP itself it’s slowing. U.S. gross domestic product in the second quarter came in at 2% growth (down from 3% earlier in the year) – it's second-worst showing since President Donald Trump took office.

With fears of a global recession growing, analysts are starting to speculate that central bankers will cut interest rates further in the near future. They usually cut interest rates when growth is slowing in a bid to stimulate demand and then increase rates when the economy is growing in an attempt to control inflation. 

The problem is, since the financial crisis, central banks have been cutting rates aggressively. But these actions have not stimulated demand as expected. The situation has got so bad that some central banks around the world are imposing negative interest rates, which means consumers have to pay to keep their money in the bank. 

The financial world has never before seen such a strange setup, and this is why many analysts are recommending investors buy gold. 

With the resumption of trade talks between the U.S. and China not due until next month, and any seriously peace-making outcome uncertain anyway in our view, we suspect that gold will see another boost.  U.S. financial data is conflicting, but the feebleness of the global economy may well see the Fed taking vigilant measures, including further rate reductions, to try and insulate the U.S. from a global depression.

News that shook the markets on Monday was the attack in Saudi Arabia. Reacting to it, Gold prices jumped 1% on Monday as attacks on Saudi Arabia’s oil facilities dented risk appetite, boosting demand for the safe-haven bullion, while investors waited for clues on monetary easing from major central bank meetings due this week.

The gold price does seem to be under pressure to rise and eventually we do see this thrust driving prices upwards. Much may depend in the short term, though, on the outcome of next week’s FOMC meeting, and the interpretation of the various statements from Jerome Powell. Will the Fed lower interest rates again and, if so, are there further likely reductions ahead this year?

As per our Managing Director, Prithviraj Kothari thinks that the next major wave of move in gold prices will be governed by the outcome of the upcoming Fed meeting.

Rally in Gold Prices to Continue

When gold prices rally and bullish sentiments kick-off, the entire market gets into the bandwagon of new highs. We see analysts quoting new highs for gold. Some say $1600, some $1750 and there are some who also believe that it will cross $2000 by the end of 2019.

Well, there are many reasons that support the current and future rally in gold prices and justify the bullish sentiments.

2017 and 2018 were one of the worst-performing years for gold and many had even written off the yellow metal.  Prices for the metal have moved between $1100 and $1300 an ounce for most of the last five years. But the lacklustre price movement is all over now.

Gold was being laughed at. But now, not many are laughing, as the spot price has broken out to six-year highs, and investors late to the party have been bidding up the top companies in the sector to 52-week highs. One thing is for sure: the gold trade is on, and it makes sense to add it to your portfolio now if you haven’t yet considered it.

But yes we cannot ignore the fact that it is becoming increasingly challenging for the market participants to anticipate and plan for the future. In this environment of rising uncertainty and falling opportunity costs of holding gold, the yellow metal stands out as a clean way to take a strategic position both for institutional investors as well as the official sector [meaning central banks]

The bullion bounce surge, which has taken off this month, will continue to be propelled by mounting investor worries.

Increased uncertainty across the globe will act as the catalyst for the recent and likely continued increase in the value of the yellow metal.

One more aspect that cannot be ignored is the Treasury yields. As Treasury yields continue to skydive, gold price levels could go through the roof as the scrambler for safe-haven assets continues amid the latest market volatility as trade wars between the U.S. and China rage on. This could provide more gains for gold-focused exchange-traded funds (ETFs) as analysts are predicting that the precious metal could shoot past the $2,000 per ounce price mark.

Where on one side there is so much happening in the US, on the other side we see China going equally active.

China has long been aiming to reduce its dependency on the US dollar. In an effort to reduce its exposure to gold it has been piling its reserves. For any country to diversify from the US dollar, it’s very important to purchase the yellow metal even in smaller quantities. This will help in meeting its objectives.

But China’s gold purchases, along with the buying spree in other countries, including Russia, also aim toward a broader geopolitical objective. They want to undermine dollar hegemony and reduce the United States’ ability to weaponize the dollar as a foreign policy tool.

As the Chinese buy gold, they have also been divesting themselves of US Treasury’s. China dumped Treasuries for the third straight month in May, pushing their holdings to the lowest level in two years. Data for June should be released in the next few days.

This move toward de-dollarization in China and other countries could boost the price of gold.

The recent increase in gold prices may be set to continue on the strength of a global push for de-dollarization.

Countries increasingly hostile to the US and dollar hegemony, such as Russia and China, are searching for alternatives to the dollar including gold.

China has severely restricted imports of gold since May in a move that could be aimed at curbing outflows of dollars and bolstering its Yuan currency as economic growth slows, Reuter’s reports.

The world’s second-largest economy has cut shipments by some 300-500 tons compared with last year – worth US$15-25 billion at current prices, the news agency said, citing bullion industry sources with direct knowledge of the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to the media.

The restrictions come as an escalating trade confrontation with the United States has dragged China’s pace of growth to the slowest in nearly three decades and pressured the Yuan to its lowest since 2008.

A strongly heading trade war fuelled with a weak US economy will further push gold prices high.

Larry Kudlow, the American financial analyst said on Sunday that the US economy is heading for a recession. But he also mentioned that the recent US-China telephonic talks have produced positive news.
Last week’s desperation from Trump on China and for FED interest rate cut says it all. Summing it up, this time, China is taking an upper hand of trade talks, while the US will be on the receiving hand.


Monday, the 19th, we don’t have any data news coming in from the US and the markets are more or less reacting to the Hong King Protest news and an expectation of a stimulus from China.

All in all, Our Managing Director Prithviraj Kothari believes Gold is set to gain as recession, trade and geopolitical risks rise, and yields fall.

Investors Increasing Their Gold Exposure

When some people just started writing off gold last week stating that it was a bubble, the yellow metal once again proved its opposition wrong.

Though gold consolidated in a narrow range of $1528 to $1493 till Thursday, it did manage to pop up on Friday.

Gold has risen nearly 8% so far this month and about 19% this year, and was set for a fourth straight week of gains.

Gold prices rose by 2% on Friday as investors construed U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s speech as leaning toward a dovish monetary policy stance and President Donald Trump’s latest comments exacerbated trade tensions with China.

Powell said the U.S. economy is in a “favourable place,” but gave few clues about interest rate cuts at its next meeting. However, he listed a series of economic and geopolitical risks the Fed is monitoring, noting these were linked to the trade spat.

Spot gold rose 1.9% at $1,526.60 an ounce on Friday, shaking off slight headwinds ahead of the Fed Chair’s speech.

Prices earlier rose to $1,528.79, the highest since Aug. 13, when spot gold had scaled a six-year peak of $1,534.31.

Contradicting to the price rise, data released showed that US jobless claims dropped 12,000 to seasonally adjusted 209000 for the week ended on Aug 17. The IHS Market Flash Purchasing Managers Index came at 49.9 below 50 levels for the first time since Sep 2009. The yellow metal hits an intraday low of $1493.44 and is currently trading around $1495.99.

Markets were eyeing US Fed Chair Powell's speech in Jackson's hole symposium for further direction.

Some early comments revealed that FED is going to be dovish but not outright one and the rate cut won’t be on accelerated mode.

The US 28.10y yield inversions are the real headache for economists whether or not the recession is coming now.

But the real culprit might be the USD-CNY i.e. Yuan on its depreciating fast and sooner it would be bringing more uncertainty and uncertainties are the best time to put money into gold.

Trump tweeted on 21st August that he is hoping a china deal. Fed minutes revealed all expected scenario and two of the members of the Fed actual wanted. 50% rate cut and finally did.25% last month and overall commentary was dovish and more centred around global economic weakness. Trump also ratcheted up the rhetoric on China, ordering U.S. companies to look at ways to close operations in the country, which sent equities tumbling and drove further inflows into safe-haven gold.

This came after China unveiled retaliatory tariffs against about $75 billion worth of U.S. goods.

The fact that Powell said that they (the Fed) will act appropriately to sustain expansion is pretty bullish for gold. The two primary tools they have are quantitative easing (QE) or lower rates - both those tools will cause gold to go higher

Powell’s speech prompted a backlash from Trump on Twitter, asking whether the Fed chair was a greater “enemy” than China’s leader Xi Jinping.

In normal times, investors need lower prices to persuade them to park their money for ten years, but when trouble is brewing, they are prepared to pay more for a secure long-term home for their cash.

Conventional thinking has it that gold, along with other “hard assets” such as real estate, flourishes when an economic boom, with attendant inflation, is driving investors and traders away from conventional securities such as cash, stocks and bonds and towards investments likely to hold their value.

There are three reasons why we believe that now is the right time to think about increasing gold exposure.

The first would be that broad market valuations are high, which would suggest that equity returns over the next decade could be lower than in the past decade. Historically, that has often coincided with strong returns for gold and gold equities.

Secondly, the case for the US dollar over the coming decade is weak. Primarily, this is the function of very large US deficits. Again, when the dollar is weak historically gold has performed well.

Finally, the most important; there are global macro policy risks. These are as likely today as at any point since the Second World War and the cause of that are record-high global debt burdens.

The risk here is that macro policy responses could continue to be unconventional and potentially become more extreme, driving real interest rates very low or even negative.

So as per our Managing Director Prithviraj Kothari's opinion, gold seems to be the best option to park your funds.

Play Cautiously and Take Utmost Care While Trading

Gold prices have risen nearly 16% this year, and by around $ 100 an ounce this week, as investors turned to the precious metal seen as a safe haven amid the bruising US-China trade and currency war.

As the week opened, PBOC of China fixed Yuan at 6.97% against the dollar and Trump and US Fed commented that China is acting as a currency manipulator. As mentioned previously that whatever Trump has done against China in its history is the worst trade war of this decade. There was obvious that pain boomeranged into the US markets and Dow slipped nearly 750 points on Monday- the worst single-day fall of 2019. And big time sufferers are US companies and global economies as they are on the verge of recession.

Gold hit $1485 and that was a major target that I made clear over the time and now this parabolic rise should stop unless China does something nasty to un-nerve.

The dimming global economic outlook, fuelled by heightening trade tensions between the U.S. and China are boosting gold’s appeal as a hedge against financial turmoil.

Gold is likely to show higher volatility and now overall range is expected to be $1500-$1550.

Despite Chinas commitment, the PBOC fixed Yuan at a higher level and fixed USD/CNY at 7.05% on Wednesday. Gold is once again moving to new calendar year highs and it hit $15 higher. Now gold is also behaving like currency when there is a losing streak for USD as the global currency status. These are extraordinary times and no matter how the USD index or the US data comes out, there is next big leg of rally possible on both.

On Thursday, gold showed an intraday volatility of +3%. This kind of fluctuation exhibited in the global markets too. Meanwhile gold hit 5.5 years high of %1522 and also made the single biggest gain of 3 years at 17.25. Moreover, the US-China trade war has been intensifying in a slightly uglier manner and this is adding fuel to the rally in gold prices.

Gold is at a record-breaking high in the domestic markets too. Gold prices on Thursday soared past the Rs 38,000-mark for or the first time rising Rs 550 to hit a fresh high of  Rs 38,470 per 10gm here in the capital.  In Mumbai, agency reports pegged the price of 10gm of standard gold (99.5 purity) at Rs 37,091, while pure gold (99.9 purity) cost Rs 37,240 on Thursday.

Gold remains relevant given the elevated economic and geopolitical risks. Investors will continue to shift their strategic portfolio positions in favor of gold. But Our Managing Director, Prithviraj Kothari advises all the investors to play cautiously and take utmost care while trading in these high volatile patterns.

Be Vigilant to Be Ahead

With even a minor drop in gold prices, many players in the market start doubting gold’s rally and raise questions about the gold bubble. Similar things happened this week.

Initially, gold was pulled down. Mario Draghi positioned up a September easing package but that wasn’t enough for the gold market. It hit $1433 after the initial ECB statement but the lack of action resulted in a drop in gold prices as it was down by $9 to $1416.

The ECB left interest rates unchanged at its meeting on Thursday, but its President Mario Draghi signaled that the bank was prepared to cut rates in September.

Market participants are now looking forward to the U.S. central bank’s monetary policy meeting, where it is expected to trim its interest rate by at least 25 basis points.

President Trump stressed his point to US Fed to do a sharp interest rate cut, rather his recently appointed member Shelton advocated for 50bps cut.

U.S. GDP data, which is due on Friday, is expected to show that U.S. economic growth slowed to 1.8% in the second quarter from 3.1% in the previous quarter.

If markets decide that the Trump administration’s commitment to the strong dollar is under review, investors are likely to sell the US dollar hard, including versus gold.

Furthermore, China added more gold to its foreign reserves in June, for the seventh month in succession. In fact, it is not the only country that’s piling up gold.  In 2018 alone, central banks bought 651 tonnes of gold, up 74 percent compared to 2017 and the highest level since 1971. Over the past decade, central banks have purchased more than 4,300 tonnes of gold, taking their total holdings to around 34,000 tonnes today. The trend has continued in 2019, with net purchases reaching 90 tonnes before the end of the first quarter

Central bank purchases of gold are no guarantee that gold prices will rise but they indicate to the wider investing community the underlying and potentially price-supportive demand for the precious metal. Also, historically, a rise in international tensions has proven somewhat supportive of the gold price, and there is certainly no shortage of that at the moment.

A lot of fuel is expected to be added to keep gold supported. Given the ongoing tensions in the Gulf, the various trade disputes and other geopolitical uncertainties, Prithviraj Kothari expects gold prices to strengthen further.

Gold traders should place stop at $1409.5 (i.e. breaking this will straight-pull it down to $1400) be vigilant. Buy at $1414 for targets $1422-$1425 at most towards advance GDP data. 

Gold Might Perk In the Near Future

We all know that when gold prices rally, all market players join the bull’s bandwagon. Currently, also markets have not left a single stone unturned in proving the fact that gold will touch $2000 an ounce by year-end and cross Rs. 40,000 per 10 gram in the domestic market.

Well, it’s too early and even very difficult to predict even the near term gold price movements because there is so much happening around that stabilizing gold prices seem to be a far reality.

There are three reasons why gold has popped in the last several months -

• Recession risks that have gone up.
• Rates that have been trending lower
• 10-year real yields have gone from 1.2[%] to 25 basis points.

Last week following dovish comments from New York Fed President Williams gold prices traded above U.S. $1450. Less than a day later a spokesman for the New York Fed “clarified” Williams comments saying they were not about immediate policy direction.

If you found last week’s dovish Fed message followed by the backtracking in follow up news articles confusing you are not alone Geopolitical risks from the Persian Gulf could provide some support for the yellow metal, but the next major move will likely be if the Fed is dovish enough for markets. Last Friday, with US Iran tensions escalating, precious metals were seen at new 2019 highs.

Currently gold is at a 6,5year high but it couldn’t sustain. The $1415- $1420 in general is good support to revisit towards $1450-$1460.

After five years of being stuck in a trading range, gold prices have broken out in the last six weeks, igniting a rally to multiyear highs. Prices held near those highs on Monday as investors awaited word from the Federal Reserve about whether the central bank would cut interest rates at its next meeting.

Making the decision less clear cut, tensions between the U.S. and Iran continue to escalate, and with market pricing set at more reasonable levels, there is room for both the ECB and FOMC to deliver a dovish surprise at their upcoming meetings.

The year of 2008 brought 350 basis points of softening into US rates. And then it took a full seven years for the Fed to make another move when the Yellen-led Fed posed her first actual adjustment to the discount rate. Another hike followed in 2016, a little over a month after the US Presidential Election; and then a full seven rate hikes followed in 2017 and 2018. Suffice it to say, this was a stark change-of-pace to a market environment that many had come to rely upon.

Joining these series of events, 31st July at 11.30 pm (IST), The Fed verdict will be stamped and till these 8 days, the markets speculation will also continue.

On Tuesday President Trump stressed his point to US Fed to initiate a sharp interest rate cut. Rather his recently appointed Fed member Shelton advocates for 50bps cut.

So whatever happens on 31st July, gold is still expected to perk as dovish statements will be associated with the event.

In summary, despite the possibility that the current pullback has further to go, our managing director, Prithviraj Kothari feels that the uptrend in gold is likely to re-establish itself with potential towards the next upside target of U.S. $1480/1500.

Gold Is Still Very Reactive to Daily News

The increase in the price of gold is not only limited to US dollar; it is pretty much the same in virtually all major currencies in the world, Recently Indian Government has decided to increase import duty on gold. Our Managing Director- Prithviraj Kothari has advised the market to wait for more stability. There are quite a few reasons why the gold bull market might indeed have returned and that the latest price action is not just bubble.

Gold traders limited the range view before the testimony and were eyeing on $1390-$1392 once again as a final support.

Gold spent most of the week under $1,400 even though China added 10 tonnes to its reserves and Poland reported a large acquisition of 100 tonnes.

Wednesday gold moved decisively up to $1,426 on the back of Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell's dovish comments at his semi-annual monetary policy testimony but then moderated with US inflation coming in above expectations overnight, although it has held above $1,400.

Spot gold rose 1.5% on Wednesday after Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s dovish remarks, where he confirmed the U.S. economy was still under threat from disappointing factory activity, tame inflation and a simmering trade war, and said the Fed stood ready to “act as appropriate.”

This statement weighed on the dollar. The U.S. currency against major other currencies extended declines for a second session.

All eyes were focussed on Powell over the past week as he presented his key semi annual monetary policy before the congress. What needs to be remembered is that it was a two-day testimony and maybe the last key event before locking the 28th- 29th July verdict. The extent of dovishness depended on change of words that he put on soon after the strong US payrolls.

On the second day of the testimony, Powell almost reassured that he is not changing the stance of June (which was dovish and rate cut prone) as he sees lot of headwind and slowdown especially the trade war-related tensions that are affecting the global growth. Morgan Stanley however thinks that the Fed will cut 0.5% on 25th July.

Gold prices fell on Thursday, erasing gains made early in the day after stronger-than-expected consumer inflation in the United States cast doubts whether the U.S. central bank will cut interest rates as aggressively as expected.

Spot gold dipped 0.85% to $1,406.8 per ounce, dropping nearly $6 after U.S. consumer prices demonstrated a pick-up in underlying inflation, increasing in June by the most in nearly 1-1/2 years.

The core U.S. consumer price index, excluding food and energy, rose 0.3% in June, data showed on Thursday, the largest increase since January 2018. The U.S. Federal Reserve had last month downgraded its inflation projection for the year to 1.5% from the 1.8% projected in March.

Bullion rates were quick to slump following the data, shedding nearly 1% in the latter part of its session, with the dollar erasing some losses.

Gold prices inched higher on Friday as investors shrugged off concerns that stronger-than-expected consumer inflation in the United States could influence the U.S. central bank’s decision on aggressive monetary policy easing.

Spot gold rose 0.3% to $1,407.31 per ounce as during trading sessions, having touched $1,412.20 earlier in the session.

Fed policymakers are scheduled to meet on July 30-31, where investors will look for further cues on monetary policy easing. Nonetheless, gold remains a valuable asset amid rising geopolitical tension, growing macro uncertainty and a maturing economic cycle. The market expects synchronous rate cuts globally, which will make non-yielding gold attractive for investors.

Gold is still very reactive to daily news but it is forming a trading channel of $1,380 to $1,440 and the longer this continues the better - the market needs to consolidate before attempting another leg higher, which we feel is the more likely outcome than it breaking back down.

Market Should Wait for More Stability

Last week, the price of gold spiked above $1,400 per ounce, a level that, signals the beginning of a new bull market for gold. Many factors have been driving gold’s price higher, including recent changes in the U.S. Federal Reserve’s outlook that increased the chances of future rate cuts, the European Central Bank’s comments from earlier this month signaling that further rate cuts may also be a possibility in Europe, falling U.S. Treasury rates and a declining U.S. dollar.

The surge in the price of gold following the Federal Reserve meeting indicated a material change in market behavior as the adjustments to the Summary of Economic Projections (SEP) fuel betted for lower US interest rates.

Some disappointing numbers coming in from the US strengthened gold prices further. The US economy showed fresh worrisome signs on Monday as home sales and consumer confidence sank. Sales fell 7.8% to a five month low in a sign that low rates aren't spurring activity. Consumer confidence also dove to 121.5 from 131.0 as the expectations survey cratered. Those numbers added to the pessimism in the US dollar early and lifted gold for the sixth day.

On a day filled with economic data and Fed speakers, it was St Louis Fed President James Bullard who stole the market's attention with a hint that a rate-cutting cycle isn't coming. Instead of a series of rate cuts, Bullard implied there would be one or two.

Like a typical Bollywood masala movie, there were a lot of twists and turns that continued on Fed chief and other Fed members as FED GUV had appeared just before the Powell’s Speech on 25^th June, and he said that an emergency is not beyond the realm for the Fed.

Later Powell came out and stated that Fed and the independent Body don’t come under political pressure and that one weak data doesn’t necessarily mean a weak economy.
However, comments from St. Louis Fed President James Bullard, a 2019 voting member on the FOMC, suggested the central bank will insulate the US economy with an “insurance cut” as the official insists that a reduction of “50 basis points would be overdone.”

Moreover, Chairman Jerome Powell pointed out that the baseline outlook for the US economy “remains favorable and it seems as though the FOMC will take a more reactionary approach in managing monetary policy as the central bank head pledges to “closely monitor the implications of incoming information for the economic outlook and will act as appropriate to sustain the expansion.”
With that said, details of a US-China trade deal may ultimately lead to a minor adjustment in monetary policy, but Chairman Powell and Co. may have little choice but to re-establish a rate cutting cycle as the Trump administration continues to rely on tariffs and sanctions to push its agenda.

These price movements had a spill effect in the domestic markets too. Local gold prices hit a record ₹35,960 per 10 grams on Tuesday, having jumped more than 10% over the past month. People generally don’t tend to buy gold in such a high volatile markets. Such high jump in prices is welcomed with a dampening demand as investors and consumers would prefer to buy gold in a more stabilized market.

So all in all, the DOW turned weak. The US 10y yields did not gain and still hover 2.00%. This is one indicator that rate cut will be there and dovish view has to be maintained by FED and that’s the reason that gold cannot be bought at $1405-$1425. Our Managing Director Prithviraj Chauhan known as The Bullion King of India has advised markets to wait for more stability and clarity on the global economic front.

BUDGET 2019

International markets didn’t witness much volatility as US market remained closed on 4th July over Independence Day.

Now there are 2 points to be noted-
Firstly, the US DOW is at life’s high at 27000 as the plunging yields are now at 1.94% US 10y. This indicates that the rate cut is bound to happen soon.

Secondly, the key number comes in from US payroll at 6.00pm IST. The Fed meet and broader expectation of 162k vs. last times 75k. Moreover, unemployment rate is expected to be at a decade’s high.

Till then market is expected to be trading in a narrow range.
As far as domestic markets are concerned, all eyes were on the much awaited budget, well named as Modi 2.0 budget.

A clean win this election for our respected PM Modi clearly indicates that the public has hopes with this government and expects it to work for the betterment of our country. Similar to these lines, the common man also had many expectations from this budget with respect to taxation, water managements, farmer loans and many other critical issues.

Even the gem, jewellery and gold industry had expectations that this budget would bring some relief to the sector where duty structure is concerned.

What was need was that the government should give a thought on how gold should be treated and how it should be classified into asset class. Once gold is classified into an asset class then other products like Mutual Funds, Insurance Fund, Pension funds should be allowed to invest into the yellow metal. The dollar rupee fluctuation can be hedged and interest rate can be covered on large scale.

Another need of the hour was to have a more organised gold market. Introduction of a trading platform/exchange to trade gold and all transactions should take place only on this platform. This would bring about transparency in its pricing, set benchmark prices and would benefit the end consumer on a large scale.

Gold has an import duty of 10 per cent, and market players wanted it to be pulled down to 4 percent to boost demand. But the government has proposed to increase the duty to 12.5 percent to mobilise resources. We need to wait and see how markets have accepted this rise in duty and what will be their reaction.

Investors parking funds into Gold

Gold is on a winning streak, shining brighter than before. Investors, households, traders and central banks around the globe are parking cash in it. Gold has rallied its highest in the last six years in the international market. In India, it hit it’s highest ever on June 25. In one month, gold has gained 12% and it appears the Bull Run for the yellow metal will last longer than one thought.

Gold prices have surged to the highest since 2013 as the U.S. and the global economy slow and due to the likelihood of a return to ultra-loose monetary policies. Rising geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and between an aligned Iran, Russia and China versus the U.S. is also leading to safe haven demand. U.S.-Iran relations have deteriorated sharply whereby war has become a very real possibly alas.

Monetary policies - The US Federal Reserve, the country’s central bank, did what many expected last Wednesday, and held interest rates steady while signalling that a rate cut is on its way. Now, meaning no change to the 2.25% to 2.5% range on the federal funds rate. Nine of 10 FOMC members voted to keep rates unchanged. The Fed reportedly dropped its pledge to be “patient” on widely anticipated rate cuts, meaning it could be poised to act. Also, Reuters said, Fed Chair Jerome Powell stopped referring to below-target inflation as “transient”. Reading between the lines gold traders took the message and ran with it, with the precious metal’s price hitting a five-year high.

Economic slowdown - Macroeconomic growth is falling all over the world. Joblessness is not peculiar to India, jobs are falling across the globe and investors are not comfortable opening their purse strings due to the uncertain economic and political environment. Hence, the cash will be parked in the safest haven, the value of which could possibly never come to zero.

US-China trade war - The other reason for gold being on a tear is the risk of the ongoing trade war spiralling into a currency war. If that happens, gold will turn into a bigger monetary asset, it will gain further.4he likelihood of more central banks joining in the race to buy gold will increase with the increase in anxiety about an uncertain future. Gold will also play as the most important asset class as global risks in equity markets rise.

Geopolitical tensions - Concerns arising out of mounting trade war and geopolitical tensions between the US and Iran have added to the dollar weakness and therefore lending an extra shine to gold. On June 25, gold hit its highest in six years, selling at Rs 35,800 per 10 grams, clawing back to 2013 level when it had touched the highest due to government’s desperate measure of an unprecedented import duty hike on the yellow metal

The result was an immediate jump in the gold prices. The rise in gold futures was even more dramatic, with gold for delivery in August rocketing to a fresh high $1,366.60. The last time bullion was priced that high was just over five years ago.

Weak Dollar - gold prices share an inverse relation with the dollar. When the dollar, the world’s most powerful currency loses shine, gold takes over from there. In the month of June, it shined the most, boosted on the back of a weakness in the dollar after the US Federal Reserve signalled it would cut interest rates, going forward, as the US economy was sagging.

Trade, economic and geopolitical uncertainty have seen safe-haven demand return and pushed prices higher.

Apart from this news what made headlines was the G20 summit which ended with a lot of positives and negatives.
Positives- Finally the US and China formally agreed for a re-talk of their completely stopped talks 6 weeks ago.

Negatives - Trump looked desperate for any kind of deal with China, which compelled markets to believe that there is some kind of deterioration of the US economy.  This happened following his face-saving comment on Huawei and later Kudley clarified that there is no big relief for this Chinese company.

His visit to the North Korean border didn’t go down well with the markets.
Some important numbers that market will track in the week are-
• China Manufacturing PMI
• US Manufacturing PMI

The month ended with a lot of glitters for gold as it claimed 6 years high of $1422 and is expected to see big ranges this week if there some kind of news coming in  from
• Economic data
• Trump
• China

Based on the futures markets we can say that if gold crosses 34005 then we can expect a rally of 34250- 34400. If it drops below 34005 then e can expect a further fall between 33875 to 33625.