Daily Maverick
Dailymaverick logo

Business Maverick

This article is more than 4 years old

International Finance

Gold Holds Decline After Powell’s Hawkish Comments on Tapering

Gold held a drop after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said officials should weigh removing pandemic support at a faster pace, potentially paving the way for earlier-than-expected interest-rate hikes. 
Bloomberg
By Bloomberg
1 Dec
Bullion At Gold Investments Ltd. As Gold Holds Ground Near RecordOne-hundred gram gold bars sit at Gold Investments Ltd. bullion dealers in this arranged photograph in London, U.K., on Wednesday, July 29, 2020. Gold held its ground after a record-setting rally as investors awaited the outcome of a Federal Reserve meeting amid expectations policy makers will remain dovish, potentially spurring more gains. Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg

Powell signaled Tuesday at the Senate Banking Committee that the matter could be discussed at the Fed’s next meeting Dec. 14-15, by which there will be more information on the new coronavirus strain. Powell also retired the word “transitory” to describe stubbornly high inflation. The dollar pared steep losses in response to his comments, which weighed on the precious metal.Bullion posted a marginal loss last month as investors weighed the prospects of the Fed dialing back on pandemic-era stimulus amid elevated consumer prices, with the uncertainty surrounding the omicron variant’s impact on the global recovery. The U.S. central bank is currently scheduled to complete its asset-purchase program in mid-2022 under a plan announced at the start of November to slow buying by $15 billion a month.

Spot gold was steady at $1,773.29 an ounce by 7:48 a.m. in Singapore after dropping 0.6% Tuesday. The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index was little changed after declining 0.4% in the previous session. Silver retreated 0.2%, palladium rose 0.6% and platinum steadied.

Comments

Loading your account…

Scroll down to load comments...