Gold slides over 1% as oil jumps 4% on Hormuz fears, Fed inflation warning
Gold's slide of more than 1% alongside a stronger dollar reflects markets reviving expectations for elevated interest rates as oil's sharp 4% jump adds to inflationary pressure, a dynamic that typically weighs on non-yielding assets like bullion even amid heightened geopolitical risk. Oil's move higher builds directly on Monday's earlier 3% surge, extending the market's repricing of the weekend's expanded Gulf strikes, the fresh Centcom-led strikes launched Sunday evening, and the continued confusion over how much traffic is actually still moving through the strait. The Fed's Friday report to Congress citing tariffs, war-related energy costs and AI-driven demand as compounding inflation pressures reinforces the case for the dollar's strength and gives markets less room to expect near-term rate relief, a combination that could keep gold under pressure even if Gulf tensions continue to escalate.
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Oil's surge on Hormuz fears is doing gold no favours, as rate-hike bets firm up instead.
Summary:
- Gold slid more than 1% in early Asian trade on Monday as fears over the closure of the Strait of Hormuz drove oil prices sharply higher, reviving expectations of elevated interest rates to combat inflationary pressures.
- The move followed a weekend in which US and Iranian forces exchanged heavy missile and drone strikes, with Tehran targeting US facilities across the Gulf and again declaring the Strait of Hormuz closed.
- Oil prices jumped about 4% and the dollar climbed as markets priced in higher inflation risk and a firmer monetary policy outlook.
- The Federal Reserve said in a monetary policy report to Congress on Friday that US inflation stepped up further this spring, citing the evolving impact of tariffs, a war-related rise in energy costs, and the booming artificial intelligence buildout as factors boosting price pressures that took root last year.
Gold slid more than 1% in early Asian trade on Monday as fears over the closure of the Strait of Hormuz drove oil prices sharply higher, reviving expectations of elevated interest rates to combat inflationary pressures. The move came after US and Iranian forces exchanged heavy missile and drone assaults over the weekend, with Tehran targeting US facilities in states across the Gulf on Sunday and again declaring the vital strait closed, an escalation that extended into a further round of Centcom-led strikes launched Sunday evening local time.
Oil prices jumped about 4% as the fresh round of attacks compounded Monday's earlier surge, driven by the weekend's expansion of Iranian strikes to Qatar and the UAE alongside continued uncertainty over actual shipping volumes through the strait. The dollar climbed in tandem, reflecting the market's shift toward pricing a firmer monetary policy outlook as energy-driven inflation risk builds. That combination, rising oil, a stronger dollar and revived rate hike expectations, has weighed on gold even as geopolitical risk in the Gulf continues to intensify, underscoring how the inflation channel is currently dominating the safe-haven dynamics that would typically support bullion in a crisis.
Adding to the inflationary backdrop, the Federal Reserve said in a monetary policy report delivered to Congress on Friday that US inflation stepped up further this spring. The Fed attributed the pickup to the evolving impact of tariffs, a war-related rise in energy costs stemming from the Gulf conflict, and the booming artificial intelligence buildout, all of which it said were boosting price pressures that had already taken root over the past year. That assessment gives markets further reason to expect the Fed will stay cautious on cutting rates, reinforcing dollar strength and adding another headwind for gold even as the Gulf conflict shows no sign of near-term resolution.
With oil, the dollar and rate expectations now moving together in the same direction, and the Fed explicitly linking war-related energy costs to the inflation outlook, the interaction between the Gulf conflict and monetary policy looks set to remain the dominant driver for gold and broader risk sentiment in the sessions ahead, particularly if strikes around the strait continue at their current pace.
This article was written by fl6553e4b45d84486a91658a8b3f02bf22 at investinglive.com.提供 MainLink:Investinglive RSS Breaking News Feed

