Access both platforms from your single Saxo account.
Gold higher as Trump attacks the Fed and strong dollar
Ole Hansen
Head of Commodity Strategy
Gold trades higher for a third day after President Trump, speaking at a private fund raiser on Friday and in an interview with Reuters, said that he was “not thrilled” with the Federal Reserve continuing to raise rates.
Under the chairmanship of Trump appointee Jerome Powell, the US Fed Funds rate has been raised three times on top the two hikes during the earlier part of Trump's presidency.
Under the chairmanship of Trump appointee Jerome Powell, the US Fed Funds rate has been raised three times on top the two hikes during the earlier part of Trump's presidency.
While not directly challenging the independence of the Federal Reserve he nevertheless complained that Powell hasn’t proved to be the cheap money chairman he expected while saying “I believe in the Fed doing what’s good for the country”.
The market responded by sending the dollar lower with the euro breaking back above 1.15 and thereby removing some of the weakness that emerged last week in response to Italian budget risks and EU bank's exposure to emerging market debt (most notably) Turkish debt.
Meanwhile in China, the People's Bank of China fixed the yuan at 6.8360, a three-week high. This adds further credence to the emerging belief that China has put a line in the sand at 7.00 below which they won’t allow its currency to weaken against the dollar.
Given the continued and high correlation between gold and yuan, this development has also helped in providing some fresh support for the yellow metal.
The market responded by sending the dollar lower with the euro breaking back above 1.15 and thereby removing some of the weakness that emerged last week in response to Italian budget risks and EU bank's exposure to emerging market debt (most notably) Turkish debt.
Meanwhile in China, the People's Bank of China fixed the yuan at 6.8360, a three-week high. This adds further credence to the emerging belief that China has put a line in the sand at 7.00 below which they won’t allow its currency to weaken against the dollar.
Given the continued and high correlation between gold and yuan, this development has also helped in providing some fresh support for the yellow metal.
Trump speaking up against the strong dollar in general and the continued recovery of the Yuan has seen gold put together a three-day run of gains. However, funds holding a record short three times the size of the previous one in December 2015 have not yet showed any signs of cutting back. For that to happen the dollar would need to show further signs of stabilising while the price at a minimum needs to break back above $1,205/oz, the previous low.
In the short term, Trump expressing his concerns about rising rates will put some focus on Wednesdays release of the Fed minutes and the upcoming Jackson Hole symposium this coming weekend where Jerome Powell will speak on Friday.
The narrative is arguably that global markets will remain in a fragile state until the Fed backs off its quantitative tightening and rate hiking regime, with the risk of a real crisis linked to EMs' overindulgence in borrowing USD since the global financial crisis.
Should Powell unexpectedly blink and signal a slowdown in the tightening process, the dollar could see some additional selling and potentially send gold on a path to recovery.
The narrative is arguably that global markets will remain in a fragile state until the Fed backs off its quantitative tightening and rate hiking regime, with the risk of a real crisis linked to EMs' overindulgence in borrowing USD since the global financial crisis.
Should Powell unexpectedly blink and signal a slowdown in the tightening process, the dollar could see some additional selling and potentially send gold on a path to recovery.
Related Articles
Disclaimer
The Saxo Bank Group entities each provide execution-only service and access to Analysis permitting a person to view and/or use content available on or via the website. This content is not intended to and does not change or expand on the execution-only service. Such access and use are at all times subject to (i) The Terms of Use; (ii) Full Disclaimer; (iii) The Risk Warning; (iv) the Rules of Engagement and (v) Notices applying to Saxo News & Research and/or its content in addition (where relevant) to the terms governing the use of hyperlinks on the website of a member of the Saxo Bank Group by which access to Saxo News & Research is gained. Such content is therefore provided as no more than information. In particular no advice is intended to be provided or to be relied on as provided nor endorsed by any Saxo Bank Group entity; nor is it to be construed as solicitation or an incentive provided to subscribe for or sell or purchase any financial instrument. All trading or investments you make must be pursuant to your own unprompted and informed self-directed decision. As such no Saxo Bank Group entity will have or be liable for any losses that you may sustain as a result of any investment decision made in reliance on information which is available on Saxo News & Research or as a result of the use of the Saxo News & Research. Orders given and trades effected are deemed intended to be given or effected for the account of the customer with the Saxo Bank Group entity operating in the jurisdiction in which the customer resides and/or with whom the customer opened and maintains his/her trading account. Saxo News & Research does not contain (and should not be construed as containing) financial, investment, tax or trading advice or advice of any sort offered, recommended or endorsed by Saxo Bank Group and should not be construed as a record of our trading prices, or as an offer, incentive or solicitation for the subscription, sale or purchase in any financial instrument. To the extent that any content is construed as investment research, you must note and accept that the content was not intended to and has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such, would be considered as a marketing communication under relevant laws.
Please read our disclaimers:
- Notification on Non-Independent Investment Research (https://www.home.saxo/legal/niird/notification)
- Full disclaimer (https://www.home.saxo/en-gb/legal/disclaimer/saxo-disclaimer)