Gold: Rally stalls as Fed outlook stays hawkish – Commerzbank

Thu Lan Nguyen at Commerzbank notes that weaker United States (US inflation data briefly supported Gold, but the price has slipped back below USD 4,000 per troy ounce. With markets still pricing at least one Federal Reserve rate hike and energy-price risks from the Middle East conflict, she sees limited near-term upside, though a more dovish Fed stance could later re-ignite the Gold rally.

Limited upside unless Fed shifts

"Weaker US inflation data — both consumer and producer prices surprised with slower growth in June — have dampened expectations for US interest rate hikes. While the market had previously priced in nearly two rate hikes by year-end, only a single 25-basis-point rate hike is now fully priced in. However, this provided only a brief boost to the gold price. Yesterday, it slipped back below the USD 4,000 per troy ounce mark, where it is currently trading."

"In the short term, further upside potential is likely to remain limited. With the ongoing escalation of the Middle East conflict and the resulting risk of another sharp spike in energy prices, expectations of interest rate hikes are likely to persist for some time."

"A correction, regardless of developments in the US-Iran conflict, is likely to occur only if the market's assessment of the Federal Reserve were to fundamentally change."

"But the picture could also shift again: Warsh, for example, is already suggesting that AI would boost productivity and therefore likely have an inflation-dampening effect. New York Fed President John Williams also recently made similar comments, referring to a long-term downward trend in inflation."

"If this view gains traction within the FOMC, it could mean that interest rate hikes are not considered necessary to combat current inflation."

"The price of gold would then likely benefit not only in the short term from the market pricing out interest rate hikes, but also from the fact that the market perceives increased inflation risks in the long term due to a significantly more dovish stance by the Federal Reserve."