Gold holds steady ahead of FED speeches
Precious metals have experienced some significant volatility in recent times with the price of gold hovering in a $30 range over the last week and after gaining around 5% since the start of November. This comes despite the significant gains made by the US Dollar which traditionally tends to have an inverse correlation with the price of gold and which has recently reached the highest level since July 2020 as the USD index hovers around 95.946 after reaching a high of 96.255. On the other hand, rising inflation expectations, which have been downplayed extensively by the Federal reserve, continue to drive demand for gold as investors attempt to find covers against it and as markets remain uncertain about upcoming monetary policy decisions. Furthermore, the recent pullback seen in cryptocurrencies has also boosted demand for the precious metals as some seek more traditionally stable opportunities to invest, especially given the fact that gold has had a tendency to perform well heading into the end of the year. Today's Fed speeches could shed some light on what the US central bank is likely to do in the upcoming meeting and what it's outlook for the economy is as inflation continues to reach record levels and as investors seek refuge from rising inflation and excess volatility.
Oil deepens decline despite lower than expected API report
Whil oil prices have been the topic of discussion for weeks, we are now beginning to see a reversal as both Brent and WTI started the day with a downard gap and with the latter trading at the lowest level since the beginning of November. Traders await today's EIA inventory report for confirmation of yesterday's API report which showed a lower than expected increase in US crude inventories, as demand rises and supply issues remain a topic of discussion. Furthermore, several OPEC representatives and members have reiterated their view to not increase production levels as they foresee a potential market surplus heading into the end of the year due to a projected drop in demand. On the other hand, fuel prices have continued to rise which has led to many businesses transferring those costs onto consumers and ultimately impacting the post pandemic economic recovery.
