Spot gold prices rose to hover around the US$5,000-per-ounce mark on Monday, supported by a weaker U.S. dollar, as a slate of U.S. economic reports scheduled for this week brought investors’ focus back to the trajectory of interest rates.
Spot gold rose one per cent to $5,008.51 per ounce by 1141 GMT after a four per cent climb on Friday. U.S. gold futures for April delivery also gained one per cent to $5,029.40 per ounce.
“Gold reclaims its historical role as a neutral sovereign asset, which in my view explains the strong surge in demand for it, especially amid a clear decline in appetite for holding the US dollar as a safe haven,” said Rania Gule, senior market analyst at XS.com.
The U.S. dollar fell 0.3 per cent, making greenback-priced bullion cheaper for overseas buyers.
Investors are eyeing this week’s releases of January nonfarm payrolls, CPI and initial jobless claims for fresh monetary policy signals, with markets already pricing in at least two 25‑basis‑point rate cuts for 2026.
Lower interest rates tend to support gold as they reduce the opportunity cost of holding the non-yielding asset.
San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank President Mary Daly said on Friday she thinks the U.S. labor market is in a “precarious” position, and that further interest-rate cuts may be needed.
Meanwhile, China’s central bank extended its gold buying spree for a 15th month in January, data from the People’s Bank of China showed on Saturday.
This “reflects a clear strategy aimed at diversifying reserves away from the US dollar and reducing exposure to geopolitical and financial risks associated with it,” Gule added.
Spot silver climbed 2.4 per cent to $79.87 per ounce after a near 10 per cent gain in the previous session. It hit an all-time high of $121.64 on Jan. 29.
“Silver is more of a risk asset than gold... when risk appetite is strong, you tend to see silver outperform gold,” said Fawad Razaqzada, market analyst at City Index and FOREX.com.
Spot platinum was down 1.4 per cent at $2,066.17 per ounce, while palladium lost 0.9 per cent to $1,691.45.
“A slowdown in EV sales hasn’t really materialized despite all the policy softening, so I do see that platinum, and palladium will possibly slow down,” after a bearish run in 2025, said WisdomTree commodities strategist Nitesh Shah.
(Reporting by Pablo Sinha in Bengaluru; Editing by Leroy Leo)
