Gold eases on profit-booking after breaching $4,600/oz

Synopsis

Gold prices eased on Tuesday after reaching an all-time high, as investors booked profits amid escalating geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainty. The U.S. dollar held near one-month highs following an investigation into the Federal Reserve Chair, while major brokerages anticipate rate cuts. Precious metals like silver, platinum, and palladium also saw declines.

Gold eased on Tuesday, a day after breaching $4,600/ounce for ‍the first time ever, as investors booked profits amid heightened geopolitical and economic uncertainty.

FUNDAMENTALS

* ⁠Spot gold fell 0.4% to $4,576.79 per ounce as of 0134 GMT. Bullion hit a record high of $4,629.94 on Monday.

* U.S. gold futures for ‌February delivery ‌lost 0.6% to $4,585.40.

* U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday any country that does business ‌with Iran will face a 25% tariff on trade with the U.S., as Washington weighs a response to the situation in Iran which is seeing its biggest anti-government protests in years.

* Iran's unrest comes as Trump flexes U.S. muscles internationally, having ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, and discussing acquiring Greenland by ‌purchase or ‍force.

* The dollar held to its losses ‍but hovered near one-month highs after the Trump administration ‌opened a criminal investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, a move that threatens the central bank's independence and faith in U.S. assets.

* The Trump administration's decision to investigate Powell drew condemnation from former Fed chiefs and a chorus of criticism from key members of the Republican Party on ‍Monday.

* Meanwhile, major brokerages such as Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley expect two 25-basis-point rate cuts each ‍in June and ⁠September.

* Non-yielding assets ⁠tend to do well in a low-interest-rate environment and during geopolitical or economic uncertainties.

* Spot silver shed 1.6% to $83.62 per ounce after hitting an all-time high of $86.22 on Monday.

* Spot platinum lost 2.5% to $2,283.95 per ounce after scaling a record peak of $2,478.50 on December 29.

* Palladium slid 3.7% to $1,774.44 per ounce.

DATA/EVENTS (GMT)

1330 US Core CPI MM, SA Dec

1330 US CPI YY, NSA Dec

1330 US CPI Wage Earner Dec

1500 US New Home Sales-Units Oct

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