The price of gold stabilises due to ongoing geopolitical tensions and recent Fed officials’ comments

    by VT Markets
    /
    May 20, 2025

    Gold prices rose on Tuesday amid market upheaval following Moody’s US credit rating downgrade. In the geopolitical sphere, President Trump hinted at a US withdrawal from Russia-Ukraine peace efforts, impacting sentiments.

    Gold traded around $3,240 after rebounding from earlier losses linked to Federal Reserve comments concerning the downgrade. Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic noted potential ripple effects on the economy, anticipating a 3 to 6-month period to assess market reactions.

    Us Construction And Economic Factors

    In permitting news, the US authorised the Stibnite project in Idaho, involving a gold and antimony mine. This followed Moody’s downgrade, with US equity-index futures down 0.3% and Gold demand dropping by 0.5%.

    Technically, Gold faces resistance at $3,245 and further at $3,271, needing a substantial catalyst to progress. On the downside, supports are positioned at $3,207, $3,200, and $3,185, with deeper levels as low as $3,167 and the 55-day SMA at $3,151.

    Central banks strive to maintain price stability amid inflation and deflation challenges by adjusting policy rates. Decisions involve a politically independent board, led by a chairman mediating between hawks and doves, focused on balancing inflation near 2%.

    The content above indicates a sharp reaction in the precious metals market to both credit and political developments, particularly those tied to the US government’s financial credibility and its shifting position on global diplomatic matters. The downgrade of the US credit rating by Moody’s spurred market dislocation. Following that, statements from Federal Reserve officials, specifically Bostic, suggested the full reaction to these events could take several weeks to months to settle into market pricing.

    Market Response And Future Implications

    What this signals is the potential for extended repositioning, especially in safe-haven assets like Gold—which briefly dipped and then bounced back to hover near the $3,240 level. It’s not just about the price tag, though. The technical markers are clear: any sustained move beyond $3,245 may need a strong push, perhaps from inflation data or central bank rhetoric. If that fails to materialise, support lines offer some footing, but failure at key thresholds could have Gold revisiting levels as low as $3,151 at the 55-day simple moving average.

    From where we stand, the short-term bias in precious metals futures remains inherently reactive to central bank language and geopolitical surprises, especially those with fiscal implications. The approval of the Stibnite project—an industrial-scale dual-source operation for both Gold and antimony—adds a fresh dynamic to underlying supply expectations. Notably though, the market’s response to this announcement was muted, with futures and demand both slightly contracting.

    Meanwhile, central bank policy strategy continues to drive interest rate speculation. The 2% inflation target remains the lodestar, but there’s always contention around how fast or slow to move. With committee members often straddling differing views, we’ve seen split decisions before. The level of autonomy these institutions hold allows them to act, but political pressures persist, particularly in high-stakes quarters like this one.

    It would be wise to treat prolonged rate holding patterns or any hints at easing as potential support for metals, even if liquidity outflows in other sectors create near-term volatility. What matters more now is not merely the direction of policy but also its timing and the clarity with which it’s communicated. These details will likely cause more rebalancing in leveraged positioning. Short squeezes or sudden coverages at resistance levels are all the more probable under current sentiment.

    The path ahead is still heavily data-dependent. With employment and consumer activity numbers due in the following weeks, these inputs are likely to define whether we revisit the upper technical levels or fail at pivotal supports. Our position should remain flexible, acknowledging that even minor policy shifts, when juxtaposed against off-cycle political developments, can have outsized effects on implied volatility and risk premiums. This is not the time for complacency in position sizing or timing.

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