After a glittery rally, gold may be about to make way for stocks
'However, gold prices still have room for improvement with eventual (US) rate cuts on the horizon and continuous central bank buying. Till then, gold can find a key support at the $3080 per ounce level," she said.
But gold's geopolitical risk premium is beginning to fade as the ongoing US-China trade negotiations have shown significant progress, noted Apurva Sheth, head of market perspectives and research at Samco Securities.
Also read: Early birds report of a steady yet muted Q4
Last week, the US agreed to cut duties on Chinese exports to 30% from 145% for 90 days, while China reduced its tariffs on US goods to 10% from 125% for the same period, signalling an intent to de-escalate and move towards a structured trade agreement.
'This has reduced the need for investors to seek shelter in traditional safe-haven assets like gold," Seth added.
In fact, during the latest Mint quarterly market survey, Jay Kothari, lead equity strategist at DSP Mutual Fund, noted that the best way to play gold from hereon is through gold-related equities.
Uncertainty's gold
Uncertainty defined FY25, marked by shifting policies and global tensions. Gold capitalized on this instability, outshining other asset classes.
To be sure, gold returned around 27% in 2024, outperforming every other asset class and marking its ninth consecutive annual gain last year. A couple of ongoing wars, relentless central bank buying – for diversifying reserves and reducing reliance on the US dollar – and a weakening global outlook drew investors to gold, as they faced a spate of uncertainties in the near term.
US president Donald Trump's tariff tantrums and the recent rout in the US currency and treasury market further increased the appeal for gold as the only reliable safe haven asset, further fuelling its rally in 2025.
Indian investors appear to taking a U-turn from safe haven gold to riskier assets like equities, as green shoots of geopolitical stability begin to emerge across the globe.
With the precious metal already delivering returns as high as 25% in the first four months of 2025, experts believe there is limited room for significant upside, especially as global uncertainties begin to wane. This likely explains why domestic gold exchange traded fund (ETF) redemptions reached a one-year high last month.
Also read: Banks' Q4 earnings hit an 8-quarter high. But that's not driven by loans
Moreover, gold has remained under pressure lately, with prices being very volatile in the last three to four weeks. Going forward, Kaynat Chainwala, associate vice-president of commodity research at Kotak Securities, anticipates a 7-8% correction in gold prices in the short term, driven by easing US-China trade tensions.
In India, gold prices touched an all-time high of ₹100,000 per 10g in the retail market last month. The surge in demand for the yellow metal reached a 15-year high in 2024, fuelling its meteoric price rise.
Gold demand in the country reached 4,974 tonnes in 2024, mainly driven by jewellery and investment demand, which accounted for 40% and 24% of total gold demand respectively, according to the latest NSE Market Pulse report.
Also read: What the market crystal ball sees for the next 3 months
While total demand rose 0.6% on a year-on-year basis, albeit on a high base, demand for gold investment rose the highest at almost 25% during the same period.
Equities turn?
But how long will this heightened investment demand for gold endure? A recent Motilal Oswal Financial Services report highlighted that with domestic equities underperforming, the gold price to Nifty-50 index ratio has already breached its historical median and is now nearing its FY16 peak of 4.2x.
Historically, such levels have suggested a higher probability of equities outperforming gold in the future. Could a sustained recovery in equities alter this dynamic?
In fact, even though gold has outperformed domestic equities in a one to three-year timeframe, from a very long-term perspective, equites have historically delivered superior returns. Hence, experts are advising caution in investing in gold going forward.
'Investors should invest in a staggered manner as and when gold (prices) falls from here on, instead of going all in. While existing uncertainty around US's trade deals will support gold prices for the next few months, we are expecting a consolidation phase in the near term," said Pranav Mer, vice-president of the equity broking group's commodity and currency research team at JM Financial Services.
MCX Gold is likely to consolidate in a range of ₹91,542 to ₹93,034, which is at a 50-62% retracement level of the recent rally from ₹86,710 to ₹99,358, noted Seth from Samco Securities.
On booking profits, Mer from JM Financial Services suggested that investors should book profits whenever gold rallies from current levels. In fact, investors began redeeming in March, with gold ETFs seeing their first net outflows in over a year that month. In April, however, redemptions reached a one-year peak at ₹ 1,669 crore.
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Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Buyer with ties to Chinese Communist Party got VIP treatment at Trump crypto dinner
The Trump White House has repeatedly sounded an alarm about visitors with ties to China's Communist Party coming to the United States, arguing that they are a potential security threat. But the administration appears to have literally left the door open to a member of a Chinese government group when it went along with a plan to give the biggest purchasers of President Donald Trump's digital currency access to the president and the White House. Trump launched a so-called meme coin, a type of cryptocurrency, just days before his inauguration. To bolster sales, the president's business partners created a contest in April, offering the coin's top buyers a tour of the White House and a private dinner with Trump at his Virginia golf club. Play Video Pause Skip Backward Skip Forward Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 0:00 Loaded : 0% 0:00 Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 1x Playback Rate Chapters Chapters Descriptions descriptions off , selected Captions captions settings , opens captions settings dialog captions off , selected Audio Track default , selected Picture-in-Picture Fullscreen This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Text Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Caption Area Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Drop shadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like If You Eat Ginger Everyday for 1 Month This is What Happens Tips and Tricks One of those buyers was He Tianying, who is a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, according to government documents in China examined by The New York Times. That government group, referred to as the CPPCC, is an advisory body that seeks to broaden the Communist Party's influence and solicit support from influential people in Chinese society. Live Events He, who was registered at the Trump event as a resident of Hong Kong, advises the Chinese government through his role as a delegate of the Fangshan CPPCC, a district of Beijing. He is listed as a member of the organization's science and technology committee. The Times could find no indication that He is a member of the Communist Party, and the government body he serves on is fairly low-level. Discover the stories of your interest Blockchain 5 Stories Cyber-safety 7 Stories Fintech 9 Stories E-comm 9 Stories ML 8 Stories Edtech 6 Stories There were no restrictions on who could buy the Trump meme coin -- which was marketed like a collectible baseball card -- including foreign nationals. But the winning buyers were given the opportunity for close proximity to the president. It is not clear why He wanted to attend. Still, at a time when the administration is seeking to scrutinize and revoke the visas of Chinese students with ties to the Communist Party, the incident illustrates inconsistencies in the Trump administration's approach to how it handles Chinese nationals, as well as potential weaknesses in the background checks the Trump administration did on the guests who bought his meme coin. Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said in an interview that the dinner was a private event and that government officials were not closely involved. "As the White House has always maintained, this was not an official White House event," she said. Once a crypto skeptic, Trump has done an about-face and declared himself a digital coin enthusiast, raising ethical concerns and blurring the line between his personal business ventures and the presidency. His family's company has issued its own cryptocurrency, and he has also heavily promoted the meme coin, known as $TRUMP. The meme coin dinner engendered strong criticism from Democrats, government watchdogs and even some Republicans about the appearance of monetising the presidency for personal gain. The event was arranged by the president's business partners to directly enrich the first family, even as Trump spoke that evening behind a stand emblazoned with the presidential seal. Bidders competed to accumulate the largest holding of the coin over several weeks. The top 220 won a dinner with Trump, and the top 25 also got a "VIP" tour of the White House. The buyers used self-adopted nicknames that disguised their identities, but the Times obtained copies of several pages of an official sign-in sheet for the dinner and over the past two weeks has been examining the biographies of many of the attendees. He, using the nickname Sky, owned $3.7 million worth of the meme coin, public transaction records show, at the time the contest ended. He was ranked as the seventh-largest buyer of the cryptocurrency, which entitled him to a gold-colored VIP wristband for the event. The day after the dinner at Trump's golf club, He was observed by a reporter from the Times entering the White House for the tour that had been set up by Trump's business partner Bill Zanker, who created the Trump meme coin. Zanker and the Trump family share in the revenues from the meme coin business, which has already totaled at least $320 million, according to an estimate by Chainalysis, a crypto forensics group. After the tour, He, using a social media account under his Sky pseudonym, posted a series of photos from the dinner and White House tour, which he electronically modified to cover his face. The Times was able to establish his identity through publicly available information, including photos and biographical information on his company website. He made several waves of purchases during the three weeks of the meme coin contest, according to the transaction records. "May I have the pleasure?" he wrote in one social media post, showing off his standing as one of the top owners of the meme coin, several days before the contest ended. He declined to comment as he entered the White House, and he did not respond to follow-up emails, calls and text messages from the Times. The dinner invitation sent to He stands in contrast to the statement Trump issued Wednesday, arguing that his administration needed to urgently move to block visas for certain Chinese nationals, including those attending Harvard University, as "the Chinese Communist Party has sent thousands of midcareer and senior bureaucrats" to the United States. He said this order was for "crucial national security reasons." A senior White House official, who asked not to be named because of the sensitive nature of the matter, said this week that the presence of He at the dinner and White House tour was unfortunate and that overall, the meme coin dinner had created unnecessary questions. But the White House official added that it had occurred because Trump "carelessly committed" to his longtime friend and business partner Zanker that he would be a part of it. The official added that Trump was not notified who would be attending and was unaware of He's background. Supporting the party The mission of the Fangshan District division of the CPPCC, which lists He as a member, is to "uphold the overall leadership of the Communist Party of China and strengthen the common ideological and political foundation," the group says in describing one of its meetings this year. CPPCC committees are advisory bodies to China's rubber-stamp legislatures at the national, provincial and, like Fangshan, district or county levels. Members can make policy recommendations to the legislative bodies, called People's Congresses. These committees are part of the Communist Party's United Front system, which is devised to co-opt broad segments of the population, including entrepreneurs like He, into supporting and carrying out the party's policies. The CPPCC bodies also act as networking clubs. "When you are a CPPCC member, you are expected to be a part of the United Front system and carry the water where the party asks you to," said Peter Mattis, the president of the Washington-based Jamestown Foundation who studies the United Front. The Times turned up documentation on Chinese government websites showing He's participation in the CPPCC group, as well as an attendance list for the committee's gathering in Beijing in January that included He's name. Chinese government records show that He is the majority owner of a Beijing-based investment firm, TechSharpe (Beijing) Capital Management Co., which says on its website that it uses artificial intelligence to "conduct quantitative investment in stocks." Recently, He has also promoted a crypto firm called LuckyFuture and has interacted on social media with Changpeng Zhao, the founder of the giant crypto exchange Binance. In a social media post, responding to an inquiry from the Times, Zhao said he learned about LuckyFuture after He reached out to him in the last few weeks. (A Binance spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.) He came to the United States from China about a decade ago to get a master's degree in finance at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, before returning to China and becoming active in the CPPCC, which is noted in his TechSharpe biography. This made He just the kind of student Trump is now targeting. But there was no hint of those kinds of fears in gracious invitations sent via email in mid-May to the dinner guests. "Congratulations!" said the notice sent to He, with a photo illustration of a muscular, smiling Trump at a dinner table, with an American flag on his lapel. "We can't wait to see you at the Gala Dinner." (He posted a copy of these emails on his social media account.) A table of foreign visitors According to a video taken at the dinner, the VIPs at just one table illustrated how many of the guests had traveled from overseas, including from China. He's dining companions included Justin Sun, a Chinese-born billionaire who was the contest's single largest buyer and one of the largest investors in the Trump family's other crypto venture, World Liberty Financial. Sun also has experience as a CPPCC member. In 2016, he was named as a delegate for a committee in a district in Guangzhou, a city in southern China. Only 26 at the time, he was among the youngest people in the country to sit on a CPPCC body. "I feel that the responsibility is very heavy, and I must strive to adapt to the new role as soon as possible," Sun was quoted in state media as saying at the time. (His representatives did not respond to a request for comment.) Also seated at the table were Cheng Lu, a Singapore-based crypto investor, who told the Times in an interview outside the White House that he bought a large amount of the family's meme coin because he wanted a chance to privately meet with Trump. Sheldon Xia, the founder of BitMart, a cryptocurrency trading platform backed by China-based Fenbushi Capital, joined them at the table, along with Sangrok Oh, the CEO of Hyperithm, a Seoul- and Tokyo-based firm that manages digital assets for institutional investors. Guests invited to the dinner were "required to fill out a brief form as part of the security background check to gain entry to the event," according to an email sent to the winners. The questionnaire was created with a service called CryptoComply offered by the New York-based firm Canaria Consulting. It requested information such as name, date of birth and place of residence. The 25 top Trump meme coin holders had their names submitted to a background check system called White House Worker and Visitor Entry System, a government official told the Times. This system compares the names of the pending visitors with government databases that include terrorist watch lists and lists of known criminals. "The U.S. Secret Service is responsible for vetting all White House visitors and guests, and we fully trust their process in doing so," Leavitt said. Some guests at the dinner said they were surprised at how lax the security appeared at the event. People not on the guest list were in certain cases allowed to enter the golf club grounds that evening and remain there after Trump arrived, the Times also confirmed. "I expected more from the security questions," said Nicholas Pinto, a Florida resident and crypto trader who attended the dinner. "It was very basic. And next thing you know, I am standing there in the room with President Trump."
India.com
an hour ago
- India.com
Mukesh Ambani reveals why he didn't take admission in..., donates Rs 151 crore to....
Mukesh Ambani reveals why he didn't take admission in…, donates Rs 151 crore to… New Delhi: One of the most richest men in the world Mukesh Ambani has recently donated a hopping whopping amount of Rs 151 crore to the prestigious Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT), making it the biggest donation in the history of the institute. Notably, the chairman of the country's most valuable company – Reliance Industries – studied at the institute. Earlier known as the University Department of Chemical Technology (UDCT), the ICT was established in the year 1933 by the University of Bombay. It was given the status of a deemed university in 2008 and subsequently renamed as ICT. Ambani announced the donation at the launch of Anita Patil's book 'The Divine Scientist'. The book is based on the life of Padma Vibhushan Professor Man Mohan Sharma. Many students consider him to be the greatest guru of Indian chemical engineering. While speaking about Guru Dakshina, the Reliance Chairman discussed several topics and announced a donation of Rs 151 crore to the institute at the behest of Sharma. 'When they tell us something, we just listen. They told me, 'Mukesh, you have to do something big for ICT', and I am happy to announce that it is for Professor Sharma,' Ambani said. Why Did You Not Go To IIT-Bombay Responding to the question, why did you not go to IIT-Bombay? Ambani stated, 'Visiting the UDCT campus always feels like visiting a sacred temple. Professor Sharma, I regard you as my most respected Guru, my guide and source of inspiration.' He recalled his fond memories of the institute and also praised Patil, saying, 'It is a very difficult task to write the life of a great man like Sharma.' I chose UDCT over IIT -Bombay.' Ambani stated that Sharma's inaugural lecture solidified his belief in Sharma's exceptional abilities. He described Sharma as a transformative figure, capable of converting curiosity into practical knowledge, then into profitable ventures, and finally into enduring wisdom. Ambani attributed major growth within India's chemical sector to Sharma bestowing upon him the title of 'Rashtra Guru' (national teacher).
Mint
an hour ago
- Mint
Gold prices today in your city: Check prices in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, New Delhi and Kolkata on June 8
Gold, silver prices in your city, June 8: Gold prices have moderated after weak US economic data ahead of the Federal Reserve's near-term interest rate decision and amid news of US President Donald Trump's phonecall with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. According to Prathamesh Mallya, DVP- Research, Non-Agri Commodities and Currencies at Angel One, the yellow metal is still shining bright due to status of the Russia-Ukraine war and uncertainty over the US-China tariffs. Jigar Trivedi, Senior Research Analyst at Reliance Securities noted that investors will also be 'closely monitoring' the developments between Donald Trump and Elon Musk. Overall, experts feel that commodities (gold and silver) have emerged as the safe haven investment in these volatile markets, but caution must be maintained. In terms of returns, over the past year along, gold cost has jumped 30 per cent, returned 15 per cent CAGR since 2001; and since 1995, has beaten inflation by over 2-4 per cent, data shows. Prices opened higher/lower today at 7.20 am on June 8. The MCX gold index was at ₹ 97,250/10 gm, the official website showed. Meanwhile, MCX silver prices were at ₹ 96,039/kg, it showed. Further, 24-carat gold was priced at ₹ 97,000/10 gm, according to data on the Indian Bullion Association (IBA) at 7.20 am on June 8. Further, 22-carat gold was priced at ₹ 88,917/10 gms. And, silver prices today are at ₹ 96,110/kg (Silver 999 Fine), as per the IBA website. So, check here for prices of gold and silver in your city today on June 8 — Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Chennai. Notably, for retail customers, jewellers may add making charges, taxes and GST to the bill, which could hike the final price for you. Gold bullion rates in Mumbai — ₹ 96,970/10 gm. 96,970/10 gm. MCX Gold rate in Mumbai — ₹ 97,051/10 gm. 97,051/10 gm. Silver bullion rate in Mumbai — ₹ 1,05,700/kg. 1,05,700/kg. MCX Silver 999 rate in Mumbai — ₹ 1,05,525/kg. Gold bullion rates in New Delhi — ₹ 96,800/10 gm. 96,800/10 gm. MCX Gold rate in New Delhi — ₹ 97,051/10 gm. 97,051/10 gm. Silver bullion rate in New Delhi — ₹ 1,05,520/kg. 1,05,520/kg. MCX Silver 999 rate in New Delhi — ₹ 1,05,525/kg. Gold bullion rates in Kolkata — ₹ 96,840/10 gm. 96,840/10 gm. MCX Gold rate in Kolkata — ₹ 97,051/10 gm. 97,051/10 gm. Silver bullion rate in Kolkata — ₹ 1,05,560/kg. 1,05,560/kg. MCX Silver 999 rate in Kolkata — ₹ 1,05,525/kg. Gold bullion rates in Hyderabad — ₹ 97,120/10 gm. 97,120/10 gm. MCX Gold rate in Hyderabad — ₹ 97,051/10 gm. 97,051/10 gm. Silver bullion rate in Hyderabad — ₹ 1,05,870/kg. 1,05,870/kg. MCX Silver 999 rate in Hyderabad — ₹ 1,05,525/kg. Gold bullion rates in Chennai — ₹ 97,250/10 gm. 97,250/10 gm. MCX Gold rate in Chennai — ₹ 97,051/10 gm. 97,051/10 gm. Silver bullion rate in Chennai — ₹ 1,06,010/kg. 1,06,010/kg. MCX Silver 999 rate in Chennai — ₹ 1,05,525/kg. Gold bullion rates in Bengaluru — ₹ 97,040/10 gm. 97,040/10 gm. Gold rate in Bengaluru — ₹ 97,051/10 gm. 97,051/10 gm. Silver bullion rate in Bengaluru — ₹ 1,05,790/kg. 1,05,790/kg. MCX Silver 999 rate in Bengaluru — ₹ 1,05,525/kg. Disclaimer: The views and recommendations made above are those of individual analysts or broking companies, and not of Mint. We advise investors to check with certified experts before making any investment decisions.
