logo
Gold inches higher as investors buy the dip ahead of US data

Gold inches higher as investors buy the dip ahead of US data

Business Times15-05-2025

[BENGALURU]] Gold prices edged higher on Thursday (May 15) as investors took advantage of lower levels after the metal hit a one-month low in the previous session, while market participants now await US Producer Price Index data for clearer economic direction.
Spot gold was up 0.2 per cent at US$3,183.20 an ounce as at 0033 GMT. US gold futures dipped 0.1 per cent to US$3,185.60.
In the previous session, spot gold fell to its lowest level since Apr 10 after Washington and Beijing agreed to reduce tariffs drastically and adopted a 90-day pause, further de-escalating a potentially damaging trade war between the world's two largest economies.
The US and China imposed tit-for-tat tariffs on each other last month, sparking a trade war that heightened fears of a global recession.
Gold, traditionally seen as a hedge against economic and political uncertainties, thrives in a low-interest-rate environment.
Federal Reserve policymakers are leaving interest rates where they are while they try to assess how US President Donald Trump's tariffs and trade negotiations will affect prices and the economy. So far, the hard data is giving them little to go on.
The spotlight is now on the US PPI data, due later in the day, as markets look for further clues on the Fed's policy path following softer-than-expected consumer data.
Markets are expecting 50 basis points of interest rate cuts this year, starting from October.
Spot silver eased 0.2 per cent to US$32.16 an ounce, platinum rose 0.8 per cent to US$984.05 and palladium gained 0.3 per cent to US$953.75. REUTERS

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Germany's Merz tempers expectations of breakthroughs in Trump talks
Germany's Merz tempers expectations of breakthroughs in Trump talks

Straits Times

timean hour ago

  • Straits Times

Germany's Merz tempers expectations of breakthroughs in Trump talks

FILE PHOTO: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz delivers a speech at the German Association of Towns and Municipalities event in Berlin, Germany, June 3, 2025. REUTERS/Christian Mang/File Photo WASHINGTON/BERLIN - German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he would discuss Russia's war in Ukraine, U.S. tariffs and NATO in his first meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday, but was not expecting major breakthroughs. Merz, a conservative who took office last month, was scheduled to join Trump for a meeting in the Oval Office and a White House lunch that analysts say could set the tone for U.S.-German ties for years to come. "I look forward to the talks although I do not expect us to make major breakthroughs on these three topics," Merz told reporters ahead of the meeting, his first with Trump as chancellor of Germany, Europe's largest economy. Trade will be a key topic along with ending the Ukraine war, Merz said. Germany is the second largest military and financial backer of Ukraine in its defence against Russia's invasion, after the United States. While Trump has threatened tariffs to slash Germany's substantial trade surplus, Merz said he would counter that his country is also the third biggest direct investor in the United States. The meeting comes amid a broader fraying of ties between the U.S. and many European countries. Trump's administration has, for example, intervened in domestic European politics in a break with past practice, aligning with right-wing political movements and challenging European policies on immigration and free speech. The Merz-Trump encounter will be closely watched after some dramatic Oval Office meetings in recent months in which the U.S. leader scolded Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, and made false assertions. Merz, 69, and his entourage have sought coaching from other leaders on how to deal with Trump to avoid conflict, according to a source briefed on the matter. The meeting is taking place just weeks before a critical summit of the NATO Western military alliance, which has been strained by Trump's threats that the U.S. will not come to the aid of allies that do not increase their defence spending. Such threats are of particular concern to Germany, which has relied on U.S. nuclear deterrence for its security since the end of World War Two. Merz has already made some bold policy moves that he can highlight to appease Trump, analysts said. He has backed Trump's demand for NATO members to commit to a target of more than doubling defence spending to 5% of economic output in the future, earning praise last weekend from U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. Merz, who has promised a more assertive foreign policy, also coordinated a visit by European leaders to Kyiv just days after taking office, two European diplomat sources said. "This shows that Germany is willing to accept a greater responsibility for Ukraine and the European security order – these are all things that have been wished for in the United States over years and will be welcomed," said Sudha David-Wilp of the German Marshall Fund of the United States. The fact Merz was invited to stay in the Blair House guest quarters across from the White House is a positive signal, said analysts. TO ARGUE OR NOT WITH TRUMP Merz and Trump could find some common ground given they share business backgrounds, membership in right-of-centre political parties, a focus on fighting illegal immigration and a fondness for golf, said Steven Sokol, President and CEO of the American Council on Germany. Merz has described himself as "a convinced transatlanticist", chairing the "Atlantic Bridge", a non-profit fostering U.S.-German ties, for 10 years. "They might discover a kindred spirit," Sokol said. However, analysts noted huge frictions in the U.S.-German relationship. "The challenge that he could face is ... if Trump says something is erroneous, do you correct him? Do you risk turning it into an argument?" said Jeffrey Rathke, a former U.S. diplomat and president of the American-German Institute at the Johns Hopkins University in Washington. Merz was publicly critical of Trump shortly before the 2024 presidential election. On the eve of his own party's election victory in February, Merz criticised the "ultimately outrageous" comments flowing from Washington during the campaign, comparing them to hostile interventions from Russia. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

Israeli Finance Minister says banks should not obey EU sanctions on settlers
Israeli Finance Minister says banks should not obey EU sanctions on settlers

Straits Times

timean hour ago

  • Straits Times

Israeli Finance Minister says banks should not obey EU sanctions on settlers

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich attends an inauguration event for Israel's new light rail line for the Tel Aviv metropolitan area, in Petah Tikva, Israel, August 17, 2023. REUTERS/Amir Cohen/ File Photo Israeli Finance Minister says banks should not obey EU sanctions on settlers JERUSALEM - Israel's Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Thursday condemned the country's banks that have refused to provide services to Israeli settlers sanctioned by the European Union and warned they may have to pay compensation to them. The EU last year imposed sanctions on five Israeli settlers for violence against Palestinians and Smotrich said there were reports of sanctions being considered against other settlers. But in a letter to the banking supervisor, he said Israeli banks should not follow a "zero risk" policy since it leads to the abandonment of Israeli clients "under the guise of compliance with foreign sanctions." In a statement quoting his letter to the regulator, Smotrich called on banks to use their legal, economic, and international strength to fight "unjust sanctions". "The banks' enormous profits enable them to take measured risks on behalf of their clients — especially when it comes to a national moral injustice," Smotrich, who leads the far-right Religious Zionism party, said. Should banks continue to comply with sanctions and harm clients, Smotrich said he intended to promote immediate legislation that would require banks to pay substantial compensation to affected customers. He also intends to require the Bank of Israel itself to offer banking services to citizens targeted by sanctions. Responding to the letter, the Bank of Israel said that while banks must comply with international sanctions to avoid an array of risks, a draft directive it published on Thursday aimed to ensure appropriate banking services were available for the affected customers. "Circumventing foreign sanctions regimes through the Israeli banking system exposes banking corporations to multiple risks, including compliance risks, anti-money laundering and counter-terror financing risks, legal risks, and reputational risks," the central bank said. But it said it has taken steps to comply with sanctions "without banks resorting to blanket refusals to serve such customers." While the sanctions in question concern Israeli settlers, the EU is reviewing its broad pact governing its political and economic ties with Israel in the face of mounting international pressure on Israel amid complaints about the lack of humanitarian aid reaching Gaza in the wake of the war triggered by Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

IMF sees 'some progress' on Lebanon reforms, says external support needed
IMF sees 'some progress' on Lebanon reforms, says external support needed

Straits Times

time2 hours ago

  • Straits Times

IMF sees 'some progress' on Lebanon reforms, says external support needed

A view of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) logo at its headquarters in Washington, D.C., U.S., November 24, 2024. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File photo BEIRUT - Lebanon has made progress on reforms needed to revive its economy but still has key steps to take and will need external funding on concessional terms, the International Monetary Fund said on Thursday after a week of meetings in Beirut. Lebanon's economy went into a tailspin in late 2019, prompted by decades of profligate spending by the country's ruling elite. Reforms required to access IMF funding were repeatedly derailed by political and private interests. Lebanon's new president and prime minister, both of whom took office in early 2025, pledged to prioritise reforms and secure an IMF financing agreement - but the country now faces additional needs with the widespread destruction and displacement caused by Israel's military campaign last year. "The authorities have made some progress recently, including the amendment of the Bank Secrecy Law and submission of a new bank resolution law to Parliament," the IMF's Lebanon mission chief Ramirez Rigo said in a written statement. Rigo said his mission held "productive discussions" with Lebanese officials, including on restoring the viability of the banking sector, fiscal and debt sustainability and enhancing anti-money laundering and terrorism financing measures. He said Lebanon's medium-term fiscal framework should support the restructuring of Eurobond debts, which Lebanon defaulted on in 2020, leading to a sovereign default on its $31 billion of outstanding international bonds. "Given Lebanon's substantial reconstruction needs, limited fiscal space and lack of capacity to borrow, the country will require significant support from external partners on highly concessional terms," the IMF statement said. The World Bank estimated Lebanon's recovery and reconstruction needs following Israel's military campaign at $11 billion. But the U.S. has said it opposes any reconstruction funds to Lebanon until Hezbollah - the Iran-backed Lebanese armed group that fought Israel last year - is disarmed. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store