Gold surges as uncertainty grows
According to the All-Pakistan Gems and Jewellers Sarafa Association (APGJSA), the price of gold in the local market rose by Rs5,900 per tola, reaching Rs353,100. The price for 10 grams of gold also increased significantly, climbing by Rs5,058 to settle at Rs302,726. This rebound reversed the weekend's losses, when gold prices had declined by Rs1,400 per tola to close at Rs347,200 on Saturday.
Commenting on the development, Adnan Agar, Director at Interactive Commodities, said the international gold market is showing strong upward momentum. He noted that gold rose nearly $70 on the day, hitting a low of $3,301 and peaking at $3,377, where it was holding steady. "The rally is largely driven by geopolitical developments, particularly Ukraine's recent large-scale attack on Russia, which has boosted safe-haven demand," he said.
Internationally, gold gained more than 2% on Monday to its highest level in over three weeks, as a weaker dollar and a combination of geopolitical risks and economic uncertainty fuelled safe-haven demand, according to Reuters. Spot gold was up 2.7% at $3,377.29 an ounce as of 1419 GMT, after reaching its highest since May 8 earlier in the session. US gold futures were up 2.6% at $3,402.70.
Agar added that if gold manages to close above the $3,380 mark, it could test higher resistance levels at $3,400, $3,420, and even $3,440. "A close above these thresholds may pave the way toward $3,500, although it's still early to confirm such a move," he said. For now, the closing outlook remains bullish, with key levels in sight.
Meanwhile, the Pakistani rupee posted a slight appreciation against the US dollar on Monday, strengthening by 0.02% in the interbank market. By the end of trading, the local currency settled at Rs281.97 per US dollar, reflecting a modest gain of five paisas from the previous session.
In contrast, the rupee had weakened slightly during the prior week, losing four paisas or 0.01% against the dollar. It closed at Rs282.02 last Friday, compared to Rs282.06 at the end of the week before, according to data from the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP). According to Ismail Iqbal Securities, the rupee has depreciated by 1.23% calendar year-to-date and 1.30% fiscal year-to-date.
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