
Citi raises gold forecast to $3,500/oz over next 3 months on negative US outlook
"U.S. growth and tariff-related inflation concerns are set to remain elevated during 2H'25, which alongside a weaker dollar, are set to drive gold moderately higher, to new all-time highs" the bank said.
Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump imposed steep tariffs on exports from dozens of trading partners, including Canada, Brazil, India and Taiwan.
The tariffs imposed last week on scores of countries are likely to stay in place rather than be cut as part of continuing negotiations, Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said on CBS show "Face the Nation" aired on Sunday.
Last week, the dollar weakened after nonfarm payrolls increasing by 73,000 jobs last month, after rising by a downwardly revised 14,000 in June, which revived hopes of a Fed rate cut in September, with markets now pricing in an 81% chance, per CME FedWatch tool, opens new tab
Citi also highlights weaker U.S. labor data in second quarter of 2025, institutional credibility concerns have increased regarding the Federal Reserve and US statistics, and elevated geopolitical risks related to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Gold, traditionally considered a safe-haven asset during political and economic uncertainties, tends to thrive in a low-interest-rate environment.
Citi estimates gross gold demand has risen over one-third since mid-2022, nearly doubling prices by second quarter of 2025.
The strength in gold demand was driven by strong investment demand, moderate central bank buying and resilient jewellery demand despite higher prices, the bank added.
Spot gold was trading at $3,356.88/oz at 0340 GMT on Monday.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Telegraph
17 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Bank ‘must cut rates six times' over next year to boost ailing economy
Andrew Bailey must slash interest rates six times over the next year to bolster flagging growth, economists have warned. The Bank of England Governor and his colleagues on the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) are expected to cut borrowing costs from 4.25pc to 4pc this Thursday. But a growing cohort of economists predict Bank officials will be forced to go much further over the next 12 months. Six cuts would take the base rate to 2.75pc next year – the lowest level since late 2022. Peder Beck-Friis, an economist at Pimco, an investment company, said higher taxes, slower growth and the weakening jobs market will all push the Bank to cut rates further next year. 'While inflation has been surprisingly firm, we see good reasons to expect a slowdown. Regulatory price hikes, including in employment taxes, have pushed prices up, but wage growth is softening and the labour market is weakening,' he said. Companies are passing the £25bn increase in employers' National Insurance contributions on to customers, but 'once this tax shock fades, we expect inflation to ease, as seen in other developed countries'. 'We expect the Bank to accelerate rate cuts later this year, with the policy rate settling near 2.75pc next year,' he said. Michel Nies, from Citi, predicts rate cuts in August and November before an acceleration from December in the wake of 'very likely tax increases in the autumn Budget', taking the base rate to 2.75pc. He cites the weakening jobs market as the critical factor. The economy has lost 178,000 employees on payroll over the past year. Businesses in particular are taking a beating: 'The divergence between public and private sector employment growth continues to widen with the former still masking a sustained contraction in the latter,' Mr Nies said. Bruna Skarica, at Morgan Stanley, also expects cuts to 2.75pc because unemployment has risen to 4.7pc, the highest rate in four years. 'The build-up of slack in the labour market ... can only result in pay and price disinflation over time,' she said. 'The laws of economic gravity can be delayed, but not denied.' These economists remain in the minority, and even this week's anticipated rate cut will not be entirely uncontroversial. Policymakers are cutting interest rates even though inflation, at 3.6pc and rising, is well above its 2pc target. However, monetary policy takes as long as two years to feed through to consumer prices, meaning this week's rate decision will only fully pass through to inflation in mid-2027 - and will have little effect on the rise in living costs this year. Jack Meaning, a former Bank of England economist now at Barclays, forecasts a three-way split on the MPC. He anticipates that two policymakers will vote to hold rates, two for a double cut to 3.75pc, and the majority of five backing a move to 4pc. 'Despite these divergent views on both sides, we think the centre of the committee, and ultimately the decisive bloc, will continue on a gradual and careful quarterly rate cutting path, until it reaches 3.5pc in February 2026,' he said. The most recent three-way split came in May, when external MPC members Swati Dhingra and Alan Taylor voted for a half percentage point rate cut to 4pc.


Reuters
17 minutes ago
- Reuters
Netherlands to start NATO's new Ukraine weapons finance scheme with $578 mln payment
AMSTERDAM, Aug 4 (Reuters) - The Netherlands will be the first contributor to NATO's new "Priority Ukraine Requirements List" (PURL) financing mechanism for Ukraine weapons with a 500 million euros ($578 million) payment, the Dutch defence ministry said on Monday. U.S. President Donald Trump said last month the U.S. would supply weapons to Ukraine, paid for by European allies, but did not provide details on how this would work. Reuters reported on Friday that NATO countries, Ukraine, and the U.S. were developing a new Ukraine weapons financing mechanism. ($1 = 0.8649 euros)


Reuters
17 minutes ago
- Reuters
Wegovy maker Novo hit with investor class action over revenue forecast cut
Aug 4 (Reuters) - Novo Nordisk ( opens new tab, maker of the weight-loss drug Wegovy, has been sued in U.S. court by investors claiming the Danish pharmaceutical giant misled them with optimistic growth forecasts and minimized competition risks in the obesity market. The proposed class action lawsuit, opens new tab was filed on Friday in the federal court in New Jersey following a sharp decline in the company's stock price. Investors knocked $70 billion off Novo Nordisk's market value on a single trading day last week. Novo last week in a statement said it was lowering its 2025 sales and operating profit outlook due to lower growth expectations in the second half in the United States for Wegovy in the obesity market and the drugmaker's Ozempic in the diabetes market. Novo said its updated sales outlook for Wegovy stemmed from the 'persistent' use of compounded versions of the drug, competition and what it described as slower-than-expected market expansion. A representative from Novo and an attorney for the plaintiff did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Monday about the investor lawsuit. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of potentially thousands of investors who purchased Novo's stock between May 7, 2025 and July 28. The tight supply of Wegovy in the United States in 2022 prompted U.S. regulators to temporarily allow the sale of cheaper, compounded versions of the drug, known chemically as semaglutide. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration in February removed Wegovy from the agency's shortage list. Novo in June said it was ending a partnership with telehealth company Hims & Hers that began in late April, citing Hims' alleged improper marketing and sales of Wegovy copies. Novo accused Hims of 'deceptive promotion and selling of illegitimate, knockoff versions of Wegovy that put patient safety at risk.' Hims CEO Andrew Dudum in a response accused Novo management of misleading the public and making anticompetitive demands. The case is Eric Barta v. Novo Nordisk et al, U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey, No. 2:25-cv-14045. For plaintiff: Adam Apton of Levi & Korsinsky For defendants: No appearances yet Read more: Novo Nordisk shares dip further as Wegovy gains nearly erased Hims & Hers hit with investor lawsuits after Novo ends Wegovy partnership Wegovy maker Novo faces fee demand after losing copycat drug lawsuit Ozempic copies restricted after US judge denies injunction