
Dubai gold prices at new record high, 22K surges above Dh350 per gram
Gold prices continued to scale new highs in Dubai on Tuesday, as 22K surpassed Dh350 per gram in early trade.
The Dubai Jewellery Group data showed 24K opening at Dh379 per gram while 22K was selling at Dh350.75 per gram. Among the other variants, 21K and 18K opened at Dh336.5 and Dh288.25 per gram, respectively.
Gold has gained approximately Dh62 per gram in the first three months of 2025.
Globally, gold was trading at $3,143.94 per ounce, up 0.83 per cent. It ended the first quarter of 2025 with nearly 20 per cent.
Linh Tran, market analyst at xs.com, said this growth is supported by an ideal environment, including concerns over US government tariff measures, global geopolitical instability, expectations of Federal Reserve interest rate cuts, and strong central bank demand.
'These are all factors driving capital flows into gold as a safe-haven asset, helping the precious metal maintain strong momentum throughout the first quarter. As a defensive asset against risks, gold has risen nearly 20 per cent in Q1 2025, recording the largest quarterly increase in nearly 40 years,' said Tran.
She elaborated that financial market volatility, especially investors' risk aversion to uncertainties, has made gold the preferred choice.
Hashtags

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


The National
2 hours ago
- The National
Trump presses Fed's Powell to cut interest rates by a full point
US President Donald Trump called on Jerome Powell to cut interest rates by a full percentage point on Thursday, ramping up his pressure on the Federal Reserve chair. Mr Trump's latest attacks on the Fed chair came shortly after a Labour Department report showed employers added 139,000 jobs last month, slower than its March gain but still above economists' projections. The unemployment rate remained steady at 4.2 per cent. ''Too Late' at the Fed is a disaster!,' Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social, referring to Mr Powell. 'Europe has had 10 rate cuts, we have had none. Despite him, our Country is doing great. Go for a full point, Rocket Fuel!' In a series of follow-up posts, Mr Trump claimed rate cuts would allow the US to lower short and long-term rates 'on debt that is coming due'. Mr Trump has regularly attacked Mr Powell in recent months over the Fed chair's caution in cutting interest rates. Mr Powell so far has resisted the pressure from the White House and maintains that policy decisions will be data dependent. He and other members on the rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee are currently debating how Mr Trump's tariffs will affect the economy. Speaking in New York on Thursday, Fed Governor Adriana Kugler laid out her support for keeping rates at their current level due to rising inflation risks. Also speaking on Thursday, Kansas City Fed president Jeff Schmid said he expects tariffs will 'likely push up prices', with their effects not being 'fully apparent for some time'. The Fed, which has left rates unchanged for the past three meetings at roughly 4.3 per cent, will hold its next two-day meeting from June 17-18. The Fed's next blackout period begins at midnight on Saturday, meaning there will be no public communications from the central bank before it announces its next rate decision. Traders anticipate the Fed will keep rates unchanged through the summer, according to CME Group data.


Gulf Today
3 hours ago
- Gulf Today
US job growth slows in May; unemployment rate steady
US job growth slowed in May amid headwinds from tariff uncertainty, while the unemployment rate held steady at 4.2 per cent, potentially giving the Federal Reserve cover to delay resuming interest rate cuts for a while. Nonfarm payrolls increased by 139,000 jobs last month after rising by a downwardly revised 147,000 in April, the labour Department's Bureau of labour Statistics said in its closely watched employment report on Friday. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast 130,000 jobs added after a previously reported 177,000 rise in April. Estimates ranged from 75,000 to 190,000 jobs. The unemployment rate remained at 4.2 per cent for the third straight month. The economy needs to create roughly 100,000 jobs per month to keep up with growth in the working age population. That number could decline as President Donald Trump has revoked the temporary legal status of hundreds of thousands of migrants amid an immigration crackdown. Much of the job growth this year reflects worker hoarding by businesses amid Trump's flip-flopping on tariffs, which economists say has hampered companies' ability to plan ahead. Opposition to Trump's tax-cut and spending bill from hardline conservative Republicans in the US Senate and billionaire Elon Musk adds another layer of uncertainty for businesses. Employers' reluctance to lay off workers potentially keeps the US central bank on the sidelines until the end of the year. Financial markets expect the Fed will leave its benchmark overnight interest rate unchanged in the 4.25 per cent-4.50 per cent range this month, before resuming policy easing in September. US Treasury yields rose after data on Friday showed that employers added more jobs than economists had expected in May, while average hourly earnings also rose more than was forecast. Employers added 139,000 jobs last month, above estimates for a 130,000 increase. Average hourly earnings increased 0.4 per cent in May, above expectations for a 0.3 per cent increase. The unemployment rate held steady at 4.2 per cent, as expected. The yield on benchmark US 10-year notes was last up 5.1 basis points on the day at 4.446 per cent. Interest rate sensitive two-year note yields rose 3.8 basis points to 3.962 per cent. US stock index futures extended gains on Friday after a stronger-than-expected jobs report calmed worries over the health of the labour market in the wake of President Donald Trump's tariff war. A labour Department report showed nonfarm payrolls increased 139,000 in May, compared with estimates for a rise of 130,000, according to economists polled by Reuters. The unemployment rate stood at 4.2 per cent, in-line with a forecast of 4.2 per cent. At 08:30 a.m. ET, Dow E-minis were up 232 points, or 0.57 per cent, S&P 500 E-minis were up 36.25 points, or 0.63 per cent, and Nasdaq 100 E-minis were up 142.75 points, or 0.66 per cent Meanwhile the dollar was headed for a weekly loss on Friday, undermined by signs of fragility in the US economy and little progress on trade negotiations between Washington and its partners, ahead of a critical jobs report. The US nonfarm payrolls report expected later on will draw greater scrutiny after a slew of weaker-than-expected economic data this week underscored that President Donald Trump's tariffs were taking a toll on the economy. Analysts say the data so far has indicated that the US economy faces a period of increasing price pressures and slowing growth, which could complicate Federal Reserve monetary policy, even as Trump has been critical of the institution's cautious stance. Against a basket of currencies, the dollar edged up to 98.9, and was headed for a weekly loss of 0.5 per cent. The euro was taking a breather after hitting a 1-1/2-month top on Thursday following hawkish remarks from the European Central Bank. It last bought roughly $1.1423, down just 0.18 per cent on the day. Traders have pushed back expectations on the timing of the next rate cut, but continue to anticipate a 25-basis point reduction by year-end. Deutsche Bank's Mark Wall said he still expects 50 basis points worth of ECB rate cuts, adding 'it is still too early to judge the impact of the trade war, and the path of the trade war is in any case still inherently unpredictable.' Reflecting a struggling economy, data showed that German exports and industrial output fell more than expected in April. Most currencies had surged against the dollar late on Thursday, helped by news that Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke on a call for more than an hour, before paring some of their gains. Investors remain worried about US trade negotiations and the lack of progress in hashing out deals ahead of an early July deadline. The highly anticipated call between Trump and Xi also provided little clarity and the spotlight on it was quickly stolen by a public fallout between Trump and Elon Musk. Elsewhere, cryptocurrency dogecoin, often supported by Musk, was a touch firmer after falling to a one-month low on Thursday. US equity funds saw outflows for a third straight week through June 4, as concerns lingered over uncertainty surrounding US trade policies, while investors remained cautious ahead of a key jobs report due Friday. Reuters


Zawya
a day ago
- Zawya
Dollar makes tentative gains despite weak data, euro steady ahead of ECB
SINGAPORE/LONDON - The euro steadied near six-week highs against the dollar ahead of an expected interest rate cut from the European Central Bank on Thursday, while the U.S. currency recovered modestly from a dip after data renewed fears of slow growth and high inflation. Data on Wednesday showed the U.S. services sector contracted for the first time in nearly a year in May, and also an easing labour market, leading to a rally in Treasuries and increasing the chances of more rate cuts from the Federal Reserve this year. "For most of the week, we've been staying in relatively tight ranges... there was dollar softness yesterday after the downside surprise in the ISM services data, but slightly calmer heads are prevailing this morning," said Michael Brown, senior research strategist at Pepperstone. On Thursday, the dollar was up 0.37% against the yen at 143.34, and 0.25% higher against the Swiss franc at 0.82025 francs. Meanwhile, the euro was virtually unchanged at $1.1416, not far from a six-week high it touched at the start of the week. Sterling was flat at $1.3565. Brown said FX markets were essentially in a holding pattern until the European Central Bank decision later on Thursday, and ahead of closely-tracked U.S. May jobs report on Friday. The ECB is expected to cut its benchmark rate by a quarter of a point, marking the eighth reduction in 13 months as inflation eased from post-pandemic highs. The central bank is seeking to prop up a euro zone economy that was struggling even before the erratic economic and trade policies of U.S. President Donald Trump's administration dealt it yet another blow. Commerzbank analysts said the ECB was likely to lower its growth and inflation forecasts for 2025 slightly and may mention the stronger euro, given its disinflationary effect. Data on Tuesday showed euro zone inflation easing below the ECB's 2% target, supporting rate cut bets. PAYROLLS DATA Friday's monthly U.S. payrolls figures will reveal the state of the labour market after payroll processing firm ADP on Wednesday said that U.S. private payrolls increased far less than expected in May. The more comprehensive employment report on Friday is expected to show that non-farm payrolls increased by 130,000 jobs in May, after advancing by 177,000 in April, according to a Reuters survey of economists. The unemployment rate is forecast to hold steady at 4.2%. "May's payrolls data tomorrow will be important to see if investor concerns are valid or overdone. A soft labour market report is likely to result in outsized falls in the U.S. dollar," said Mansoor Mohi-uddin, chief economist at Bank of Singapore. Markets have been rattled since Trump announced a slate of tariffs on countries around the globe on April 2, only to pause some and declare new ones, leading investors to look for alternatives to U.S. assets. Investors remain worried about U.S. trade negotiations and the lack of progress in hashing out deals ahead of an early July deadline. The greenback weakness has been the story of the year, with foreign exchange strategists surveyed by Reuters expecting further declines on mounting concerns about the U.S. federal deficit and debt. The dollar index, which measures the U.S. currency against six others, was at 98.87 and has dropped about 9% this year, poised for its weakest yearly performance since 2017. Trump redoubled his calls for Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Wednesday to lower interest rates after the ADP data was released, the latest attack that has stoked worries about the independence of the U.S. central bank and rattled investors. Markets have priced in 56 basis points of rate cuts this year from the Fed, with traders pricing in a 95% chance for easing in September, LSEG data showed.