
Dubai gold price may slip below Dh370 a gram for 22K
The last time 22K gold traded below this level was on July 31 at Dh368.25, following Dh365.25 a day earlier. Since then, rates have held above Dh370 throughout August.
Jewelry retailers said demand has been subdued ahead of the wedding season, as buyers wait for prices to ease.
'We haven't seen much buying for wedding season as yet,' said Rohan Siroya, Director at Siroya Jewellers. 'Some clients are browsing – but it remains to be a wait as they hope for rates to be better.
On global markets, bullion dropped to $3,317 an ounce on Tuesday, down from $3,345 the previous day and nearly $100 lower compared to 30 days ago.
Analysts attribute some of the softening to renewed diplomatic efforts led by the US to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Industry watchers said even a decline toward $2,500–$2,700 an ounce would significantly improve demand, particularly in the UAE, where gold jewelry sales have weakened over the past two to three years due to elevated prices.

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


Zawya
an hour ago
- Zawya
Oil firms as investors await next steps in Ukraine peace push
LONDON - Oil rose on Wednesday as the American Petroleum Institute reported a drop in U.S. crude inventories and investors awaited the next steps in talks to end the Ukraine war, with sanctions on Russian crude remaining in place for now. Crude fell more than 1% on Tuesday on optimism that an agreement to end the war seemed closer. However, U.S. President Donald Trump conceded that Russian President Vladimir Putin might not want to make a deal. Brent crude futures rose 44 cents, or 0.7%, to $66.23 a barrel by 1000 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures for September delivery, set to expire on Wednesday, gained 65 cents, or 1%, to $63. "It seems oil prices are thrown down one day, followed by a rebound the next day. The API report was on the positive side, so I assume some price support is coming from that," said Giovanni Staunovo, an analyst at UBS. U.S. crude stocks fell by 2.42 million barrels, market sources said on Tuesday, citing American Petroleum Institute figures, ahead of official data at 1430 GMT. "Not so sure about the peace deal - will have to see if something moves forward over the coming days," Staunovo added. Trump said on Tuesday the United States might provide air support as part of a deal to end Russia's war in Ukraine. A day earlier, Trump said he was arranging a meeting between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to be followed by a trilateral summit among the three presidents. Russia has not confirmed it will take part in talks with Zelenskiy. "The likelihood of a quick resolution to the conflict with Russia now seems unlikely," said Daniel Hynes, senior commodity strategist at ANZ, in a note on Wednesday. Oil also found support from flooding at a large U.S. refinery. BP said on Tuesday operations at its 440,000-barrel-per-day refinery in Whiting, Indiana, were affected by flooding after a severe thunderstorm, potentially weighing on crude demand at the facility - a key fuel producer for the Midwest market. (Additional reporting by Colleen Howe


Zawya
3 hours ago
- Zawya
Syria to issue tender to buy 200,000 tons of wheat, ministry says
BEIRUT - Syria will issue an international tender to import 200,000 metric tons of wheat to help cover a domestic supply shortfall, the Ministry of Economy and Industry told Reuters on Wednesday, without specifying a date for the tender. Reuters reported on Monday that Syria faced a potential food crisis with the worst drought in 36 years slashing wheat production by around 40% and the cash-strapped government struggling to secure large-scale purchases. 'To safeguard national food security, the ministry is engaging in wheat imports from key exporting markets, including Ukraine and Romania,' the ministry said in statement provided to Reuters via the Ministry of Information. The General Establishment for Grain has procured 372,000 tons from local farmers so far this season and needs 2.55 million tons to cover its annual consumption, the ministry said, confirming figures reported by Reuters on Monday. Wheat is Syria's most important crop and supports a state-subsidised bread programme. All recent wheat shipments were paid for on a cash-against-delivery basis, and there are no outstanding liabilities to suppliers, according to the Ministry of Economy and Industry statement. It said no external budgetary support had been secured, apart from an Iraqi in-kind grant of 146,000 tons. In April, Syrian media said Iraq would ship 220,000 metric tons of wheat to Syria as "a gift." Wheat imports were financed through sovereign self-funding mechanisms, without reliance on foreign subsidies or preferential loans, according to the ministry. Any wheat shortfall would prove a challenge for President Ahmed al-Sharaa, whose government is seeking to rebuild Syria after a 14-year civil war and the toppling of long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad in December. Before the civil war, Syria produced up to 4 million tons of wheat, exporting around 1 million tons. (Reporting by Maya Gebeily; writing by Sarah El Safty; editing by Maha El Dahan and Tomasz Janowski)


Zawya
9 hours ago
- Zawya
War or peace? For oil markets, the Ukraine outcome is insignificant: Bousso
(The opinions expressed here are those of the author, a columnist for Reuters.) LONDON - U.S. President Donald Trump's high-stakes diplomacy to resolve the war in Ukraine is unlikely to jolt oil and gas markets, no matter the outcome. Russia has faced multiple rounds of western sanctions and restrictions since its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, which have dealt severe blows to the country's giant oil and gas industry, sapping Moscow of vital revenue and reshaping global energy markets. Russian gas now accounts for just 18% of European imports, down from 45% in 2021, while the bloc's oil imports from Russia have fallen to 3% from around 30% over that time. The European Union plans to fully phase out Russian energy by 2027. Meanwhile, India has increased its share of Russian crude to 38% of total imports from 16% in 2021, according to Kpler. China and Turkey have also notably ramped up their Russian oil purchases. The war in Ukraine has left over a million dead or wounded, so its conclusion would be welcomed by many. Energy markets, however, are not apt to register much of a reaction unless there is a full ceasefire along with the lifting of all U.S. and European sanctions. And that is long shot. Given the more probable set of scenarios, oil and gas markets are unlikely to be rattled by the fallout from either last Friday's disappointing summit between Trump and Russian President Valdimir Putin or the U.S. president's meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskiy and European leaders on Monday. UNLIKELY PEACE Full peace in Ukraine remains highly improbable. Trump's apparent support for a comprehensive settlement, rather than a ceasefire, has widened the gap between America, Ukraine and Europe. At the same time, his suggestion of U.S. post-settlement security guarantees for Ukraine is likely to face resistance from Moscow. In other words, don't bet on a full normalization of relations between Russia and the West any time soon. Trump might pressure Zelenskiy into accepting a temporary or partial halt in fighting. But even then, Europe is unlikely to resume Russian energy imports while Putin remains in power. Before 2022, Europe accounted for nearly half of Russia's 4.7 million barrels per day of oil exports and 75% of its gas exports, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The Trump administration could attempt to ease some sanctions unilaterally, but this could face opposition in Congress, including from Republicans, unless a broad peace deal is reached. BREAKDOWN Perhaps the more likely scenario – Trump failing to broker a deal – also shouldn't have a major impact on energy markets. The U.S. could tighten sanctions, particularly by targeting buyers of Russian energy, as Trump has already threatened. But the U.S. president said on Friday that he would delay so-called "secondary sanctions" on China due to what he described as 'successful' talks with Putin. Of course, India already faces secondary tariffs over its Russian oil purchases. Earlier this month, Trump announced a 25% tariff on Indian goods, citing the country's continued oil imports from Russia. The new tariff, effective August 27, will bring total tariffs on Indian imports to 50%. But even though Indian buyers already appear to be reducing their Russian oil purchases, the impact on global supplies has been minimal as China has increased its intake of Russian crude. Ultimately, China matters far more in this story, and it's unlikely to significantly curb its Russian oil imports, not least because it considers its relationship with Moscow to be strategic. Chinese and Russian oil producers, refiners and traders have already built a sprawling network of tankers and insurers to circumvent Western sanctions on Venezuela, Iran, and Russia. Additionally, U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods already average 55%, according to the Peterson Institute for International Economics. Additional tariffs could raise costs for U.S. consumers, and Beijing could retaliate, potentially by withholding rare earths or other critical minerals, all outcomes Trump would want to avoid – and Beijing knows this. In short, Trump appears to have little stomach for the potential consequences, and even if he were to tighten sanctions, this likely wouldn't materially affect China's ability to import oil. CUSHIONED MARKETS Crucially, oil and gas markets appear to be entering a period of oversupply, meaning any possible disruption in Russian volumes can easily be offset. The IEA expects oil supply to exceed demand by 1.76 million barrels per day in 2025 and by 3 million bpd in 2026, driven by rising output from OPEC+ and the Americas. Global liquefied natural gas (LNG) markets are also expanding rapidly, with new supply coming online in the coming years across the U.S., Qatar, Canada, and elsewhere. LNG capacity is projected to grow from 500 million tons per year in 2024 to 800 mtpa by 2030, according to the International Energy Agency. While Trump's foreign policy remains unpredictable, a few things seem clear. He can't, as he once claimed, end the Ukraine war in one day, and what he can do is unlikely to have much of an impact on oil and gas markets. Enjoying this column? Check out Reuters Open Interest (ROI), your essential new source for global financial commentary. ROI delivers thought-provoking, data-driven analysis. Markets are moving faster than ever. ROI can help you keep up. Follow ROI on LinkedIn and X.