The U.S. dollar has become about the only thing that matters for precious metals these days as, along with the rest of the natural resource sector, gold and silver are being pummeled by investors and traders with each move higher for the dollar. This is consistent with the well established inverse correlation between these asset classes and, absent a substantive change in course for the dollar, it’s hard to see how precious metals can rebound.
The Federal Reserve policy committee gathers this week and it is possible that the central bank could present a more dovish stance than expected.
This could bolster the metals market and commodity prices in general, as could renewed safe haven demand arising from U.S. military action in the Middle East or a buying surge in Asia at the beginning of a seasonally strong time of the year. But, for the time being at least, the dollar is in charge.
The gold price saw its biggest weekly decline since a drop of 3.6 percent in late-May and it now sits at its lowest level since early-January. This comes after the trade-weighted dollar strengthened for the ninth consecutive week, rising to a six-year high against the Japanese yen in the process. Given the surge in the dollar and gold’s response as shown below, it seems it could have been much worse for the yellow metal in recent weeks.
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