Gold Stalls Below $4,800 Amid Trump’s Iran Threats and Strong US Data
2026-04-21 13:54
By
Joana Ferreira
1 min. read
Gold hovered below $4,800 an ounce on Tuesday, struggling for momentum as investors monitored potential US-Iran negotiations amid escalating tensions.
US President Donald Trump declared he "expects to be bombing" Iran once the two-week ceasefire expires on Wednesday, even as he claimed Tehran could still secure a "great deal" if it attends talks in Pakistan, despite Iran’s denial of such plans.
The Middle East conflict has triggered a historic energy supply shock, intensifying inflationary pressures and raising the likelihood of central bank rate hikes, which have dampened gold’s appeal.
Meanwhile, strong US economic data further reduced safe-haven demand: retail sales surged 1.7% in March, beating expectations of 1.4%, with broad-based gains across nearly all categories, likely buoyed by larger-than-usual tax refunds.
Since the Iran war began, gold has plunged over 8%, as geopolitical risks compete with resilient US consumer activity and the Federal Reserve’s cautious monetary stance.