Gold Hovers 1-Month Low on Inflation Risks
2026-04-29 23:48
By
Jam Kaimo Samonte
1 min. read
Gold traded around $4,550 an ounce on Thursday, hovering at one-month lows as surging energy costs intensified inflation worries and strengthened expectations that major central banks may need to raise interest rates.
President Donald Trump said the US would keep its naval blockade on Iran in place until it agrees to a nuclear deal, while Tehran accused Trump of attempting to force the country into submission through economic pressure and internal divisions.
The prolonged Middle East conflict and the near-shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz unsettled global markets, prompting traders to scale back bets on rate cuts this year and instead begin pricing in the possibility of a hike by 2027.
Meanwhile, the US Federal Reserve left its policy settings unchanged as widely expected, although four officials dissented, underscoring rising divisions over the policy outlook amid heightened uncertainty stemming from the Iran conflict.