Gold Pressured by Fed Rate Hike Signals
2026-06-19 00:09
By
Jam Kaimo Samonte
1 min. read
Gold slipped below $4,200 an ounce on Friday, wiping out gains from earlier in the week as hawkish signals from the US Federal Reserve outweighed the positive impact of the US-Iran peace agreement, which pushed oil prices lower and eased inflation concerns.
On Wednesday, the Fed left interest rates unchanged as widely expected but indicated increasing support for interest rate hikes this year.
Higher borrowing costs tend to reduce the appeal of non-yielding assets such as gold by increasing their opportunity cost.
Meanwhile, investors welcomed signs of improving shipping conditions through the Strait of Hormuz after the US-Iran interim peace deal came into effect, ending a prolonged conflict that triggered the largest supply disruption on record.
Still, traders remained cautious, with expectations that it could take months for shipping activity and energy flows to recover to levels seen before the conflict began in late February.