Chart Of The Day: Rising Interest Rates Means Falling Gold

 | Apr 01, 2021 09:32

The outlook for gold is not promising. Expectations for higher interests rates makes the yellow metal less attractive.

The Fundamentals/h2

Rising yields come about with expectations for rising rates, amid the economic recovery and rising inflation. Given that gold does not produce a yield—unlike the dollar via interest rates—rising rates favor the USD, at the expense of gold. Also, a rising greenback makes the yellow metal, which is priced in dollars, more expensive, hitting demand, which hurts gold even more so.

After hitting a new all-time high last year, gold has fallen back to its pre-coronavirus levels which is telling. Investors think the virus and lockdowns are behind them. They expect that COVID-19 vaccines will allow the economy to reopen and pick-up where it left off before the coronavirus outbreak, boosted by unprecedented infrastructure spending.

The Technicals/h2

Gold has completed a rising flag—a price move which speculators believe shows a rebound is underway, but which turns out to be a short-lived short-cover bounce before another leg down.