Gold prices continue to increase thanks to geopolitical tensions in the Middle East
Gold prices have recovered during today's Asian session and are currently trading around $2,360 as the market worries that the war situation may escalate in the Middle East.
Over the past week, gold prices have experienced an impressive increase to $2,400 despite the strength of the US dollar and currently XAU/USD is trading around $2,360. The reason for this partly comes from the market's risk aversion as geopolitical tensions in the Middle East continue to increase.
This week, the market's focus will be on US retail sales and the speech of Fed Chairman Jerome Powell.
Gold surpassed $2,400 an ounce on Friday, but closed lower as technical indicators suggested gold's rally had overheated and investors closed positions.
The latest developments in the Middle East prompted a wave of searches for safe assets, with concerns about possible Israeli retaliation likely to support gold in the near term.
Some Wall Street experts believe that gold's rally is expected to continue through at least the second half of the year. Citi previously said gold serves as a hedge against inflation and is a safe reserve asset for central banks.
Goldman Sachs has raised its gold price forecast from $2,300 to $2,700 because gold is not affected by normal macro factors.
A conflict between Iran and Israel is unlikely to have a knock-on effect, with Arab states only calling for restraint on both sides. Saudi Arabia has even indicated that Iran wants to sabotage the normalization of relations between the Arab world and Israel.