Precious metals closed lower for the week as the market worried about an official restart of the rate hike cycle [SMM precious metals macro analysis]
Precious metals closed lower this week, with spot gold falling below $4,300/oz and dropping about 2% for the week. Hawkish comments from US Fed officials, the 10-year Treasury yield breaking above 5%, and the US dollar index surpassing 101 were the main drags, as markets worried about a resumption of the rate-hike cycle. The fluid US-Iran situation added further uncertainty. Meanwhile, signs of gold decoupling from interest rates and ETF open interest hitting a seven-month high provided underlying support. Going forward, attention will focus on US-Iran talks and the US Fed's next moves.