- Gold price slips to $3,125 in a volatile trading session for the precious metal and other asset classes.
- Markets are all over the place after US President Trump issued the most harsh tariffs possible.
- Gold traders are taking profit on the ‘sell the fact’ narrative as negotiations could get underway.
Gold price (XAU/USD) corrects in European trading after initially hitting a fresh all-time high at $3,167 in the early Asian session. Traders are taking some profit, pushing the Bullion price to $3,125 at the time of writing on Thursday. Markets see all asset classes absorbing the overnight shocking statement from United States (US) President Donald Trump, who unleashed his reciprocal tariff plan onto the world.
Traders are still mulling over the meaning of the announcement where a global base tariff of 10% is the minimum to apply to any country in the world importing into the US. From there, all other earlier levies remain in place, which means, for example, a total of 54% tariff on China applicable as of this Thursday. Markets are seeing safe haven flow with Equities dropping multiple percentages globally, bond yields falling as Bonds are bid and the US Dollar (USD) devaluing against all major currencies.
Daily digest market movers: Bessent opens the door for negotiations
- Asian Gold producers rise after the precious metal hit a record high as US President Donald Trump’s “reciprocal” tariffs stoke fears of a global economic slowdown and raise demand for haven assets, Bloomberg reports. The move goes against the overall global selloff seen in Equities.
- The CME FedWatch tool sees chances for an interest rate cut in May standing at 21.5%. A cut in June is still the most plausible outcome, with only a 27.5% chance for rates to remain at current levels. In the overall yield curve a shift is noticed that a longer pause from the Fed might play out here.
- Going back to the White House fact sheet in detail, Steel, Aluminum, Gold and Copper imports won’t be subject to reciprocal tariffs, providing at least some relief to domestic buyers who are already bearing the cost of 25% tariffs under Section 232 of the Trade Act of 1962 on all imports of some key metals, Reuters reports.
- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent issued comment after the announcement of reciprocal tariffs by United States (US) President Donald Trump, that tariffs could quickly be lifted or removed if countries bring back their production to the US.
Gold Price Technical Analysis: Some profit taking was bound to happen at one point
A logical turn of events is taking place in Gold price this Thursday as the dust settles over the implementation of reciprocal tariffs by the Trump administration. The “buy the rumor, sell the fact” was the proverb FXStreet was already alluding to in past articles, and that is currently playing out. With negotiations and possible deals being brokered between the US and other countries to circumvent Trump’s tariffs, sentiment can only improve from here, meaning a softening in the Gold price.
On the contrary, should countries start to issue retaliation tariffs, Gold could stretch higher with fresh all-time highs being forecasted.
On the upside, the daily R1 resistance at $3,149 is the first level that needs to be reclaimed again, followed by the $3,167 fresh all-time high. That roughly coincides with the R2 resistance at $3,165. Beyond that, the broader upside target stands at $3,200.
On the downside, the S1 support at $3,111 is quite close, though it could still be tested without completely erasing this week’s gains. From a technical point of view, avoiding a break of this week’s low is essential. Further down, the S2 support at $3,089 should ensure that Gold does not fall back below $3,000.
XAU/USD: Daily Chart
US-China Trade War FAQs
Generally speaking, a trade war is an economic conflict between two or more countries due to extreme protectionism on one end. It implies the creation of trade barriers, such as tariffs, which result in counter-barriers, escalating import costs, and hence the cost of living.
An economic conflict between the United States (US) and China began early in 2018, when President Donald Trump set trade barriers on China, claiming unfair commercial practices and intellectual property theft from the Asian giant. China took retaliatory action, imposing tariffs on multiple US goods, such as automobiles and soybeans. Tensions escalated until the two countries signed the US-China Phase One trade deal in January 2020. The agreement required structural reforms and other changes to China’s economic and trade regime and pretended to restore stability and trust between the two nations. However, the Coronavirus pandemic took the focus out of the conflict. Yet, it is worth mentioning that President Joe Biden, who took office after Trump, kept tariffs in place and even added some additional levies.
The return of Donald Trump to the White House as the 47th US President has sparked a fresh wave of tensions between the two countries. During the 2024 election campaign, Trump pledged to impose 60% tariffs on China once he returned to office, which he did on January 20, 2025. With Trump back, the US-China trade war is meant to resume where it was left, with tit-for-tat policies affecting the global economic landscape amid disruptions in global supply chains, resulting in a reduction in spending, particularly investment, and directly feeding into the Consumer Price Index inflation.
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