US-Iran Tensions Fuel Gold Price Surge Amid Hawkish Fed Rhetoric
Gold prices surged on Thursday, September 3, as tensions between the US and Iran escalated in the Strait of Hormuz. December gold futures rose to an intraday high of $4,470.70 per ounce by 6:53 a.m. EDT, up 0.5 percent from Wednesday's close.
The price increase stems from confirmed US airstrikes against Iranian targets over the past two days in retaliation for attacks on commercial vessels in the region. Market expectations suggest that the military exchange will remain contained, following President Donald Trump's description of the US response as a 'very heavy attack' that will not take 'too long.'
This development comes after gold suffered four consecutive sessions of losses, hitting a three-week low of $4,304.01. The weakness followed hawkish rhetoric from US Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh at the Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium, which boosted US treasury yields and strengthened the dollar.
Investors are now looking to next week's US consumer price index report for directional cues, with traders pricing in a 58-67 percent probability of a rate hike at the Fed's September meeting. Technical analysts note that gold bounced off key swing support at $4,311 earlier this week and temporarily tested resistance above the $4,450 level.