logo
Gold snaps 4-day winning streak; declines ₹800 to ₹98,500

Gold snaps 4-day winning streak; declines ₹800 to ₹98,500

Hindustan Times27-05-2025

Gold prices declined ₹800 to ₹98,500 per 10 grams, bringing an end to its four-day rally, in the national capital on Tuesday amid a fall in precious metal rates globally, according to the All India Sarafa Association.
The yellow metal of 99.5 per cent purity depreciated ₹800 to ₹98,000 per 10 grams (inclusive of all taxes). It had closed at ₹98,800 per 10 grams in the previous market session.
Additionally, silver prices plunged ₹1,370 to ₹99,000 per kg (inclusive of all taxes) on Tuesday. The white metal had settled at ₹1,00,370 per kg on Monday.
On the global front, spot gold slipped by USD 45.03 per ounce or 1.35 per cent to USD 3,296.92 per ounce.
"Gold is trading below USD 3,350 per ounce, weighed down by Brussels' push to accelerate trade negotiations with the US, reducing demand for safe-haven assets," Kaynat Chainwala, AVP-Commodity Research at Kotak Securities, said.
Investors are now focused on upcoming US Durable Goods Orders and Consumer Confidence data later in the day for further insights into the economic outlook amid persistent tariff and inflation concerns, Chainwala added.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Rupee recovers from two-month low level; settles 18 paise higher at 86.55 against US dollar
Rupee recovers from two-month low level; settles 18 paise higher at 86.55 against US dollar

The Print

time3 hours ago

  • The Print

Rupee recovers from two-month low level; settles 18 paise higher at 86.55 against US dollar

At the interbank foreign exchange, the domestic currency opened at 86.65 and traded in a narrow range of 86.55-86.67, before ending the session at its intra-day peak of 86.55 against the US dollar, registering a gain of 18 paise from previous closing level. A robust sentiment in domestic equity markets further supported the local unit, according to forex traders. Mumbai, Jun 20 (PTI) The rupee snapped its three-day losing streak and settled with a gain of 18 paise at 86.55 against the US dollar on Friday, buoyed by a massive inflow of foreign capital, retreating crude oil prices and a weakening greenback. The rupee had lost 30 paise to close at an over two-month low of 86.73 against the dollar on Thursday, logging a combined loss of 69 paise in the past three sessions. According to Maneesh Sharma, AVP – Commodities & Currencies, Anand Rathi Shares and Stock Brokers, the rupee gained on Friday but declined a little over 1 per cent this month so far, 'with a large portion of its decline occurring after Israel attacked targets in Iran last Friday'. Dilip Parmar, Research Analyst, HDFC Securities, attributed the rupee's resurgence to 'a revitalisation in the domestic stock markets and a subdued greenback, which receded following reports of President Donald Trump postponing a decision regarding an Iran strike'. Additionally, Parmar said, lower imported commodity prices lent additional buoyancy to the local rupee. 'In the near-term, the spot USD/INR pair faces resistance at 87.10 and finds support at 86.45. The overall bias for the USD/INR pair remains favourable,' he added. Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.30 per cent lower at 98.60. In the domestic equity market, the 30-share BSE Sensex surged 1,046.30 points to settle at 82,408.17, while Nifty soared 319.15 points to 25,112.40. Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, declined 2.36 per cent to USD 76.99 per barrel in futures trade. Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) purchased equities worth Rs 7,940.70 crore on a net basis on Friday, according to exchange data. The latest weekly data released by the Reserve Bank of India on Friday showed India's forex reserves rose USD 2.294 billion to USD 698.95 billion during the week ended June 13. However, government data showed the country's eight core sectors' growth slowed down to 0.7 per cent, lowest in nine months, in May 2025 against 6.9 per cent in the same month last year. In April, the growth in output of these key infrastructure sectors were recorded at 1 per cent. PTI TRB HVA This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.

"Outdated, misinformed, and disconnected from reality," Amit Malviya slams Rahul Gandhi's claims on Make in India
"Outdated, misinformed, and disconnected from reality," Amit Malviya slams Rahul Gandhi's claims on Make in India

India Gazette

time6 hours ago

  • India Gazette

"Outdated, misinformed, and disconnected from reality," Amit Malviya slams Rahul Gandhi's claims on Make in India

New Delhi [India], June 21 (ANI): BJP leader Amit Malviya on Saturday hit back at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's criticism of the 'Make in India' initiative, and said that India's manufacturing sector is growing strongly under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Amit Malviya said India is now the world's second-largest mobile phone maker, growing from just 2 factories in 2014 to over 300 today. He added that the PLI scheme brought in Rs 10,905 crore in investments, with total production of Rs 7.15 lakh crore and exports of Rs 3.9 lakh crore, proving Rahul Gandhi's claims wrong. In a post on X, Amit Malviya wrote, 'Rahul Gandhi claims that manufacturing is collapsing under Modi's 'Make in India'. Let's bust the myths with facts. India is now the world's 2nd largest mobile phone producer. From just 2 mobile manufacturing units in 2014 to over 300 today. The so-called 'failed' PLI scheme, as labelled by Rahul Gandhi, has led to: Cumulative investments of 10,905 crore, Total production worth 7.15 lakh crore, Exports of 3.9 lakh crore, Electronics production value rose from 18,900 crore (FY14) to 4,22,000 crore (FY24).' 'Mobile phone exports surged 77-fold from 1,566 crore (2014-15) to 1.2 lakh crore (2023-24), 99.2% of mobile phones sold in India are now made in India, up from just 26% in 2014-15. Under the PLI scheme for electronics alone, 1,39,670 direct jobs have already been created. 1.8 lakh new companies were registered in 2023-24, marking a 16% increase over the previous year. Electronics exports hit USD 38+ billion in FY24-25, a 32% year-on-year increase. PLI allocations for electronics rose from 5,747 crore (FY24-25) to 8,885 crore (FY25-26) a clear signal of continued commitment,' the post reads. Malviya said that under PM Modi, India has transformed from an importer to a global manufacturing powerhouse. He said the government has approved major semiconductor projects worth Rs 1.52 lakh crore and that electronics production is expected to reach USD 300 billion by 2026. He dismissed Rahul Gandhi's criticism as outdated and said India is growing, building, and leading in the tech and manufacturing sectors. 'The government has approved landmark semiconductor projects worth 1.52 lakh crore, a critical leap into deep-tech manufacturing. Overall, electronics production is projected to reach USD 300 billion by 2026. Under PM Modi, India has transformed from an importer to a global manufacturing powerhouse. Rahul Gandhi's narratives are outdated, misinformed, and disconnected from reality. India is building. India is growing. India is leading,' the post further reads. Earlier in the day, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying that despite promises of a 'Make in India' factory boom, manufacturing in the country is at a record low and youth unemployment is very high. Gandhi questioned the effectiveness of the 'Make in India' initiative, highlighting that manufacturing in the country has fallen to a record low of 14 per cent of the economy since 2014. (ANI)

Tariff Tracker, June 21: Hong Kong dollar declines, but investors wary of US assets
Tariff Tracker, June 21: Hong Kong dollar declines, but investors wary of US assets

Indian Express

time6 hours ago

  • Indian Express

Tariff Tracker, June 21: Hong Kong dollar declines, but investors wary of US assets

Dear reader, Earlier this week, the US Federal Reserve announced it would hold interest rates steady for the fourth time in a row, with Chairman Jerome Powell saying it was too early to gauge the economic impact of tariffs. The benchmark lending rate in the US has remained in the 4.25 to 4.5% range since January. While the fallout of the tariffs would logically translate into higher prices of goods, inflation rose marginally to 2.4% in May. The labour market has also remained stable. Economists anticipate that any Fed rate cut would be in response to rising unemployment, in what is described as a 'bad news rate cut'. Powell also signalled the possibility of 'higher energy prices' because of Israel's war with Iran, adding that 'those things don't generally tend to have lasting effects on inflation.' On Friday (June 20), the Hong Kong dollar (HKD) declined to the lower end of its trading range against the US Dollar (USD), trading briefly at 7.85 HKD for the first time since 2023. Given the current market volatility, market hawks have speculated whether the HKD's recent decline signals the end of this currency peg. The Financial Times columnist Robin Harding wrote on June 9 that the Hong Kong dollar slump was a 'warning light for global markets'. To understand why this happened, we need to consider the unique exchange rate system in play. Since 1983, the Hong Kong dollar has been pegged to the US dollar ($1 = 7.80 HKD) in what is called a linked exchange rate system (LERS). The city-state's central banking authority, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), strictly maintains this exchange rate within the range of 7.75-7.85 HKD, and steps in whenever there is any risk of breaching the bounds. When the HKD appreciates ($1 < 7.75 HKD), the HKMA buys USD reserves to restore the targeted rate by supplying the HKD. Ahead of anticipated talks between the US and China towards a trade deal, as well as the prospect of a trade deal with Taiwan, Asian currencies rallied against the dollar as part of the Sell America wave, which we explained in the May 5 Tariff Tracker. In early May, the HKD value breached the 7.75 mark four times on three days, according to the HKMA. Thus, the authority sold HKD129.4 billion in exchange for USD16.7 billion, following the LERS mechanism. According to a Bloomberg report, this had been its first such intervention in five years – the HKMA in 2022 and 2023 moved to sell the USD when its currency was depreciating ($1 > 7.85 HKD). The base rate set by the HKMA is also linked to the US Federal Reserve's policy moves. However, the gap between the HK base rate and US interbank rate has widened to its largest since 2018, Nikkei Asia reported. The Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR), a US interbank benchmark rate, is currently in the 4.3% range, while the corresponding Hong Kong Interbank Offer Rate (HIBOR) is at about 0.5%, its lowest level in three years, the report said. The HKMA's purchase of USD reserves increased liquidity in the market as HKD supply increased, and with it, interest rates in Hong Kong fell sharply. The HIBOR fell by about 3% since May 2, the Nikkei report said. So what seems to be the problem? The FT column expressed concern about how this interest rate gap has persisted, with no sign of letting up. Ordinarily, investors would respond to such a scenario by opting for a carry trade, in which they borrow funds at the lower interest rate and invest in the currency with the higher interest rate, to profit from the interest rate differences between the two countries (arbitrage). This has thus far not happened. The fallout of US President Donald Trump's shifty tariff policies has resulted in a wider shift away from the US dollar. Since May 2025, Asian currencies, including the South Korean won, Japanese yen and Singapore dollar, have appreciated against the US dollar. The FT report highlighted two major issues: * One, the extreme caution taken by banks and hedge funds in responding to the arbitrage opportunity. Given the general back-and-forth on tariff announcements, these organisations have become risk-averse to the possibility of what could be considered 'easy money'. * Two, a declining trust level in American assets by Asian investors. The FT report cited the contentious Section 899 of the One Big, Beautiful Bill, currently in US Congress, which threatens higher taxes on foreign investments. Even if this clause may not see the light of day, the general unpredictability has made potential investors wary. What does this mean for Hong Kong? Hong Kong authorities have welcomed the low interest rates, Nikkei Asia reported. Lower interest rates help to boost consumption spending and mean cheaper borrowing, especially on items like housing mortgages. Further, the downward trend in property prices, underway since 2021, may finally be arrested, with major local real estate companies already witnessing a recovery in their stock prices, the Nikkei report said. However, this trend is likely temporary and would come to a halt once the HKMA intervenes to arrest the depreciating HKD value, which in turn would reduce liquidity and temporarily increase the HIBOR. There are other factors at play as well. In its latest policy note on June 19, the HKMA noted that the HKD had been strengthening for months before the tariff announcements. The note drew attention to the 'buoyant capital market activities' by Chinese investors in the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, which helped its stock market index, the Hang Seng Index, gain 10% in the first four months. Further, dividend payments by listed companies in May and June also helped boost the HKD demand. The HKMA has asserted that the LERS is working as it is expected to, and that the fluctuations in the HKD are all part of the system.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store