Gold prices closed higher Friday, helping the yellow metal clinch a fourth straight week of gains and adding to a rally that started late last month after the Federal Reserve announced its latest interest rate increase.
Gold also posted its longest streak of weekly gains for the most-active contract in seven months, according to Dow Jones Market Data.
Gold booked another weekly gain, even as the dollar climbed Friday.
“Rising real rates and a strengthening US dollar DXY, +0.56% created formidable headwinds for gold in the first half of the year, offsetting tailwinds from soaring inflation and heightened geopolitical risks,” BCA Research analysts wrote in a Friday client note.
However, with the dollar’s 3% drop since a mid-July top, easing U.S. inflation fears on Wall Street and falling 10-year TIPS yields, gold prices gained 5.7% in the past three weeks, according to the BCA team, noting the continued appeal of safe-haven assets given still extremely elevated geopolitical risks.
“Gold will continue advancing as long as the recent trends in the dollar and real rates continue,” they said.
The most-active gold contract clinched a fourth week in a row of gains, its longest weekly stretch of wins since Dec. 31, 2021, according to Dow Jones Market Data.
Still, the precious metal’s upside potential could be capped by the Federal Reserve, according to Rupert Rowling, a market analyst at Kinesis Money.
Looking ahead, investors will be awaiting the release of the Federal Open Market Committee’s minutes, expected to be released next Wednesday.
U.S. stocks also rallied Friday, putting the big three benchmarks on pace for strong weekly gains. The S&P 500 index SPX, +1.73% was up 1.2% on Friday, heading for a 2.7% weekly advance, according to FactSet.
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Joy Wiltermuth is a news editor and senior markets reporter based in San Francisco.
Joseph Adinolfi is a markets reporter at MarketWatch.
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