Gold Prices Steady as Strong Dollar Offsets Safe-Haven Demand Amid US Tariff Escalation

Gold prices remained largely unchanged in Asian trade on Friday, poised for a third consecutive weekly decline as a stronger U.S. dollar outweighed safe-haven demand driven by escalating trade tensions.

Spot gold edged up 0.2% to $3,396.25 an ounce, while gold futures held steady at $3,348.10 per ounce by 01:58 ET (05:58 GMT). The U.S. Dollar Index climbed to its highest in over two months and is on track for its best weekly performance in nearly three years, following the Federal Reserve’s decision to keep interest rates unchanged. A firmer dollar typically makes gold more expensive for international buyers, reducing demand.

Investor sentiment was further pressured by renewed trade uncertainty after President Donald Trump signed an executive order introducing steep “reciprocal tariffs” on imports from more than a dozen countries. The new tariffs, effective August 1, range from 15% on South Korean goods to 25% on Indian exports. Additionally, Trump raised tariffs on Canadian goods to 35% from 25%, citing Canada’s insufficient action on fentanyl shipments.

While heightened trade tensions usually support safe-haven assets like gold, the dollar’s rally capped potential gains.

In other precious metals, platinum futures rose 0.4% to $1,298.35 per ounce, while silver futures dipped 0.1% to $36.68. On the industrial metals front, benchmark copper futures on the London Metal Exchange gained 0.5% to $9,655.95 a ton, though U.S. copper futures eased 0.2% to $4.423 a pound after plunging 19% earlier in the week when refined copper was excluded from planned tariffs. Starting August 1, a 50% tariff will apply to semi-finished copper products but not to ores, concentrates, or cathodes.