Gold, silver prices on the rise in India amid U.S.-Iran tensions

Gold and silver prices in India have hit new highs recent days, to the glee of traders and the consternation of retail buyers.
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Multiple reasons are being attributed to the price rises, first and foremost being rising geopolitical tensions following the U.S. airstrike that killed top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani. Other factors include the fall of the Indian rupee versus the U.S. dollar in currency markets following the rise in the price of petroleum products.
As trends show, gold is normally considered to be a safe-haven asset in times of political or economic strife, as investors and even everyday buyers back off from buying equity or trading in currencies.
Last Monday, gold prices moved past the approximately $569.31 (Rs 41,000) per 10 grams mark, which was in line with sentiments in the international markets.
On India’s Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX), February gold futures, too, surged by 2.4% to a record high of about $570 (Rs 41,073) per 10 grams the same day, clearly underlining the market was betting on the price rise to continue in the coming days.
Last Friday, gold had already breached the $555 (Rs 40,000) mark per 10 grams. In the two days since the rally, the price rose by $25 (Rs 1,800) per 10 grams.
Silver futures on the MCX also went up 2.25% on Monday to trade at about $675 (Rs 48,595) per kilogram.
On Tuesday, however, gold and silver prices fell sharply in Indian markets because of the rupee’s rebounding.
On the MCX, gold futures rates fell 0.51% to $327.12 (Rs 40,265) per 10 grams, Livemint reported.
Back on Wednesday morning, the shine was back in India’s bullion market, riding on the back of prices escalating in the international markets by over 2% to touch $1,610.90, its highest level since March 2013. Gold prices in India hit an all-time high of about $573 (Rs 41,278).
Silver prices, too, were up 1.25% to $18.62 in the global markets, according to CNBCTV18.
Part of the resurgence in prices was attributed to Iran’s firing of rockets at U.S. bases in Iraq, read as a sign of an escalation in Middle East tensions.
Most analysts in India think if geopolitical tensions continue to boil, gold and silver’s upward momentum will also continue.
In addition to the tensions between the U.S. and Iran, other factors that are pushing bullion prices up, including uncertainties related to Brexit and the Hong Kong protests.
Some analysts are even forecasting Indian gold prices to touch $616 (Rs 44,300).
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Also on gold traders’ radar is U.S. Vice President Mike Pence’s speech next week, in which he is expected to lay out the government’s policy on Iran.