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Gold Eyes Best Week in a Month: Will ETFs Sustain the Rally?

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Gold is on track for its largest weekly gain in more than a month, thanks to growing investor concerns over the United States' ballooning fiscal deficit. These worries have increased gold’s appeal as a safe-haven asset. Gold bullion-based exchange-traded fund (ETF) SPDR Gold Trust (GLD - Free Report) added 3.6% over the past five days.

Investor Worries Grow Amid Credit Downgrade

The precious metal surged toward $3,330 an ounce, poised for a weekly rise of nearly 4%. This comes in the wake of Moody’s Ratings stripping the U.S. of its top-tier credit rating. Investors are now also eyeing President Donald Trump’s tax legislation — which has passed the House and heads to the Senate — as a potential driver of an even larger deficit (read: ETF Strategies to Follow on Moody's Downgrade of U.S. Debt).

Surging US Debt Fuels Concern

According to the Congressional Budget Office, the amount of outstanding U.S. Treasuries has ballooned from $4.5 trillion in 2007 to nearly $30 trillion today. Over the same period, public debt as a percentage of GDP has jumped from 35% to 100%.

Gold Rally Driven by Trade War Fallout and Fiscal Fears

Gold has climbed more than 25% this year, now sitting around $200 below its record high from last month. Its rally has been supported by haven demand stemming from trade tensions, as well as more recent fiscal instability. Central banks, seeking to diversify reserves, have also been steady gold buyers.

Analysts Expect Short-Term Stability, Long-Term Support

“Gold is likely to remain range-bound in the near term,” said Justin Lin, analyst at Global X ETFs, as quoted on Bloomberg. Note that yields on 10-year U.S. Treasuries surpassed 4.5% this week. Historically, such increases weighed on gold prices, which is a non-interest-bearing asset. However, that inverse relationship has recently weakened, allowing bullion to remain resilient Here's Why You Should Stick With Gold ETFs).

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