NEW YORK: Gold prices rebounded from a one-year low on Monday as a drop in oil prices eased some inflation concerns, while investors turned their focus to this week’s US midterm elections and their broader impact on fiscal policies.
Spot gold rose 0.7 percent to USD3,902.03 per ounce by 1239 GMT. It had slumped 3.6 percent to its lowest since October 2025 on Friday after a sharp sell-off in technology and AI stocks triggered a dash for cash, analysts said.
US gold futures for December delivery was up 0.3 percent to USD3,911.50 per ounce. “Optimism around a US-Iran diplomatic breakthrough and renewed concerns over the viability of the AI boom are allowing some doubts to creep in over how far the Federal Reserve will need to go with tightening, and that is facilitating a rebound,” said Nikos Tzabouras, an independent financial markets analyst. “But the bounce may prove short-lived.”
Oil fell more than 4 percent on Monday as talks between Iranian and Qatari officials on a deal to end the US-Israeli war with Iran raised hopes that Middle East supply disruptions could ease.
Lower oil prices can ease inflationary pressures and reduce expectations of interest rates staying higher for longer, lowering the opportunity cost of holding non-yielding bullion.
Attention is now shifting to the November 3 US midterm elections to assess the potential impact on fiscal policy, geopolitics and broader market sentiment.
“Markets are likely to tread carefully into the US midterms, which could mark a turning point for the Middle East conflict, while the tech sell-off that forced investors to liquidate gold to cover losses elsewhere could continue to pressure bullion,” Tzabouras said. Among other metals, spot silver climbed 2 percent to USD50.08 after breaking below USD50 for the first time since late November 2025 in the last session.
Spot platinum fell 0.2 percent to USD1,428.45 and palladium dropped 0.8 percent to USD968.59, after earlier bouncing from their lowest levels in 13 and 17 months, respectively, on Friday.