Gold Retreats Further
Gold prices eased below $3,370 per ounce on Wednesday, extending its retreat after briefly hitting a record high of $3,500 in the previous session. The decline came amid optimism over easing US-China trade tensions and reduced concerns about the Federal Reserve’s independence. On Tuesday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he expects a de-escalation in the trade conflict with China soon, calling the prolonged tariff standoff unsustainable. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump backed away from threats to dismiss Fed Chair Jerome Powell after days of intensifying criticism over the central bank’s reluctance to cut interest rates. The improved overall sentiment weakened gold’s safe-haven appeal. Still, bullion remains up roughly 30% so far this year.