Gold: Recent Mid-East flare up adds to upside risks – ING

Dhwani Mehta FXStreet

In the latest client note, analysts at ING note that despite the recent surge in gold prices, the investment demand for the yellow metal remains intact amid trade war and Mid-East tensions.

Key Quotes:

“No letup in gold investment demand despite higher prices.

Investors remain jittery about rising geopolitical and economic uncertainty, and continue to turn towards safe haven assets such as gold.

ETF holdings have increased … total known holdings increasing to a fresh six-year high.

Recent tension in the Middle East has only increased the attractiveness of gold for investors.

Moving forward, investors will be watching the US/China trade talks scheduled for early October for further clues on economic prospects and the direction of monetary policy. “

Author

Dhwani Mehta

FXStreet

Residing in Mumbai (India), Dhwani is a Senior Analyst and Manager of the Asian session at FXStreet. She has over 10 years of experience in analyzing and covering the global financial markets, with specialization in Forex and commodities markets.

AUD/USD falls to near 0.7100 after slipping below 50-day EMA

AUD/USD depreciates after registering minor gains in the previous day, trading around 0.7120 during the Asian hours. The technical analysis of the daily chart shows the pair consolidating sideways within a rectangle pattern, as neither bulls nor bears gain control. The AUD/USD pair is holding a slight bearish tone however as it sits beneath both the nine-day and 50-day EMAs.

Japanese Yen edges up but remains close to the 160.00 intervention threshold

The Japanese Yen edges up against the US Dollar on Friday, but the USD/JPY pair remains above 159.90 at the time of writing, unable to put a significant distance from the 160.00 level, considered the limit of tolerable JPY weakness for Japanese authorities.

Gold returns to the red, awaits US NFP

Gold price is looking to test the weekly lows, while in the red near $4,450 in the early European session on Friday. The precious metal remains vulnerable amid ongoing geopolitical turmoil. Traders will closely monitor the developments surrounding the US-Iran peace deal and the US May employment report later on Friday.

Indian Rupee jumps as RBI holds, but unveils measures to boost foreign inflows

The Reserve Bank of India held the Repo Rate at 5.25%, as widely expected, on Friday. But the central bank unveiled various measures to boost foreign inflows into the economy, lifting the Indian Rupee against the US Dollar.

Top 3 Price Prediction: Bitcoin eyes $60,000, Ethereum risks $1,750, XRP could test $1

Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Ripple prices edge lower on Friday, extending a steady decline of roughly 15% so far this week. Institutional outflows weigh on Bitcoin and Ethereum while XRP largely follows the broader market trend.

Recession on paper: What really moves the Canadian Loonie now?

Statistics Canada handed the headline writers a gift and the analysts a headache. Real GDP shrank 0.1% on an annualized basis in the first quarter, and with the fourth quarter of 2025 revised down to a 1.0% contraction, that is two negative quarters in a row, the textbook definition of a technical recession and Canada's first since the pandemic.