PRECIOUS-Gold hits record high as US-China trade woes escalate; silver scales all-time peak

By Ishaan Arora

Oct 13 (Reuters) - Gold soared to a record high on Monday, lifted by safe-haven demand amid renewed U.S.-China trade tensions and expectations of U.S. Federal Reserve interest rate cuts, while silver also surged to an all-time high.

Spot gold XAU= was up 0.7% at $4,044.29 per ounce, as of 0253 GMT, after hitting a record high of $4,059.30 earlier in the session.

U.S. gold futures GCcv1 for December delivery rose 1.6% to $4,062.50.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday imposed 100% tariffs on Chinese goods to the United States and announced new export controls on critical software effective November 1 in response to China's curbs on rare earth elements and equipment, which Beijing defended on Sunday as justified while stopping short of imposing additional levies on U.S. goods.

"It's interesting because developments in the Middle East recently had been a diminished tailwind for the gold market, but now we've got this reemergence of risks due to inflamed trade tensions between the U.S. and China," Capital.com analyst Kyle Rodda said.

Spot silver XAG= jumped 2% to a record high of $51.52/oz, driven by similar factors as gold alongside tightness in the spot market.

Goldman Sachs said on Sunday that silver prices were expected to rise in the medium term due to private investment flows, but warned of heightened near-term volatility and downside risks compared to gold.

Non-yielding bullion has gained 54% year-to-date, driven by geopolitical risks, alongside strong central bank gold-buying, exchange-traded funds inflows, Fed rate cut expectations and economic uncertainties stemming from tariffs.

Fed Chair Jerome Powell is set to address the NABE annual meeting on Tuesday, which may provide fresh rate cut cues. Other Fed officials are scheduled to speak throughout the week.

Elsewhere, Trump blamed Democrats for his decision to lay off thousands of federal workers during the ongoing government shutdown, which began on October 1, and has delayed key economic data releases.

On the geopolitical front, several world leaders, including Trump, are meeting in Egypt on Monday to discuss ceasefire plans for Gaza.

Platinum XPT=, rose 2.6% to $1,628.80 and palladium XPD= gained 2.6% to $1,442.06.

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