Spot Gold Surges 1% to $4,237/Oz While Spot Silver Rises 2% to $54/Oz as Traders Assess Rate Path After US Shutdown Ends

Spot gold surged 1% to $4,237/oz while spot silver rose 2% to $54.34/oz.

Gold rose as traders turned their attention to the Federal Reserve’s interest-rate outlook following Washington’s reopening.

US President Donald Trump signed legislation to end the longest government shutdown on record. However, the White House has warned that official jobs and inflation data for October are unlikely to be released.

The data void throughout the shutdown has caused investors to fly blind or rely on private statistics for a temperature check on the world’s largest economy. Gold has rallied this week, partly in expectation of further interest-rate cuts after Washington returns to work — a positive for the metal, which doesn’t pay interest.

But policymakers are divided on the need for further reductions to the cost of borrowing. Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta President Raphael Bostic and Bank of Boston President Susan Collins both said they favored keeping interest rates steady to cool inflation.

“A lack of official economic data and concerns around the level of monetary policy restrictiveness has resulted in muddled expectations around the Fed’s upcoming December decision,” TD Securities analysts including Oscar Munoz said in a note. “Data settles debates, while lack of data leads to entrenched policy views.”

Gold is up nearly 60% this year and remains on track for its best annual performance since 1979. Central banks have stepped up purchases, seeking a store of value and asset diversification, while investors have piled into the metal as a hedge against growing fiscal unease in some of the world’s biggest economies.