GOLD: Gold Rallies On Hopes US Data Releases Will Clarify Fed Outlook
Gold has rallied 1.3% to $4054.0/oz today despite a slightly stronger US dollar, higher yields and a 0.7% rise in the S&P e-mini. It appears to be a delayed reaction to the softer-than-expected November Uni of Michigan consumer sentiment released on Friday. The move may also be in anticipation of the delayed US data printing softer following reports that a deal has been reached to end the US government shutdown impasse. Thus increasing expectations of further Fed easing.
- Gold broke above initial resistance at $4046.2, 31 October high, opening up $4161.4, 22 October high. It reached a high of $4055.50 but has mainly traded around $4040-4050.
- News from the US says that enough Democrats in the senate will vote to pass a bill to end the government shutdown which is in its sixth week.
- Fed Chair Powell said another rate cut in December is not a given and so the market has around a 60% chance of one priced in with 100% by January. Monetary easing supports non-interest bearing gold.
- The PBoC built its gold reserves in October for a twelfth consecutive month, according to Bloomberg. There was an 8% y/y fall in gold consumption in China in the year to September according to the Gold Association.
- Silver is 1.8% higher at $49.18 but has been unable to break above initial resistance at $49.456, 23 October high. It reached $49.299 earlier.
- Later the Fed’s Daly and Musalem speak as well as BoE’s Lombardelli. There are no material data releases.
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US: Trump Oval Office Announcement Underway Shortly
US President Donald Trump is shortly due to deliver an announcement in the White House Oval Office. LIVESTREAM The announcement is expected to relate to drug pricing and could follow a similar template to a recent pledge from Pfizer.
- The announcement will be Trump's first press remarks since a market-moving Truth Social statement earlier today in which Trump suggested calling off a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping and raising tariffs on China in response to new export controls from Beijing on rare earths. See earlier bullets here and here.
RATINGS: Moody's Completes Periodic Review Of Belgium, No Rating Action
No ratings actions for Belgium from Moody's, which is quoted in a press release on Bloomberg: "Moody's Ratings (Moody's) has completed a periodic review of the ratings of Belgium and other ratings that are associated with this issuer. The review was conducted through a rating committee held on 2 October 2025 in which we reassessed the appropriateness of the ratings in the context of the relevant principal methodology(ies), and recent developments. This publication does not announce a credit rating action and is not an indication of whether or not a credit rating action is likely in the near future."
- There had been some speculation there could be a ratings action - MNI wrote Thursday: "* Moody's on Belgium (Current rating Aa3, Outlook Negative): We expect Moody's to maintain their current stance in the absence of 2026 budget details."
MACRO ANALYSIS: US Macro Week Ahead: No CPI, But Plenty Of Pre-Blackout FedSpeak
Below is the week’s data schedule, with MNI’s annotation of whether or not data will be postponed.
- As we went to press, the Fed announced that next week's Industrial Production data will be postponed (was due to be published next Friday Oct 17) as the data “incorporate a range of data from other government agencies, the publication of which has been delayed as a result of the federal government shutdown.”
- We won’t be getting September CPI as scheduled on Oct 15, but at least the BLS announced it will publish the data on Oct 24.
- As such next week we’ll be looking at some under-covered data points, including the Redbook weekly and Chicago Fed’s CARTS retail sales data (in lieu of the Census Bureau retail sales report), with a little more focus than usual on regional Fed manufacturing indices (NY, Philadelphia).
- Once again, the dearth of tier-one data leaves Fed commentary in focus ahead of the pre-FOMC blackout period: highlights for us are Philadelphia Fed President Paulson making her first comments on monetary policy on Monday since being appointed in the summer, while as always Chair Powell bears watching on Tuesday (we also hear from Bowman, Waller, Collins, Miran, Schmid, and Musalem).
- Additionally we get the latest Beige Book which was already key given the FOMC was already increasingly focused on anecdotal information as it attempts to navigate murky economic waters.
