Trump's five major factors! Will gold continue to rise?The past six months may have been dizzying, but a clear theme has emerged since U.S. President Donald Trump returned to the White House: It’s good news for the gold market.
Although gold prices broke through $3,500 an ounce nearly three months ago, setting a new record high, five key factors that have emerged since the start of Trump’s second term are likely to continue to support gold prices in the coming months. These factors may even prove that the precious metal is becoming a core asset class in investors’ portfolio strategies.
David Miller, co-founder and chief investment officer of Catalyst Funds, said that as the market enters the third quarter, gold remains a standout asset class that “provides both a hedge against the potential risks of geopolitical conflict and a break from the erosion of fiat currencies.”
The first key factor supporting gold is demand from central banks, which indicates that the market has weakened confidence in the U.S. dollar. Miller pointed out in emailed comments that central bank demand is surging, and the BRICS countries, especially China and India, are accelerating the accumulation of gold reserves “as part of a broader de-dollarization strategy.” According to a report released by the World Gold Council on Wednesday, the People’s Bank of China’s official gold holdings have climbed for eight consecutive months.
David Russell, head of global market strategy at TradeStation, said the global tariffs threatened and implemented by Trump have accelerated the "de-dollarization process." De-dollarization refers to efforts by some countries to reduce their reliance on the U.S. dollar as a reserve currency.
"Trade is becoming less dependent on the U.S. end market and less dependent on the dollar. This is more like the 19th century than the era after World War I and World War II," Russell said in emailed comments. "This trend back to the old model is creating structural demand for gold after decades of neglect. Fiat currencies are in decline," he added.
Russell also said the decline in the credit quality of developed country governments, such as the United States, is also a major concern for the market. "We have lost our AAA rating from the three major rating agencies because of growing deficits and looming pressure on unfunded liabilities such as Social Security," he said, referring in part to Moody's downgrading its top credit rating for the United States in May. "After decades of procrastination, we are running out of ways to go."
That said, trade policy is a third factor affecting gold. Russell said that "large budget deficits or increased tariffs" would reduce demand for U.S. Treasuries, supporting gold prices.
With both 2-year and 10-year Treasury yields falling so far this year and real rates under pressure from inflation, "the opportunity cost of holding gold is falling," noted Catalyst Funds' Miller. That's leading to a fourth potential support for gold -- a resurgent interest in gold exchange-traded funds and other alternatives.
In the first half of 2025, North America led the growth in global gold ETF inflows, according to the World Gold Council. Global physically-backed gold ETFs saw inflows of $38 billion in the first half of this year, marking the strongest half-year performance since the first half of 2020, according to the World Gold Council.
Finally, from a technical perspective, gold prices have held above $3,250 an ounce for much of June, Miller said. That shows signs of "a potential breakout as equity market volatility returns," he said. Gold for August delivery closed at $3,359.10 an ounce on Wednesday.
“Gold is not just a crisis hedge, it is becoming a core asset class in modern portfolio strategies.” Miller said that the current macroeconomic environment “justifies a meaningful allocation to gold and gold-related strategies.”
He said: “The combination of fragile stock market sentiment, uncertain policy direction and structural macro headwinds reinforces our view that gold is not just a crisis hedge, it is becoming a core asset class in modern portfolio strategies.” PEPPERSTONE:XAUUSD ACTIVTRADES:GOLD ICMARKETS:XAUUSD ACTIVTRADES:GOLD EIGHTCAP:XAUUSD VELOCITY:GOLD
