Daily brief · Friday, March 13, 2026
Gold slips to $5,044.60 as stronger dollar, Fed wait weigh; silver drops to $83.70
Precious metals fell sharply Friday, led by silver and platinum, as several reports pointed to a firmer U.S. dollar and reduced expectations for near-term rate cuts ahead of the Fed meeting. Physical-market signals were mixed: Reuters reported deep discounts in India, while Middle East tensions were said to be supporting demand in China.
AI summaryWritten automatically with AI from 7 linked reports and our own price data, Oct 21, 2:40 AM ET. Each point links to its sources. Published without an editor’s review; not investment advice. How this page is made
Closing prices for March 13, 2026
Tone of the reports: Mixed
What happened
Gold closed at $5,044.60/oz (-1.67%). Action Forex and Kitco both tied the pressure to a stronger dollar and fading rate-cut expectations heading into the Fed/FOMC meeting.
SourcesAction Forex: Weekly Gold (XAU/USD) Forecast: 3% Slide to $5000/oz as Rate Cut Bets Tumble, FOMC Up NextKitco News: Gold under pressure as liquidity crunch boosts dollar ahead of Fed meeting
Kitco described a “liquidity crunch” that is boosting the dollar, adding near-term headwinds for gold.
SourcesKitco News: Gold under pressure as liquidity crunch boosts dollar ahead of Fed meeting
Reuters reported India gold discounts widened to a near-decade high, pointing to weaker local demand relative to supply at current prices.
SourcesReuters: India gold discounts hit near-decade high; Mideast tensions lift China demand
Reuters also said Middle East tensions are lifting China demand for gold, a counterweight to the softer tone elsewhere.
SourcesReuters: India gold discounts hit near-decade high; Mideast tensions lift China demand
Kitco said Wall Street and Main Street sentiment on gold’s near-term direction looks balanced as markets wait for the Fed decision and updates tied to an “Iran breakthrough.”
Earlier in the day, Kitco noted gold was holding around $5,100 after U.S. data: JOLTS job openings rose; consumer sentiment fell to 55.5 while one-year inflation expectations rose again.
SourcesKitco News: Gold prices holding support at $5,100 as U.S. JOLTS shows rise in job openings2: Spot gold at $5,100/oz after preliminary Consumer Sentiment falls to 55.5, one-year inflation expectations rise again
Bull vs bear
The arguments the day’s reports made for each direction. We list them side by side; we don’t pick one.
The case for higher prices
Reuters reported Middle East tensions are supporting gold demand in China, which can underpin physical buying.
SourcesReuters: India gold discounts hit near-decade high; Mideast tensions lift China demand
Kitco reported one-year inflation expectations rose again even as consumer sentiment weakened, a backdrop some market participants watch for gold resilience.
The case for lower prices
Kitco said a liquidity crunch is boosting the U.S. dollar ahead of the Fed meeting, and it linked that to gold being under pressure.
SourcesKitco News: Gold under pressure as liquidity crunch boosts dollar ahead of Fed meeting
Action Forex said lower rate-cut bets and a stronger dollar are weighing on gold ahead of the FOMC meeting.
Reuters reported India gold discounts hit a near-decade high, signaling soft local demand at current price levels.
SourcesReuters: India gold discounts hit near-decade high; Mideast tensions lift China demand
What to watch
- UpcomingFed/FOMC meetingMultiple reports said markets are waiting for the Fed decision, with the dollar and rate-cut expectations a key driver for gold pricing into the meeting.
Metal by metal
The day’s reports
10 reports, most important first, New York time.
- 9:44 PM Action Forex · 9:44 PM▼ Reports a fall Weekly Gold (XAU/USD) Forecast: 3% Slide to $5000/oz as Rate Cut Bets Tumble, FOMC Up Next Gold is sliding as a stronger U.S. dollar and lower rate-cut bets pressure XAU/USD ahead of the FOMC meeting.
- 5:33 PM Reuters · 5:33 PM India gold discounts hit near-decade high; Mideast tensions lift China demand India gold discounts have reached a near-decade high while Middle East tensions are supporting China demand.
- 4:30 PM Kitco News · 4:30 PM▼ Reports a fall Gold under pressure as liquidity crunch boosts dollar ahead of Fed meeting Gold is under pressure as a liquidity crunch boosts the dollar before the Fed meeting.
- 6:38 PM Kitco News · 6:38 PM Wall Street reaches tense equilibrium on gold’s near-term prospects, Main Street sentiment holds steady as markets await Fed decision, Iran breakthrough Kitco says Wall Street and Main Street see gold’s near-term outlook as balanced while markets wait for the Fed decision and Iran news.
- 5:38 PM Reuters · 5:38 PM Workers strike at Glencore’s Australia refinery over pay dispute Workers have struck Glencore’s Australia refinery over a pay dispute.
- 10:12 AM Kitco News · 10:12 AM Gold prices holding support at $5,100 as U.S. JOLTS shows rise in job openings Gold is holding support at $5,100 after U.S. JOLTS data showed a rise in job openings.
- 10:00 AM Kitco News · 10:00 AM Spot gold at $5,100/oz after preliminary Consumer Sentiment falls to 55.5, one-year inflation expectations rise again Spot gold is at $5,100 an ounce after preliminary consumer sentiment fell and one-year inflation expectations rose again.
- 7:44 PM Kitco News · 7:44 PM Gold’s short-term setback hides a powerful long-term setup Kitco says gold’s recent pullback may mask a stronger long-term setup.
- 3:27 PM Kitco News · 3:27 PM AbraSilver CEO wins Kitco award as 350Moz Diablillos advances toward 2026 FID Kitco highlights AbraSilver’s CEO award and progress at the Diablillos project toward a 2026 final investment decision.
- 10:49 AM Kitco News · 10:49 AM Gold miners could double even if bullion stalls, says Ninepoint portfolio manager A Kitco strategist says gold miners could double even if bullion prices stall.
How this page is made
Collected every hour. Summed up twice a day. Linked to the source.
Where the news comes from
- Reuters and Dow Jones headlines for gold, silver, platinum and palladium, through TradingView
- Kitco News and MetalsDaily
- The World Gold Council
- Google News, for wider coverage
- A daily AI web search for anything the feeds missed
How the briefs are written
Every hour we collect new headlines. An AI model from OpenAI tags each one by metal, topic and importance and writes a one-line summary from its headline and teaser. It doesn’t read paywalled articles. On weekdays at about 8 AM and after the 5 PM New York close, it writes a brief from the most important reports and our own spot price feed. Every point cites the reports it came from. On Fridays it writes a recap of the week.
Who publishes it
Bullion Trading LLC is a physical precious metals dealer in New York’s Diamond District, in business since 2008. Prices on this page come from our own live feed and LBMA history. We buy and sell bullion, so read the briefs as market context, not investment advice. Briefs are published automatically, without an editor’s review. If you spot an error, tell us.
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