Key Highlights
- Precious metals experienced severe losses Thursday, with gold futures plummeting more than 7% to $4,558 per ounce and silver declining over 9%.
- The Federal Reserve maintained its benchmark rate at 3.5%–3.75% while indicating a more restrictive monetary policy outlook amid persistent inflation.
- Middle East tensions intensified as Iran retaliated with attacks on regional energy facilities following Israel’s strike on the South Pars gas field.
- Major mining companies saw premarket declines, with Freeport-McMoRan, Newmont, and Royal Gold shares all trending lower.
- Market participants now anticipate the earliest possible Fed rate reduction won’t occur before September, strengthening the dollar and weighing on precious metals.
The precious metals market witnessed one of its most dramatic downturns in recent history Thursday, as market participants grappled with the dual pressures of sustained elevated interest rates and intensifying military confrontations between Israel and Iran.
BREAKING: Spot gold extends its selloff to -$400/oz on the day, now trading at $4,500/oz for the first time since February 2nd. pic.twitter.com/ARqkGaABpz
— The Kobeissi Letter (@KobeissiLetter) March 19, 2026
Continuous gold contracts tumbled over 7% during early market hours to reach $4,558 per ounce, representing a $289 decline. Spot gold posted a 4.3% decrease to $4,609.02 per ounce as of 8:36 AM ET. Silver contracts dropped 9.3%, while spot silver plunged 11% to $67.17 per ounce.
The dramatic selloff drove gold prices substantially beneath the $5,000-per-ounce threshold that had been maintained for approximately one month.
Federal Reserve Maintains Restrictive Policy Stance
The Federal Reserve opted to keep interest rates unchanged during Wednesday’s policy meeting, maintaining the current 3.5%–3.75% target range. Chairman Jerome Powell highlighted increasing inflationary pressures and indicated the central bank would pursue “a meaningful amount of movement toward fewer cuts.”
Robust U.S. producer price index data released Wednesday intensified concerns about persistent inflation. Financial markets reacted by delaying anticipated rate reduction timing to September or later, based on CME FedWatch analytics.
Gold serves as a zero-yield investment vehicle, making it less attractive when interest rates remain elevated. Capital typically flows toward yield-generating instruments during such periods.
“Fed rate cuts have been pushed out further in the future,” stated Adrian Ash, a researcher at BullionVault. “Mechanically, that would be bad for gold.”
Ash characterized the present situation as a “test” for the precious metal, though he declined to predict whether current levels represent a price floor.
Iranian Retaliation Disrupts Regional Energy Infrastructure
The decline in precious metals coincided with a significant surge in crude oil valuations. Brent crude contracts climbed 6.3% following overnight Iranian military operations targeting critical energy installations throughout the Middle East.
Tensions escalated Wednesday after Israeli forces targeted South Pars, recognized as the planet’s most extensive natural gas reservoir. Iran launched retaliatory strikes against numerous energy facilities across the region while maintaining attacks on Israeli territory.
The Strait of Hormuz, a vital conduit for international petroleum and natural gas transportation, has been essentially shut down, creating additional upward momentum for energy commodity prices.
Elevated crude oil prices contribute to inflationary pressures, which diminishes expectations for imminent Federal Reserve monetary easing.
OCBC analysts wrote in a note: “The market is effectively trading less on geopolitical hedging demand and more on the worries of higher inflation risks delaying Fed cut trajectory.”
They added that safe-haven flows into gold are “being offset by the drag from rising real yields.”
Equity valuations for precious metal extraction companies declined during premarket sessions. Freeport-McMoRan retreated 4.4%, Newmont decreased 7.6%, and Royal Gold lost 4.6%.
The U.S. dollar gained strength driven by expectations of prolonged elevated interest rates, creating additional headwinds for gold, which trades in dollar-denominated contracts.
CME FedWatch analytics revealed market participants anticipating no monetary policy adjustments until September at the earliest, representing a delay from previous forecasts.
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