Gold Hits $2000 Amid Economic Concerns.
Solid ECN - The price of gold climbed to $2,000 per ounce last Thursday, boosted by a weaker dollar and lower bond yields. This increase came as investors welcomed the latest U.S. economic figures and looked forward to insights from Federal Reserve officials regarding when they might start reducing interest rates. U.S. retail sales fell significantly more than expected in January, and the number of people filing for unemployment benefits unexpectedly hit a four-week low, hinting that the economy could be weaker than previously believed.
Austan Goolsbee, the President of the Chicago Federal Reserve, expressed concern on Wednesday about the risk of delaying interest rate cuts too long. At the same time, Michael Barr, the Federal Reserve's Vice Chair for Supervision, mentioned that recent inflation numbers suggest achieving the 2% inflation goal could be challenging.