monsitj/iStock via Getty Images Gold futures fell below the $4,400/oz mark Friday, nearly erasing its gain for the full year, after the U.S. posted another month of strong job gains in May, reinforcing expectations that the Federal Reserve will keep interest rates higher for longer amid inflation concerns prompted by the Middle East war. U.S. Treasury yields and the dollar jumped after the Bureau...
monsitj/iStock via Getty Images Gold futures fell below the $4,400/oz mark Friday, nearly erasing its gain for the full year, after the U.S. posted another month of strong job gains in May, reinforcing expectations that the Federal Reserve will keep interest rates higher for longer amid inflation concerns prompted by the Middle East war. U.S. Treasury yields and the dollar jumped after the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported non -farm payrolls rose by 172K jobs in May, with a significantly upward revision of 179K jobs in April, topping all forecasts. "This is a hawkish jobs report: It supports a stronger dollar, higher yields, and pushes back against aggressive rate-cut expectations," Naeem Aslam, Chief Investment Officer at Zaye Capital Markets, said in a note. "Gold may come under pressure initially as yields and the dollar rise, unless geopolitical fears keep safe-haven demand alive." Markets are now pricing a ~72% chance of a Fed rate hike in December, according to CME Group's FedWatch tool, compared to ~50% before the release of the jobs data. Concerns over sustained disruptions to energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz have supported higher oil prices and heightened inflation risks, strengthening prospects of higher-for-longer interest rates or potential hikes that would weigh on non-yielding assets such as gold. U.S. Comex gold ( XAUUSD:CUR ) fell for the fifth week of the past seven, with the front-month contract for June delivery finishing down 3.1% on Friday to $4,337.10/oz, its lowest settlement value since January 2, and front-month Comex June silver sank 6.5% to $68.943/oz, its lowest close since March 26. For the week, front-month gold and silver declined 4.9% and 8.8%, respectively; YTD, gold has now gained a mere 0.3%, while silver has slipped 1.7%. ETFs: ( GLD ), ( GDX ), ( GDXJ ), ( IAU ), ( NUGT ), ( PHYS ), ( GLDM ), ( AAAU ), ( SGOL ), ( DUST ), ( RING ), ( BAR ), ( OUNZ ), ( SGDM ), ( SGDJ ), ( SLV ), ( PSLV ), ( SIVR ), ( SIL ), ( SI...