Spot Price Of Gold And Its Relevance In Financial Markets

3:21 AM 0 Comments A+ a-

By Odis Disimone


Many people know about gold and that it is the most valuable metal there is in the world. For many years, many players in economic matters have used this metal as a store of value and measure of worth of products. Like other commodities, it is one of the major items in which people deal with in financial markets. The price at which it is sold in financial markets is called the gold spot price. Various factors come into play in determination of this price. These factors are important in determining whether the price falls or rises in these markets.

Most governments have striven for the establishment of liberal markets. These are markets where the prices of various commodities are determined by the forces of demand and supply. Being the largest economy in the world, the USA has a great impact on the prices of most items in the world today.

The US price levels are some of the greatest determinants of direction of changes in prices of this product. Through time, it has been observed that there is a positive relationship between changes in this level and the gold spot price. This has led many economies around the world to rely on the precious metal as a deterrent of inflation effects.

This increases demand from investors who want to take advantage of this low price to amass as much of the product as they can. Subsequently, it will force the US dollar to increase in price counteracting the depreciation effect.

When there is depreciation in the value of the dollar, the amount to be paid for gold also goes down. This causes an rush among investors who want to take advantage of the low cost of the product. Due to the increased demand, the price of the dollar will go up bringing up the price for gold.

The demand for jewelry produced using this precious metal also determines the prices, which people will have to pay for it. Jewelers depend on these metals to produce the highly valuable items whose demand is quite high in the market. People use these products as gifts and stores of value. Watches, wristbands and other ornamental items can be produced using this material.

Another major use of the product is in securing investments people make. When the residents of different countries make investments in various sectors of the economy, they want to secure them. Therefore, when the level of entrepreneurship and investment increases, the prices of this commodity will change in that economy.

The general political climate in the world also has a great effects on these prices. As people expect different changes in the politics and policies enacted by different authorities, they will change their investment patterns. This will in return affect the prices of commodities such as gold and others. Government politics affect the policies of central banks of different countries and therefore changes the amount of mineral they will keep in their reserves.

Their positions of power put them in a favorable position to influence the policies affecting different sectors of the economy. The central bank in any country usually has the responsibility of determining the amount of gold reserves that each country will keep. Politicians have influence on these policies and therefore, politics will influence the decisions made and the amount of commodity available for trading.

The environment is a cause of concern for many people across the world. Environmental degradation affects the weather patterns and the performance of different countries, specifically those that rely on agricultural produce for survival. Forecasts and analysis of trends in the environment should be able to indicate to them what to expect of their performance in future. Factors such as global warming and other major changes in weather may cause uncertainty in the market forcing people to change the investment choices they make. It also has an indirect impact on the prices of products such as gold.

Holding onto gold reserves earns investors interest at a variable rate. These rates are important in determination of precious metals and keeping up with the gold spot price . The trend that most people are familiar with is that the amount they pay for the commodity is inverse to the interest rates they have to pay. An analysis of this trend reveals that this is caused by the fact that changes in interest rates are associated with inflation concerns and devaluation of the dollar. However, since interest rates may rise because of other factors, the relationship may go inverse to the expectations of market players.




About the Author: