Peter's Blog

Early this morning, renewed trade tensions erupted between the United States and the European Union, sending shockwaves through financial markets. President Trump has recommended imposing aggressive new tariffs of 50% on European Union imports—more than double the 20% reciprocal tariff rate currently suspended. With the tariffs set to take effect on June 1, only nine […]

The troubled yen surged last week as the Fed cemented their decision to implement a huge interest rate cut as Shigeru Ishiba, an advocate for higher interest rates in Japan, won the election for Japanese Prime Minister.

The Bank of Japan’s historic move to end the country’s negative interest rate policy after nearly two decades triggered a jolt upward to new all-time highs for gold against the yen. But what are the implications for gold in the medium and longer term? The answer is far from simple. 

The gold price has been surging, with unprecedented central bank demand gobbling up supply. It has been a force to behold — especially as US monetary policy has been relatively tight since 2022, and 10-year Treasury yields have rocketed up, which generally puts firm downward pressure on gold against USD. 

With price inflation running rampant in Japan, Japanese households are rushing to buy gold. The sudden surge in demand, along with the devaluation of the yen, has driven the price of gold to record highs in yen terms.

While most central banks around the world have tightened monetary policy in an attempt to bring price inflation under control, Japan has done the exact opposite. But in a surprise move, the Bank of Japan widened its target range for 10-year Japanese bond yields, effectively raising the interest rate. The move strengthened the yen, put […]