This is part of The Rio Times’ daily coverage of precious metals markets and Latin American financial markets.
Key Points
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- Gold slipped to about $4,609 an ounce after a record near $4,643, while silver fell back under $90 after breaking it.
- Profit-taking led the move, helped by calmer signals on Iran and a reduced sense of imminent central-bank disruption.
- Longer-term drivers remain in place, including 2026 rate-cut expectations, heavy ETF positioning, and ongoing official buying.
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\nGold and silver opened January 15 on the back foot, a day after a breathtaking surge pushed both metals into milestone territory. Spot gold eased about 0.3% to roughly $4,608.8 an ounce, while February U.S. gold futures traded near $4,613.
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\nSilver dropped about 3.4% to around $89.6 after briefly establishing itself above the $90 mark. Platinum and palladium also moved lower, reinforcing the sense that this was a broad, risk-reset session rather than a single-asset story.
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\nThe simplest explanation was also the most convincing: investors took profits. Prices had run too far, too fast. When a market gets crowded, even small shifts in perceived risk can trigger a rush for the exit.
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\nThat shift arrived as U.S. President Donald Trump struck a more cautious tone on Iran, which helped cool fears of rapid escalation and pulled oil down from multi-month highs.
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\nTrump also said he had no immediate plans to remove Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, easing a key concern that monetary policy could be dragged into direct political control.
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\nEven with the pullback, the rally’s foundations did not disappear overnight. Markets still leaned toward two U.S. rate cuts in 2026, and jobless-claims data became the next near-term test for the growth narrative.
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\nOfficial-sector demand remained a pillar. China’s central bank was reported to have extended gold purchases to a 14th straight month in December, a signal of steady accumulation rather than a short trade.
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\nETF data showed the scale of positioning. SPDR Gold Shares holdings were reported at 1,074.23 tonnes. iShares Silver holdings were listed at 16,242.22 tonnes, alongside unusually heavy daily turnover of about 177.4 million shares.
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\nTradingView snapshots around 08:03 UTC showed gold near $4,599.5 on the 4-hour view and silver near $89.24. Weekly momentum stayed elevated, with silver’s weekly RSI near 84 and gold’s near 74, while 4-hour readings cooled.
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\nThe next battle is psychological. Hold $4,600 and $90 on dips and the uptrend stays orderly. Lose them and the shakeout can deepen quickly.
Related coverage: Brazil’s Ibovespa | Brazil’s Morning Call