Gold And Silver Smash New Records As Greenland Tariff Threats Ignite A Safety Rush

Key Points

• Gold jumped to about $4,666 an ounce and hit $4,689, as tariff threats revived demand for hard-asset insurance.
• Silver surged to roughly $93 and briefly touched $94, stretching an already crowded trade into fresh volatility.
• ETF holdings rose again, but the near-term path now hinges on geopolitics and the Fed’s late-January decision.

Gold and silver reopened the week with a forceful message: markets still price safety faster than they price calm. Spot gold rose about 1.6% to around $4,666 an ounce and set a new record near $4,689. U.S. gold futures climbed to roughly $4,672.

Silver jumped about 3.6% to around $93.15 after trading as high as $94.08. The catalyst was political, not technical. President Donald Trump threatened extra tariffs on several European countries unless the United States is allowed to buy Greenland.

European officials prepared retaliation and described the pressure as coercive. The shock hit risk appetite quickly. U.S. equity futures slid, the dollar weakened, and traditional havens like the yen and Swiss franc gained.

That risk-off move landed on top of a market that was already running hot. Over the prior week, precious metals rallied on expectations of easier U.S. policy in 2026 and persistent official buying.

Gold’s run accelerated after earlier January records, while silver crossed $90 for the first time and became the standout momentum trade. Then came profit-taking on January 15 and 16, when fears briefly cooled and traders locked in gains.

Gold still ended that week up, leaving the tape primed for the next headline. Positioning data helps explain the snapback. SPDR’s gold-backed trust reported its holdings rising 1.01% to 1,085.67 tonnes by Friday.

Silver’s main ETF footprint stayed large, with holdings around 16,073 tonnes in mid-January. Trading activity also surged. SLV share volume topped 132 million on January 16, a sign of heavy churn.

Strategists urged caution on silver’s pace, even while calling the underlying demand picture constructive. JPMorgan signaled a preference for gold’s steadier setup. Traders now look to the Federal Reserve meeting on January 27–28.

Markets still lean toward at least two quarter-point cuts this year, even if policy stays unchanged next week. Technically, the market is also drawing new lines. Gold is defending the $4,600 area and staring at its $4,689 peak as the next reference.

Silver is fighting to hold above $90 while probing the $94 zone. The trend remains up, but the price action says the next moves may be faster, and sharper, than the last.

Related coverage: Brazil’s Morning Call | Argentina’s Trade Surplus Looks Set To Shrink In December, E This is part of The Rio Times’ daily coverage of global affairs and Latin American financial news.

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