Trump came out today and called Iran’s latest peace proposal totally unacceptable. Oil stayed firmly elevated. The dollar strengthened across the board. Gold slipped down to around $4,698. I am trying to understand the economic transmission mechanism behind this counterintuitive outcome.

    Here is the framework I have mapped out so far: ongoing conflict keeps oil prices elevated, higher oil feeds into rising inflation expectations, higher inflation odds lower the chance of near term Fed rate cuts, fewer expected cuts keep real interest rates higher for longer, elevated real rates naturally pressure non yielding assets like gold, and geopolitical uncertainty also drives extra safe haven demand for dollar liquidity. It is interesting that the exact same geopolitical event can be bullish for oil, bullish for the dollar, and still bearish for gold.

    Is this the standard way economists frame the interplay between commodity supply shocks, monetary policy expectations, and safe haven flows? Also, is there a proper established framework that defines when geopolitical risk flows mostly into gold versus when it favors the dollar instead? My basic intuition is that it comes down to the nature of the shock. If it is driven mainly by fear and chaos, gold tends to outperform. If it is driven mainly by supply constraints and inflation pressure, the dollar benefits and gold can actually drop. Is this distinction formally laid out in economic literature, or is it mostly a heuristic market practitioners use? Not looking for any trading or investment advice, just trying to understand the theoretical framework behind this dynamic.

    Why did gold fall when Trump rejected Iran’s peace proposal today?
    byu/One_Cancel7890 inAskEconomics



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