Gold Rises on Mixed U.S. Stimulus Reports

Gold rose on Friday morning in Asia’s precious metals, as the U.S. sent out contrary coronavirus relief signals.

By 11:53 PM ET (3:53 AM GMT), gold futures edged up 0.08% to $1,863.

Gold investors in Asia were uncertain as to what direction to take on Friday morning. The U.S. has made two conflicting moves overnight regarding the future of its COVID-19 stimulus path. 

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has asked the U.S. central bank to return funds. Those funds were for a general loan system that it administers to help various organizations amid the pandemic. 

Senate Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has agreed to restart negotiations with Democrats. Talks will still be on a new COVID-19 stimulus package.

Mnuchin has written to the Federal Reserve requesting the return of $455 billion to government coffers. Currently, the Fed is using the funds to run a loan scheme. Its aim is to support businesses, non-profits, and local government through the COVID-19 crisis. 

Experts widely consider the scheme to be successful in staving off some of the worst effects of the current health crisis. 

The Fed responded that it would prefer the full suite of emergency facilities continue to serve their role. That important role is being a backstop for their still-strained and vulnerable economy. The facilities referred to were those that were established during the coronavirus pandemic. 

This, usually, would be a negative for the yellow metal. It’s because the removal of the stimulus should strengthen the dollar. 

Resuming Discussions on a New Relief Package

Republican McConnell however, said that his party is prepared to return to previously abandoned discussions with the Democrats.  The talks on a new COVID-19 relief package have been going nowhere for months now, with seemingly no agreement in sight.

News about this resumption of the meetings is a positive for gold. A stimulus package would have the effect of softening the greenback. It will make it cheaper for holders of other currencies to buy the precious metal.

The slight positive trend for precious metal gold comes as the dollar crept down earlier in the session. Moreover, global markets are also mixed, with little movement overall.

Meanwhile, in energy commodities, oil was up on Friday morning in Asia. This was despite conflicting U.S. stimulus reports and an apparent schism in OPEC. Furthermore, the ever-increasing COVID-19 numbers.

By 11:26 PM ET (3:26 AM GMT), Brent oil futures was up 0.23% to $44.30. WTI futures climbed 0.10% to $41.94. Both Brent and WTI futures were above the $40 mark.