Gold Holds Steady as Ceasefire Fragility and Inflation Fears Keep Markets Cautious

Gold prices remained largely unchanged in Asian trading on Thursday, following modest gains in the previous session, as investors weighed renewed tensions in the Middle East and the uncertain outlook for a fragile U.S.-Iran ceasefire.

Spot gold hovered at $4,720.68 per ounce, while U.S. gold futures for June slipped 0.7% to $4,743.00. The metal had closed slightly higher on Wednesday after briefly surging as much as 3%, supported by initial relief over a temporary truce.

The two-week ceasefire, brokered by Pakistan, aims to halt hostilities and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. However, confidence in the agreement remains shaky. Continued Israeli strikes on Lebanon and Iran’s warning that peace talks are “unreasonable” under current conditions have raised concerns about the durability of the truce.

Adding to uncertainty, Iran has halted oil tanker traffic through the Strait, while President Donald Trump reiterated that U.S. military forces will remain deployed in the region until a “real agreement” is reached.

Oil prices rebounded modestly after a sharp drop in the previous session, keeping inflation concerns alive. This has limited gold’s upside, as rising energy costs increase expectations that interest rates may stay higher for longer.

Investors are now turning their attention to the upcoming U.S. consumer price index (CPI) data, which is expected to provide further insight into inflation trends and the Federal Reserve’s policy direction. Energy-driven price pressures are anticipated to play a key role in the reading.

Meanwhile, the U.S. dollar stabilized after recent losses, also capping further gains in bullion.

Among other metals, silver edged down 0.3%, platinum fell 1%, while copper prices declined modestly across both London and U.S. markets.