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Silver dips below $30, falls to three-month low

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The price of Silver (XAGUSD) extended its losing streak for the sixth consecutive session, trading around $29.50 per troy ounce during the Asian hours on Thursday. The price of the grey metal depreciated more than 3% after the release of the Federal Reserve interest rate decision on Wednesday.

The Fed delivered a hawkish cut of 25 basis points (bps) at its December meeting, bringing its benchmark lending rate to a range of 4.25-4.50%, a two-year low. Additionally, during his press conference, Chair Jerome Powell made clear that the Fed will be cautious about further cuts as inflation remains stubbornly above the central bank’s 2% target.

The Summary of Economic Projections, often referred to as the “dot plot,” now anticipates only two rate cuts in 2025, a decrease from the four projected in September. This adjustment may be due to robust GDP growth and persistent inflation in the United States. Prolonged higher interest rates tend to negatively impact the demand for non-yielding assets like Silver.

Traders will likely observe the US weekly Initial Jobless Claims, Existing Home Sales, and final reading of Gross Domestic Product annualised for the third quarter (Q3) due on Thursday. These data points could further shape the Fed’s monetary policy expectations.

Moreover, the Bank of Japan maintained its policy rate for the third consecutive meeting, keeping the short-term rate target within the range of 0.15-0.25% after its two-day monetary policy review, in line with market expectations.

Traders expect the Bank of England to keep interest rates unchanged later in the day.

Additionally, the industrial outlook for Silver appears constrained due to overcapacity in China’s solar panel industry, prompting photovoltaic companies to join a government self-discipline programme to regulate supply.

(Source: OANDA)